by Art Merrill
You’ll need to mount your press to a sturdy bench because it takes some oomph to work cartridge cases through resizing dies. Bolting the bench to a wall or lagging it onto the floor may be necessary if it is lightly constructed. There are some purpose-built reloading benches out there, but if you’re handy with wood it’s easy enough to make your own or to convert a bench-in-a-box to your needs.
When designing, keep in mind that the top must be sturdy enough to bolt the press to, and the wood must withstand considerable, repeated up-and-down force from the press without eventually splintering. Also, some reloading tools you may wish to c-clamp to the bench, so the front edge must be narrow enough to accommodate clamps (any drawers under the top will interfere with clamping). You may wish to screw or bolt tools to the bench top, as well. A sheet of ¾” plywood with a 2×4” laid flat under the front edge is a good minimum starting point. The combination is thick enough to bolt your press to, and thin enough for temporarily c-clamping tools (measures, trimmer, etc.).
Consider also that you need very good lighting and that you may wish to use electrical trimmers and other tools, and that you need space for storing dies and tools not in use, as well as bullets and brass.
You can find plenty of free plans for building your own reloading bench by simply Googling “reloading bench plans free.”
