Reloading bench height

[McKinneyMike]

I am about finished building my dedicated reloading/gun room. I will be building a new reloading bench to replace my older bench, which was in my woodworking shop (and will remain there).
My old bench was 36" tall and it was neither fish nor foul in terms of sitting or standing for me to reload. As I get older, I find that I prefer to reload from a seated position My desk at home is approx. 28" high and is a nice height for working, writing, computer use, etc. I was thinking of just making my reloading bench the same height. What height is your benches, for those do you that prefer to sit and reload? Just curious.

 

[40X Guy]

My new bench I built in Jan. of this year is 42 inches high. 75% of the time I like to stand when reloading. But I also can sit comfortably on a bar stool that I have in reloading room doing things like checking concentricity and priming/deburring. Its just right for me.

Frank

 

[bigedp51]

My reloading bench was 42 inches high and I cut it down to 36, if I had to do it over I would have left it at 42. The bench should be at a hight that is comfortable to work at while standing.

The "secret" is finding a adjustable work stool like 40X Guy stated above.

 

[artbosco]

What height is your bench? Just curious.

My bench is a height ... that is comfortable for me. I just kept reducing the leg length until it felt real good to sit at, and made things easy to move around while working. I made the bench fit me. How high is it in inches? I don't know.

 

[15Tango]

Mine's at 39 inches. I'm lucky enough to have an entire room be my reloading and gun room.

Wayne

 

[McKinneyMike]

My bench is a height ... that is comfortable for me. I just kept reducing the leg length until it felt real good to sit at, and made things easy to move around while working. I made the bench fit me. How high is it in inches? I don't know.

Thanks guys. I do not intend to stand and reload anymore, at least not if I can sit in my office chair! I just would rather sit in my most comfortable chair and reload these days. My bar stool and old height bench were never comfortable for me for extended periods of time. My butt must be less padded than it used to be

I was just curious what height others that sat in a typical office chair used for their benches. I will go with 28", which is the same height as my office desk with a similar chair.

 

[bheadboy]

My bench is 36" high, i have a shop stool (like a bar stool) that has adjustable legs and a BACK ,

i then adjust the stool legs to match my height to the table and have the back for support.

Northern tool, or ww Granger carry the stools, they are like ones in a machine shop.

Bob

 

[McKinneyMike]

I am going to go w/28" tabletop height for my reloading bench. I stand when I am working on my rifles and cleaning them, but I like to sit and I have a great chair that will work best for a shorter reloading bench.
The reloading bench will be 16" deep as I hate reaching too far for supplies. My last bench was 24" deep and all that did was make it farther to reach stuff and added space that just allowed me to clutter it up more. I never really needed the extra depth, except when I was cleaning/working on my rifles, so my other bench will be 24" deep and 36"-38" tall and about 8' long.

 

[Chuckhunter]

Mike, good choice. My computer desk from which I'm writing this response is 29" high and my reloading bench on the other side of this room is 29", that coupled with a computer chair with wheels allows me to slide around from the loads on my Excel spreadsheet to the handle on my Forester Press and back with out leaving my chair. I call that smart, my wife calls it the height of laziness, I guess I'll leave that call up to the individual making it. Good Luck with your project and Happy Reloading........................Chuckhunter

 

[McKinneyMike]

That was my thought too Chuck. I will have my laptop handy to record load info right on this same bench. It will not allow me to roll up to the cleaning bench, but I can still get out of the chair when needed I like the old saying "work smarter not harder".
My mortising bit for my router is not long enough for the depth that I need for this project, so I need to order a longer one. I always like a good reason to buy new tools
Happy Holidays!

 

[SS427]

My bench is 31 1/2 inches high. I'm 5'8". I sit in a plastic lawn chair for reloading and the height for me is perfect. The bench depth is 24 inches....I measured the length of my arms to come up with that depth. I can reach everything, although some of the narrow shelves I've built are a little high and I have to stand up. As you can see I don't have a lot of room, but that forces me to stay organized. I have a trimmer that is mounted on a board that bolts to bench when I trim brass. I have additional storage in my utility room where I keep additional reloading dies, brass, primers and powder.

 

[DCRYDER]

Tango, I really like the "legless" design. I'll have to remember that for a future bench. Right now I just use a cheap computer table.

 

[mydaddyty1]

Mike,
My family has built a lot of custom furniture. When sitting in your favorite chair, have your elbow bent at 90 degrees, you should measure from the floor to your elbow, then add two inches to the measurement. (29+2=31") I have found this to be a good rule of thumb. Also remember your knee space for pushing your chair up to the bench.

P.S You may want to make the bench height adjustable
but always remember to shoot straight

Ben

 

[KenO]

I've had them at different heights. Its at 42" now and just right, I can see what I'm doing standing up. If I want to sit I have a shop/bar stool that puts me at the same height. So I'm good to go standing or sitting.

 

[bozo699]

McKinneyMike,
I am like you and Chuck I don't like to stand anymore except to clean my rifles which I usually do outside my reloading room on one of my shooting benches. My best friend is in a wheel chair and when I built my reloading room/inside shooting room I designed my shooting bench around what Dave could comfortably shoot from, I then attached my reloading bench to the shooting bench so everything is the same level, 30" I initially thought this was way to low since my old bench was way higher and I used bar stools. But I have a bad back and it didn't take long to really get used to my nice new plush leather office chair If I wasn't accommodating my friend I probably would have gone 31" or 32" but 30" is just fine IMHO.
Wayne.

 

[McKinneyMike]

Mike,
My family has built a lot of custom furniture. When sitting in your favorite chair, have your elbow bent at 90 degrees, you should measure from the floor to your elbow, then add two inches to the measurement. (29+2=31") I have found this to be a good rule of thumb. Also remember your knee space for pushing your chair up to the bench.

P.S You may want to make the bench height adjustable
but always remember to shoot straight

Ben

Just measured my chair arms and they are 27" from the floor, so 29" sounds perfect for me. I knew that I had a good plan. Thanks for the reinforcement. I have 4 heavy duty levelers if they are required, just in case though

 

[bozo699]

[/quote]

Just measured my chair arms and they are 27" from the floor, so 29" sounds perfect for me. I knew that I had a good plan. Thanks for the reinforcement. I have 4 heavy duty levelers if they are required, just in case though
[/quote]
That's good you got it figured out, post some pics when you get it built.
Wayne.

 

[McKinneyMike]

I will Wayne. I still need to put up trim in the room. I hope to start my benches during my holiday vacation. It will be nice to finally have a dedicated place away from the woodworking shop to reload.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

35 to 37 inches same as a work bench or kitchen cabinet height. You can load standing or sitting on a stool.

 

[Joe O]

First,get the comfortable chair,both High and low,that you will use.The low desk can be between
28-30 inches,and the high around 40",unless your over 6',then slightly higher.Also depends on the loading equipmentrogressive,shotgun,etc.