designing a modular loading bench "tool" system... many heads better than one

[Magnum Wheel Man]

so... I am completing my 2nd loading bench, both are stainless steel topped... my small bench has a couple holes drilled in it already, but am looking at trying not to drill any in the new bigger bench...

... so I've been in a couple discussions with a couple guys that have done under bench receiver systems, & think I have come up with something better ???

on my new bench, the stainless is not glued down yet, so I'm planning on embedding & "glassing" in several bolts sticking down...

next will come a 1/4" X 6" piece of flat iron, with 1.5" X 6" pieces of angle iron welded every 6" across the width ( mine will both be 42" ) 4 screw holes will be counter sunk between the angle iron pieces, to hold this to the under side of the bench...

next, my fabricator buddy will use his break press to make me a piece out of 5" wide X 1/8" or 3/16" flat iron, that will have a "v" that matches the angle iron profile in the center... his press is 8' wide, but I'll be cutting this bent piece in 12" - 14" long pieces, the "V" will increase the rigidity so they won't flex, & can be made out of lighter material... 2 holes at one end, one on each side of the "V" will match the glassed in bolts through the bench, & will be used to hold the plate to the bench bottom, the angle iron will index the plate & hold it nice & tight, with only the 2 bolts... the other end of the plates will be drilled for one of each of my loading presses, my powder measure stand, my lubrisizer press, & a small bench vice...

with this set up, I'll be able to put any of the 4 loading presses in 6" spaces anywhere along either bench, as well as any of the other "tooling", on either bench...

I'll make up a similar angle iron bracket to mount on the wall under the bench, to store all the tooling under the benches when not needed ( so I can use the benches for other projects, like holster making, or ???

my front bench, I'll be forced to use carriage bolts, since I already have some holes drilled, & my stainless is already glued onto the plywood...

did I explain that well enough ???

thoughts or suggestions ???

 

[schmellba99]

The only problem I have with receiver/under bench mounting systems is the bulkiness of the framework necessary for the tool mounting.

While it is mounted to the bench, it is great - strong, sturdy, etc. But removing it from the bench now means you have a tool with a gangly support structure that will take up significant space for storage when not in use. That negates the qualities of any type of underbench system for me.

If you are glassing your bolts in (and that would lend me to worry about the structural integrity of the glassing over time), you can reduce the amount of superstructure required for your tool mounting, but you still have somewhat of the same issue.

The channel systems that others use are awesome, though the drawback to those (at least with me anyway) would be that those channels would continually be full of something or other and become a maintenance issue.

Drilling holes, while not aesthetically pleasing, to me is still the best method for keeping modularity but minimizing maintenance and allowing for a very strong and long lasting mounting system. It minimizes the support structure and storage requirements necessary and gives you the ability to have a clean bench when that is the current need.

 

[hgmeyer]

Mine is modular, top mounted. Each "tool/press" has a 13 1/4" deep "base" made of two 2X2 pieces (one on each side) topped with a 13 1/4" piece of2X8 with two 13/64ths holes 2" and 6" from the back edge, centered. I have three pairs of holes each pair 13/64ths diameter at 11" and 7" from the front edge spaced out across the front edge of the top. The holes under the bench top are bottom is filled with 3/8" "T-nuts" epoxied in place. They store upright. On a 48" top, three tools can be installed with 3/8ths " bolts.

 

[LSU]

Please post some pics!

 

[FrankenMauser]

One of the simplest solutions is to just place an order for the Pat Marlin ROCKDock system.
But, that may not be an economical choice, if you have a lot of tools and presses requiring base plates.




These are some renderings of the cheap system I was planning on using for the bench I never finished (it's now waiting for another house).

The bench top and the tool bases were intended to just be 2 layers of 3/4" plywood. The size was determined by the widest and longest tools I ever intended to use (plus 1/2" allowance per side); and the locations of "dovetails" in the bench were very carefully planned. The bases were to be locked in place by a quick-release system, from below. And a few blanks were to be made, to allow for a smooth work surface.

You could probably achieve the same results with a few pieces of sheet and strip steel.


The idea of an "you can stick it anywhere"-system is very nice. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to build one cheaply, that would actually be useful. But, all I ever ended up with were visions of every press having a gaudy base bolted to it, and ugly slots or holes all over the front of my bench, where I could otherwise put switches, power outlets, drawers, or other tools. (The bench pictured above was to have 2 switched outlets, 2 unswitched outlets, and one light switch - most of them hidden just behind the front fascia.)


What I hope to do with my next bench, or as a retrofit to the unfinished bench:
I want to buy extruded aluminum (such as T-track) and associated hardware, and recess the top surface of the rails 1/4" below the surface of the bench. With the tools/presses removed from the channel, a 1/4" thick metal strip can be inserted to provide a flat and tough, yet smooth, bench top. Some tools will still require a base plate for mounting, but they can be simple and light.
The images are no longer available, but "Rembrandt", a member here and on other forums, used a similar system.

 

[schmellba99]

I thought long and hard about the dovetail type of system above, and really only went away from it because of time and my limited skillset and tools with carpentry.

I had found a post somewhere (long ago) where a guy had some type of laminate counter top he used for his bench top that he implemented the dovetail system in. Looked outstanding.

My only concern with it would be longevity of the dovetails over time, but that can be alleviated with some additional securing supports on the bottom.

I did what a poster above did, or something similar. I have 3/8" holes drilled in my bench (1-1/8" thick beech butcher board top) with t-bolts on the underside to accept an all threaded rod with plastic handle on top that i thread through the base plate my equipment is mounted on. All of my equipment is mounted on the same size base plate (same as the butcher block top) so it can be moved to any of the 4 locations I have on the bench.

When not in use, it easily stores on a shelf above my bench - out of the way but easily accessible when I want it.

The only thing I would have done different is to space the holes evenly instead of how I drilled them so that I had more options on spacing, but my system works extremely well for me.

 

[Magnum Wheel Man]

great ideas guys...

I'm not a CNC kinda guy... I'm the type that sees it all in my head, more designs have gone to production drawn up on lunch table napkins, than actually saw blueprints

I'll see if I can scan in my drawings early next week, so it's easier to visualize...