Quote from Reloader on January 11, 2009, 5:31 pm

m in the same boat, although I've got my 650 and I'm trying to figure out how/where to set it up. Brian Enos's web site has some info (and photos), and he recommends that the top of the handle be at shoulder height, and he has some dimensions. The 650 on the strong mount is tall enough that if I mount it that high, the case feeder is going to be way over my head, and hard to fill & keep an eye on. It may even hit the ceiling on the work benches I have, which are set up to work at standing up.

My current thinking is to make a special bench that is at the right height while I'm sitting. However, I'm not sure about the forces involved and whether I will end up popping up out of my chair with every stroke. The heaviest thing I will be doing is sizing .308 brass.

The bench doesn't need to be very deep, because the space behind the press is largely inaccessible. If you think you my do other calibers in the future, make sure you have room for some tool head stands & the like. Storage cabinets for supplies & the like will also be very useful.

The general theory is that it needs to be very sturdy. Part of this is so that it doesn't shake randomly, which will contribute to uneven powder charges. I don't have a good place to anchor a small bench, so I'm thinking about attaching the seat to the bench so that _I_ become the anchor. What I'd really love to do is to put retractable casters on it so that I can wheel it out of the way when it's not in use. I have no idea how well this might work...

In the meantime, I'm planning on mounting it to a heavy board, and clamping it to the top of an existing heavy bench (if it will clear the ceiling). That will work long enough for me to design & build a dedicated bench.

Quote from Reloader on January 12, 2009, 2:50 pm

 We generally suggest a bench hieght of 36 to 42 inches, depending on if you plan to load sitting or standing. A 4 or 5' long bench is plenty of room to load, just limits storage is all.

Quote from Reloader on January 13, 2009, 5:27 pm

My bench is 35" tall.  I can either stand or sit (with the right sized stool) and is 52" long.  I have plenty of room

It keeps all of the tool heads handy and out of the way.

 

Quote from Reloader on January 14, 2009, 2:42 pm

Rob,

 

Here is my reloading bench (sorry for the poor quality picture). I used a shelving unit (combined 2 of them) from Loews (it was made to be a shelving unit or a work bench approx 48 inches wide (Edsal Maxi Rack Steel Shelving Unit). I also used two 3/4 inch boards and the original 1/4 inch shelf that came with the unit to make the one side where I mounted the RL550B a total of 1.75 inches thick.

 

I also used a Coleman TD2 5 Drawer Base Cabinet on the right side middle of the bench for drawer storage. It fit perfectly. Bought 2 peg boards for the back of the bench to hang tools and had an old stereo rack on the left side just to make my scale eye level (the scale is covered in the picture). I have a power strip mounted on the far right side and a shop light over head, also mounted a grill light on the strong mount so I can see the powder in the bullet seating station (to make sure my powder charge is ok). I also have a big cabinet to the right of the bench where I keep all of my components etc...

 

Part of the fun of all of this was creating my work space.

 

I hope this helps give you some ideas. Good luck.

Marc

Quote from Reloader on January 24, 2009, 6:52 am

Little late getting in on this but here is my 2 cents. I just built a new bench in my shed and space is not an issue for me, but with that said my bench is 79" long and 24" deep and 351/2" high. it will work well both sitting and standing. I also have 2 Mec Grabbers set up on the bench. You have plenty of room for a 550 the height will depend on you height. The most important factor is that you be comfortable standing or sitting.