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what do you suggest for small reloading set up
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:44 pm
by nearly there
Hi what do you guys suggest for a small but practical work station where space is a issue.something that is strong enough to take a press etc.thanks
Re: what do you suggest for small reloading set up
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:51 pm
by saddler
Black & Decker Workmate
Re: what do you suggest for small reloading set up
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 10:12 pm
by Alpha1
Black and decker work mate its how I started off.
Re: what do you suggest for small reloading set up
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 10:19 pm
by nearly there
Thanks guys
Re: what do you suggest for small reloading set up
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 10:27 pm
by saddler
...you can also make a fixed wooden stand for your press, which you mount to the workmate or a table with G-clamps.
Re: what do you suggest for small reloading set up
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 10:50 pm
by The Gun Pimp
Lee actually sell a purpose-made press stand which is far more stable than a Workmate. Check out Hannam's Reloading.
Re: what do you suggest for small reloading set up
Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2015 11:13 pm
by saddler
The Gun Pimp wrote:Lee actually sell a purpose-made press stand which is far more stable than a Workmate. Check out Hannam's Reloading.
I've seen the one in Hannam's entrance lobby.
Looks very flimsy compared to a Workmate....plus my Workmate was £5 2nd-hand
Re: what do you suggest for small reloading set up
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 12:08 am
by Robert303
The work mate is good except for height. Depending where you are using it and if you can leave it up when not in use you might want some blocks under the feet. In my last house I had a cupboard about 3ft wide. I put battens on the walls. A piece of work top on the battens screwed into them and the stop the rear coming up two blocks screwed into the walls. Rather than drill the top to bolt the press to I had it on a block of wood 1 inch thick by 8 wide and 12 inches deep which I G clamped to the top. It meant I could dismount the press when not needed. You could use the same on your workmate.
Re: what do you suggest for small reloading set up
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 12:30 am
by Tommygunn
Workmate will do the job but if you are able to do it then an offcut of kitchen worktop permanently fixed would be far better and could be tailored to your height/preferences etc.
This is what I'm planning to do now I am going to relocate my bench from the loft, (and since the wife decided she would relocate herself also), but I'm thinking about routing slots into the surface to accept T bolt channels for press mounting rather than the tried and tested G-clamp arrangement
Re: what do you suggest for small reloading set up
Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 5:05 am
by dromia
The other problem with the Lee stand is that the space on the top is limited to just a press. There is a shelf below but it is not convenient.
I use a workmate (a cheap Aldi one) as an extension to my fixed benches, the top can be enlarged easily. I use a piece of scrap of a suitable size with a 2' length of 2"x2" screwed along the middle which gets clamped in the workmate.