First I need to figure out where to locate my bench, then buy the bench. I'm probably going to set up in the garage.
To me there are 2 important complicating issues....
? If you have, or planning to have,
small children, then you might want a secure location. There are lots of small bits in reloading to be swallowed, and lots of tools to wander off. Although I did reload out of a box during college, and managed to put everything away after each session, it's really not optimal if you want a continuous stream of ammo. If you expect to reload 2 nights a week in preparation for the weekend, then about 50% of the stuff needs to "stay out". This is much easier if you can leave it "out" in a locked up area. This secure area could be as tiny as a small closet, yet still be highly useful and effective.
After age 6 or so, girls and boys will appreciate helping daddy, and that can be a really fun time together. After age 10, girls are not going to be interested in playing with that stuff without daddy around. Boys on the other hand are quite the opposite. By age 13 they are over there trying to figure out how to "jimmy" the lock when parents are not around. Boys you have to watch out for!
? Secondly, as you mentioned, is
the bench. If you'll stop and think about it, it's only the press that needs a sturdy bench. The rest of the stuff (powder, primers, manuals, notebook, pencils, scales, etc) cant weigh 3 pounds all put together, and certainly doesn't apply any undue force to anything. So a folding card table will do really great for all those items.
That leaves only the press. If you could take a 12x17 piece of stout plywood, put a single leg under it, and anchor the whole mess to the studs inside the wall, then you'd have your "sturdy bench". That's the kind of stuff you can get out of any construction dumpster. It also fits neatly into the back of a closet, and is easily moved if you live in an apartment (a "flat").
If you have more room than money, then by all means visit your local thrift store over near the well-to-do sections of town. In there you'll find all sorts of second hand desks which can easily be converted. It's much easier to brace up a $29 used study desk than it is to build one from scratch. Unfinished kitchen cabinets also do a great job of becoming a bench. With either a used desk or kitchen cabinet you'll get tons of free storage. Both will be greatly improved by securing them to the studs in the wall behind.
Even if you have the room and money to build your own bench, setting up your reloading area initially with one of these type "benches" can help you define what you really want in a final bench. You'll learn more about bench height in the first 500 rounds than anyone here could tell you. So it's a worthwhile detour on the long road of reloading.
Hope this helps!
