Hey Guys
I got a ( maybe wired ) question !
When I build my reloading bench / I try to integrate it in to my desk in my office ,
I keep hearing that the press should not have much play , when you use it .
How much play is to much and why ( does it interfere with the accuracy from you reload ) ?
I would look into using this so it will be as stable and yet still have your desktop whenever you need to use it. https://inlinefabrication.com they have one (that I can’t post for some reason) that is a flush fit.
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I have my presses mounted on a 2” thick hardwood bench so there isn’t any movement.
I could see if the press weren’t strongly mounted that it could lead some presses of the arm to go down further than others, so it makes sense to want it to be firm. You could always layer a little would piece underneath the table for extra strength.
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I have my press mounted to a table that probably isn’t stable enough, one thing that I found was that bushing dies require much less force than your traditional expander ball setups, which has helped my quality of life significantly.
I’m using expander mandrel and do like them a lot
But then I resize or do bullet seating I got lots of time different measurements and have to check all my rounds .
Not sure if it’s from the dies ( rcbs sizing die and frankford seating die ) or play in the table and set up
What kind of press?
I just got the forester coax for my new room
ok, I have the same press. Got it after 20 years of using a older style “straight arm” pull down press.
The forester is great for a lot of reasons, and if you watch videos by professionals you will see the forester in a lot of their reloading rooms in the background, or they are using it.
So, when I got my first press, a Texan with a turret, I bolted to pieces of 2x12 boards together, Bottom board 2 feet long, top board 14 inches long. I mounted my old press on the top, shorter board which was flush with the back of the longer board. The weight of the press and the two pieces of lumber were stable for reloading, especially if you put a soft type of material under the bottom board on a hard surface like a table; it keeps it from rocking and sliding on a slick surface, or scratching the surface. Doing it that way allows me to take my press where I want for reloading (the range, a friends house, or taking it somewhere to hunt).
Four years ago I got a forester press, and mounted it to the front edge of the bottom board. That allows it to overhang the edge of a table or counter, so the rods can run up and down, and also gives room for the primer catch to hang without hitting anything. The weight of the older press on the back end is plenty to hold down the forester on the front end. The leverage of the forester handle design means there doesn’t have to be a lot of weight on the back end to provide stability. It may sound funny, but go buy a 25lb steel weight, or dumbell with flat sides, and let it sit on the back of the top board, and it will hold it down easily. It just a counterweight. May sound like a lot of moving parts (it isn’t) and it gives you a lot of flexibility. Just the way I have done it for a long time.but other techniques will get you there as well.
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Here is a potential space saver and flexible solution that might interest you. One of Lee Loader’s inventions is the bench plate with interchangeable bench blocks. They seem to work well for many
reloaders; the plate is 1/4 inch steel making for a very rigid base.
See video:
This allows you to change in and out different presses you might have for separate purposes and to use the desk space the press takes up by simply removing the press when not in use.
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I didn’t really have a good spot when I got my press. I found an old office desk, pretty sturdy, that someone was giving away. It was in rough shape, but I refinished and put it into service as my loading bench. I discovered I needed a little more support for the press, so I did what Jim mentioned and layered some wood under it. Works great and is very stable.
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