Bench/press layout question

[memilanuk]

This is a question for those of you with multiple presses mounted on your bench... specifically progressives, or a mix of single stage and progressives.

What do you find is the optimal layout as far as a) spacing side to side, so that the 'footprint' of one press doesn't interfere with the operation of an adjacent press, and b) depth of the bench, front to back?

In the past I've always had a looooong open counter, about 24-30" deep. In large part, that was to accommodate being able to spread out case trays, etc. for prep, sorting, that kind of thing. So far, in my experience, the excess space behind the press ends up either being some what wasted, or accumulating junk.

Given that my reloading area is now co-located in the corner of my (woodworking) garage shop, I'm looking at building a dedicated, enclosed, reloading bench / closet just for the presses, with doors that can be closed to keep the dust out/off, and with storage below and above, possibly with a dedicated shelf (fixed to the wall studs) for the powder scale & trickler (FX-120i + AutoThrower + AutoTrickler). Presses would be a Forster Co-Ax, Dillon RL550B, and (hopefully) a Dillon XL750 w/ case feeder.

I'll still have a general purpose open bench area that can be used for sorting and prep work, so in theory, the bench area doesn't need to be as deep.

I've seen some of the bench designs with the t-track inletted into the bench top... which would allow the presses to be moved side-to-side as needs dictate... but I have some reservations about how well that setup would hold up over time, as the size of screws typically used to hold the track down typically aren't very big. Though I suppose one could epoxy them into the bench top as well - kind of a 'glue-n-screw' arrangement

Anywho, I'm curious as to what those of you with multiple presses think as far as what is a comfortable spacing & depth for your presses. What you have now, vs. if you had to start over from scratch...

 

[Deleted member 113831]

I have 2 Dillons mounted on one side of my reloading table, and 2 single stages mounted on the other side. I have 24" on each end, and 48" between.

If I had it to do over again from scratch, I would probably try the T rail system you mentioned. I have thought about that quite a bit over the years.

 

[supercorndogs]

I thought this was going to be a weight lifting thread.

 

[Ryridesmotox]

T track it. You can get it on Amazon cheap if you don't want the added cost of rockler stuff

 

[sodakhunter]

Inline fabrication will solve all of your issues. Check out their website. Dont know the politics behind the owner or the company bur it is a hell of a system.

 

[memilanuk]

Maybe so... but still doesn't address the primary question: spacing, and depth.

 

[Ryridesmotox]

If you use a T-track or inline fab setup, you can swap the presses around. So you can use the space for other activities. Like bhukding guns, banging the old lady, or whatever else you may need

 

[memilanuk]

Interesting... I had been thinking of the t-track more in the idea of being able to slide the presses side to side as needed to make room - not really so much in terms of ever removing them from the bench. Partly because of the perceived hassle of getting them into and out of the enclosure I am thinking about building (as described above).

After looking at the Inline Fabrication quick change mount setup, it seems like it might be doable to still build a closet/cabinet for *storing* the presses, and have an ultra mount or mini mount on the bench / island. Never really thought about that approach - having them stored, out of harms way, and out of the dust, and just bringing them out to the bench as needed. The docking mounts for the QC plates look intriguing.

Might be an interesting idea for the smaller presses but I'm not sure how feasible that would be with the XL750 + case feeder. No idea how much that thing will weigh, but I'm pretty sure between the weight and general bulk it's going to be something I *don't* want to be moving around any more than necessary... like... ever.

 

[Sieg]

Inline fabrication will solve all of your issues. Check out their website. Dont know the politics behind the owner or the company bur it is a hell of a system.

Dan's a damn good self-made guy, I've know him for 10 years. First met him when I sold one of my KTM dirt bikes that he still has. He was just starting Inline Fab in a shop on his residential property at the time.