Here's where it gets sticky....
? It really depends upon
what reloading press we're talking about. In
KPJ's case, the Dillon Strong Mount disperses the load
over a wide area, thus reducing the flexing within the work bench top.
So if your press has a small footprint, then you're going to need a thicker top to disperse that load. If you use a
Stong Mount, or one of In-Line Fab's
Ultra Mounts, then the mounting solution is taking the place of a lot of wood.
Inline Fabrication link? Work height is very important for comfort. Do you want to
stand or sit when you reload ? Once you figure your correct work height, then you have to subtract the height of the press mount to achieve that bench height.
? Remember, the entire bench doesn't have to be "strong",
ONLY the part under the press. The rest of your reloading equipment can be held up by a the
flimsiest thrift store card table because it's only supporting books, calipers, a box of primers, notebook, and safety glasses.
So the area to concentrate ALL your mental powers on is that area directly under the press. ? It is always cheaper and easier to build up your top from multiple layers of wood sheeting. You can save extra money by using MDF or "chip board" as the bottom layers under a top layer of nice hardwood or other finished top surface, which can be very thin. Glue is your friend.
? No matter how you design it, you can
double or triple the overall rigidity by doing 3 simple things...
1) Bolt the bench to 2 or 3 studs in the wall behind the press. Anchoring the bench this way cuts out all the swaying (
left-right).
2) Place a 2x4 leg under each side of your press (or one giant 4x6 leg under the center). Supporting the press in this way removes all the
flexing and bending (up-down) in the press top on the down-stroke of the op lever.
3) Heavy legs prevent bench lifting on the up-stroke (primer insertion). It's much simpler than screwing the legs to the floor.
ANY MOVEMENT IN THE WORKBENCH SURFACE IS YOUR WASTED ENERGY. By "
wasted" I mean the energy comes from your physical effort while adding exactly ZERO to increase ammo production. In fact, if you get an arm or back ache, it may mean LESS ammo production. If you can see or feel any movement in your press during reloading (even 0.010") then you are wasting your energy to gain zero results.
