Tool chest reloading bench

pidevildog07 · Jun 17, 2020

Just bought a craftsmen 26x18x27 4 drawer with wheels and am going with 3/4" pine on top but am unsure if I should if I should stick with pine under the top inside the top drawer and just screwing the two together with deck screws or put in a 1/4" steel plate and bolt it through.

I'm already planning on taking the wheels off because it's not moving anytime soon and space is sorta at a premium. I'm going to take the bottom drawer out and stack lead ingots for stability. Don't have the option of lagging to the wall or the floor. I'm also going with an inline fab for my rock chucker. What say you?

guzma393 · Jun 17, 2020

I bolt myns directly to the bench without a steel plate, but one of the bolts passes through the steel frame of the bench, therefore giving it more stability.

As for stability, I got away with loading pistol on a single stage/turret press with the bench just resting along the wall. Rifle/progressive press operations however, are a different story. Operations that requires heavy upstrokes/downstrokes winded up tipping the bench even with added weights.

I winded up lagging the bench to the wall to handle rough/heavy upstrokes from progressives/reloading rifle/or swaging.

pidevildog07 · Jun 17, 2020

guzma393 said:
I bolt myns directly to the bench without a steel plate, but one of the bolts passes through the steel frame of the bench, therefore giving it more stability.

As for stability, I got away with loading pistol on a single stage/turret press with the bench just resting along the wall. Rifle/progressive press operations however, are a different story. Operations that requires heavy upstrokes/downstrokes winded up tipping the bench even with added weights.

I winded up lagging the bench to the wall to handle rough/heavy upstrokes from progressives/reloading rifle/or swaging.

Would several more structural screws do just as well at holding the bench to the wall and floor? Those holes would be easier to mend if/when the bench is moved I would think.

Swaim13 · Jun 17, 2020

pidevildog07 said:
Would several more structural screws do just as well at holding the bench to the wall and floor? Those holes would be easier to mend if/when the bench is moved I would think.

Tbh, I lag screwed my work bench to the studs through the drywall. If you are going to have to patch it later anyways, why not do it all the way?

You could try the screws as anything is better than nothing
I would put larger washers and likely use more screws to hold it tight

pidevildog07 · Jun 17, 2020

Swaim13 said:
Tbh, I lag screwed my work bench to the studs through the drywall. If you are going to have to patch it later anyways, why not do it all the way?

You could try the screws as anything is better than nothing
I would put larger washers and likely use more screws to hold it tight

Oh yeah, those screws would drag that thin gauge through the drywall.

PowPow · Jun 17, 2020

pidevildog07 said:
Oh yeah, those screws would drag that thin gauge through the drywall.

Put a couple 1x4 between your unit and the drywall. Use screws long enough to anchor. (don't forget washers) The boards will keep the unit from damaging the walls and paint. You'll still need to fix the screw holes when you leave the dwelling, but it will be much more solid for your reloading. You will like that!

Mule · Jun 17, 2020

I tend to over-engineer things. But, if I were doing something like that, this is likely how I'd do it:

I'd go with ¾" plywood for the top. However, I'd use two layers, to get a 1 ½" thickness, and would cut them with at least an inch of overhang on either side, to take advantage of the sidewalls of the cabinet as an extra vertical support.

I'd go with another ¾" layer on the underside of the cabinet, to create a very solid top. I'd use ¼" flat head machine screws and Tee Nuts to bolt the 1 ½" of plywood on the top, to the ¾" of plywood on the bottom. Then, I'd countersink the screws, so that they're just beneath the surface of the workbench top. I'd also probably use a Forstner bit to lightly countersink the Tee Nuts, also.

To attach the unit to the wall, I'd use Spax PowerLag screws:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/SPAX-1-...Zinc-Coated-Lag-Screw-4581020700767/202041026

Not sure if any of that would be helpful for your situation. But, figured I'd share, in case it might.

As far as mending holes in drywall, for all intents and purposes, the holes you'd have for a construction screw, a lag screw, or the Spax PowerLag would all be about the same to patch. The larger holes would require a little more compound, but the differences would be negligible. So, I'd opt for the holding power (and ease of installation) of the PowerLag.

Harrys · Jul 5, 2020

Bench Reloading Center

pidevildog07 said:
Just bought a craftsmen 26x18x27 4 drawer with wheels and am going with 3/4" pine on top but am unsure if I should if I should stick with pine under the top inside the top drawer and just screwing the two together with deck screws or put in a 1/4" steel plate and bolt it through.

I'm already planning on taking the wheels off because it's not moving anytime soon and space is sorta at a premium. I'm going to take the bottom drawer out and stack lead ingots for stability. Don't have the option of lagging to the wall or the floor. I'm also going with an inline fab for my rock chucker. What say you?

Like this?

pidevildog07 · Jul 6, 2020

Harrys said:
Like this?

Its already done. I'll post pictures later I forgot to when it was complete.

pidevildog07 · Jul 7, 2020

Done. Sorry about the catywompous picture orientation. I couldn't get it to do right.

Blacksmith101 · Jul 7, 2020

You might want to add a Lee Bench Plate so you could remove the press and store it in one of the drawers.
https://leeprecision.com/bench-plate.html

Doco Overboard · Jul 7, 2020

Looks good, nice and organized.
Right now, my work bench looks like a bomb just exploded in my tool box and parts bins at the same time.

pidevildog07 · Jul 8, 2020

Blacksmith101 said:
You might want to add a Lee Bench Plate so you could remove the press and store it in one of the drawers.
https://leeprecision.com/bench-plate.html

Inline fabrication ultramount w/ quick change plates :brows:

Had to use it or would've had to sacrifice using two of the drawers while the press was in use.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=emb_title&time_continue=16&v=z4F93tWTC7Q

Tool chest reloading bench

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