Starting a reloading bench......

[jlloyd73]

My brother and I have been talking of reloading for awhile. I don't have much room in my house and I wanted to make a bench that we could easily transport from one house to the next if needed.

I picked this ex-medical cart at the goodwill for $5 about a month ago. It looks like it used to be for a defibrillator unit at some point. It is super heavy and has some very stout solid rubber wheels on it.

These are the first pictures of the cart before I started making the top for it. So far I have been able to use some lumber and parts I have had laying around for awhile. (I don't throw anything useful away) I have a grand total of about $15 in this cart. It looks yellow in the pics, but it is more tan.

I actually have half of the top done (it will be about 4' long and about 20" wide), but I didn't take any picture of that progress yet.....I will post my progress over the next few days.

You can see in the first picture where I need to cut out part on the cart to give me more access to the inside of it ****Shelf 1 (when I put the top on I wouldn't be able to use that part if I didn't cut it open). A couple of the shelves have holes from where they ran wires through this thing, but my brother works for the local sign dept and they have some scrap signs that fit almost perfect to cover the holes.

[American Leader]

Sounds like a bargain J, keep the pics comin. I think that color may go just fine with "red"!

[joncutt87]

J, what part of the state are you in?

[jlloyd73]

I am around the Durham area......a few hours from you I would guess. I haven't been to Charlotte in awhile.

[Infidel762]

Can the wheels lock at all? Do you plan on attaching to wall?

[accident]

It looks similar to a Matco tool cart I have.Plenty heavy enough but like Infidel762 asked do two of the wheels lock? Even if they do I think you'll need to find a way to secure it to a wall otherwise it will try to move around when you go to resizing cases.Maybe some metal U-shaped pvc clamps the correct size wrapped around the vertical supports on the cart then attatched to the wall would secure it. Just a thought. Joe

[jlloyd73]

The wheels do not lock. I was hoping the weight would be enough to keep it steady. I don't want to mount it to the wall, but I will take that into consideration if it moves too much.

[woolleyworm]

Originally Posted by jlloyd73

The wheels do not lock. I was hoping the weight would be enough to keep it steady. I don't want to mount it to the wall, but I will take that into consideration if it moves too much.

Plan on securing it somehow to the wall then, especially if you're doing anything other pistol calibers. If you don't want to attach to a wall, make a foot rest so that you can step on it.

[jlloyd73]

I can probably build something like a box for the back wheels. I could set them into it to immobilize them.

[V509]

The sturdier the reloading bench the better!

[Infidel762]

What about building a little box that the frame would sit on and putting weights or sand bags in the bottom? The wheels would only need to be an inch or so off ground and you could attach the cart to that heavy box like an anchor. It would still be mobile after un-attaching it from box and would not take up more room than the cart itself. This way you don't have to drill holes in your wall. The foot step is a good idea as well.... I went all out and built my bench into my house to make sure it didn't move. One thing you don't want is your press flexing your bench or the entire bench moving when working the press. I have seen a guy on another forum make his progressive setup on what looks like a TV tray, but he has a foot holder to keep it sturdy. Your cart is definitely strong enough for the job, you just have to figure out a way to keep it sturdy.

[carver]

Or, you could take the wheels off, if they are a problem, and put them back on when you want to move the setup. I don't believe that a kenotic hammer will work on that setup, so look at getting a good sized chunk of fire wood for that propose.

[jlloyd73]

I think making a frame at the very bottom may be the best idea for me. The wheels are on there too good to take of.

[jlloyd73]

Here are some updated photos. I think I have the top the way I want it.

What do you guys think.....maybe a $20 investment now. I had most of this stuff laying around.

[Brass Tacks]

Originally Posted by V509

The sturdier the reloading bench the better!

+1

if you have to lean on the press

[76Highboy]

Wow, quite creative.