Different way to mount a press to bench...

[Rembrandt]

Never been satisfied with drilling holes in a bench and bolting a press down. Once installed most presses never move again. Always intrigued with the possibility of a quick change system that gives more bench room if needed. Here's what I came up with, two rails of extruded aluminum recessed into the bench top that presses get mounted to. Composite bases are attached to each loader and accessory. Rail allows press to slide up and down the bench, then simply lock it in place by tightening bolts. Next step will be a stock and forearm rest that attaches to the same rail system for cleaning guns.

 

[swmike]

Nice system. Kind of like cargo tie down rails in large aircraft.

 

[capbuster]

very interesting mounting system. thankyou for sharing.take care.

 

[Neophyte1]

thinking

Rembrant: Sir; wowgive this man a moment to think; and get the heck out of his way
The trick est that I've seen.
Oh yeah; who the dickens has such a clean "workbench"
Totally worthless without dirt/grim/grunge
Sir; post again when it is proper place to work

 

[fisherman66]

That's pretty nifty. I'm gonna look into that for the bedroom. Don't worry folks, I'll feed 'er once in a while.

 

[Rembrandt]

....who the dickens has such a clean "workbench"

Went to great lengths to find storage for all the clutter that use to reside on the bench. Recently re-did the entire reloading and gun cleaning room. I'm sort of a neat-freak and like everything organized. Here's a few pics of the rest of it...

 

[BigJimP]

Nice system - thanks for sharing it.

 

[Shane Tuttle]

That's one nice design. Very clean. Good to know that there's somebody out there that's almost as anal as I am...almost...

 

[Shane Tuttle]

By the way, IIRC, you stated that you bought those tool boxes from Sam's. I looked online a while back and went to the store with no avial. How'd you get ahold of those?

 

[Rembrandt]

Tuttle8, I wonder if Sams Club may have had a one time special purchase on these. Some of the items are no longer stocked, others are. Sams in West Des Moines had some of the items, the store in Ames still has the benches and roll cabs in stock. Stools have been sold out for some time.

 

[Shane Tuttle]

A bit of a drive for me, but Ames isn't too far out of my reach. Thanks for the info...

 

[Evil Dog]

Entirely too neat and organized.... need clutter !!! A very nice setup indeed.

 

[Thesenator]

A very clean setup indeed....much too clean for me...but really I'm jealous!! Thats the neatest looking reloading room I've ever seen bar none.

My only question is, how well will the aluminum extrusions hold up to repeated torqueing from the presses?

With holes drilled in a wooden bench, the bolts need a little tweak now and then, particularly after reloading alot of .308. Will those extrusions take the torque of resizing rifle cases without bowing upwards on the rear rail?

Thanks for sharing the photos....makes my bench look like a landfill!

EDIT: I now see that the presses are mounted to a plate which distributes the torque......disregard my previous questions. Great system!!!! Mind if I copy it for my own use?

 

[Martyn4802]

Rembrant,

Well thought out, and executed system you have there.
Kudos on doing a very good job.
Ingenuity at it's finest!!!

Martyn

 

[sknowskier]

That's awesome! I just wish I had that much space. What happens when a primer falls in one of the rails?

 

[Mike Irwin]

"What happens when a primer falls in one of the rails?"

Small dust brush to chase it out.

That really is a sweet mounting concept.

I'm going to have to investigate something like that when I get my basement reworked and the one wall moved.

 

[The Tourist]

Do the rails hold everything tight on the "up stroke"?

I have a Dillon SDB, and the up stroke seats the primer.

 

[Rembrandt]

Rails are every bit as strong as the rest of the bench. The rail system actually distributes pressure out to a wider area than the presses original footprint. Rock solid. Cleaning the rails is no biggy, vacuum or compressed air take care of those issues.

 

[gary2905]

Rembrandt,
Where did you say you got the rail system and do you need a "special" router bit for installation?

Thanks in advance,

Gary

 

[Rembrandt]

I did use a router to cut the 1"X2" channel in the wood.

Extrusion is called 8020 (tradename) http://www.8020.net/ , (1" X 2")scrap we had left over at work. Available from a number of sources, "MSC" has 8' lengths for about $40. http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...MT4NO=29685610

Here's something that may work on thinner bench tops. All you need is a router and the special bit to install the double T channel.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=52400&cat=1,43455,52799

Plastic plates are HDPE (high density poly), extremely ridged and very slick, won't mar the bench surface.