Reloading bench! Perfect depth?

[ChadCollins]

Good and solid, but I think I made it too deep. It is 3ft deep. I’m thinking of making it 2ft,3in. So I can sit and reach the back without having to get up all the time to go from one tool to the next. Also the shelves I have above it it’s hard to reach stuff so I wind up not putting it back up, thus it clutters up my space.

What are your thoughts? Just curious before I go to cutting on it.

Thanks

Chad

 

[SSL]

Arm's length. Like you, if I have to stand to reach it, it likely will not be returned.

 

[5spd]

Mine are all 24" deep, about perfect for arms reach and having stuff you need on the top.

 

[joshb]

I like 24-30”.

 

[Heavy Metal 1]

SSL is spot on w/ his response. The deeper you make it the more clutter will accumulate that you have to reach over or wade through to get item you want.

How tall is your bench? I have mine at 42 inches which allows me to stand or sit on a bar stool. Most plans I have seen call for a top that is far too low.

Is that middle shelf bowing or is it the picture distortion? I ditched using MDF because it is heavy and it bows. Plywood, while heavy is not so prone to bending

 

[BenPerfected]

Depending on your budget and time, it will be hard to beat the solid maple work benches that Sam’s sells.

1. Seville Classics UltraHD Workbench

by Seville Classics UltraHD|
Item # 588596
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Model # 20206|

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[jepp2]

I built the NRMA bench. My top is 34" deep, but 12" are taken up with cabinets that sit on top. I wish I had another 6" of depth in from the cabinet.

http://accurateshooter.net/Blog/benchnrma.pdf

Since yours is built, you might consider changing the cabinet you use.

 

[Trophied]

My workbench where I reload is 24" deep for both the metallic and the shotgun benches. My workbench where I WORK on stuff is a maple butcherblock worktable top that I bought when a local business was closing for $35 and it folds flat on the wall and lifts up and is supported on two front legs and is absolutely dead nuts perfectly level every direction. A must for some of my woodwork projects to fabricate the parts so the whole piece ends up true. 24" is a great working depth whether sitting or standing, that's why most standard commercial butcherblock worktables are that depth.

 

[JFrank]

Good and solid, but I think I made it too deep. It is 3ft deep. I’m thinking of making it 2ft,3in. So I can sit and reach the back without having to get up all the time to go from one tool to the next. Also the shelves I have above it it’s hard to reach stuff so I wind up not putting it back up, thus it clutters up my space.

What are your thoughts? Just curious before I go to cutting on it.

Thanks

Chad

Looks good
You just need to cut a hole in the middle to sit in.

 

[Peterson1]

Good and solid, but I think I made it too deep. It is 3ft deep. I’m thinking of making it 2ft,3in. So I can sit and reach the back without having to get up all the time to go from one tool to the next. Also the shelves I have above it it’s hard to reach stuff so I wind up not putting it back up, thus it clutters up my space.

What are your thoughts? Just curious before I go to cutting on it.

Thanks

Chad

Before cutting bench you might try loading from the side of bench/table to get closer to shelves?????
Its hard to put the wood back on once cut off!!!
Just another thought.
CLP

 

[nmkid]

I think it would all depend on the length of your arms. For me 24" is perfect. I went with the 24" because Home Depot cut some 3/4" plywood in half, length wise. Turned out 24" was good for me.

 

[ChadCollins]

Before cutting bench you might try loading from the side of bench/table to get closer to shelves?????
Its hard to put the wood back on once cut off!!!
Just another thought.
CLP

I’ll take a look. You are right a bit more difficult to put back!

 

[ChadCollins]

I think it would all depend on the length of your arms. For me 24" is perfect. I went with the 24" because Home Depot cut some 3/4" plywood in half, length wise. Turned out 24" was good for me.

I was thinking possibly 24” as well. Maneuverability is good!

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I use 48” and stack stuff like manuals, bullets and other non essentials toward the back. Sounds like you may need a taller stool

 

[CT10ring]

Good and solid, but I think I made it too deep. It is 3ft deep. I’m thinking of making it 2ft,3in. So I can sit and reach the back without having to get up all the time to go from one tool to the next. Also the shelves I have above it it’s hard to reach stuff so I wind up not putting it back up, thus it clutters up my space.

What are your thoughts? Just curious before I go to cutting on it.

Thanks

Chad

I just built a bench, 12’ long, 32” high.
25.5”deep. 25.5” seems like a good depth.
any deeper than 25-28” and hard to reach the back. my .02

 

[ChadCollins]

I just built a bench, 12’ long, 32” high.
25.5”deep. 25.5” seems like a good depth.
any deeper than 25-28” and hard to reach the back. my .02

That is super nice! I’m going to make it 26 or 27”. See how that feels with this cheap top. Then decide if I might make it nicer.

Thanks
Chad

 

[CF2209]

That is one great reloading bench. Please tell me you can shoot steel out the window at 600 and 1000.
Bravo

 

[PatMiles]

Live with it for a while, see how it works out.

 

[Mark W]

I load standing up and my bench is 38” High x 30” Deep by 72” Long. I use the same bench for all of my gun work so it does get cluttered at times. I always organize and put things away before I do any loading.

 

[SSL]

Won't really matter. It will soon be too small anyway! My gun room has 15 feet of bench down one wall and 10 feet along the opposite. Long one is for an assortment of presses, loading tools and components with full length shelving above and below. The short one is for gun work and/or cleaning and has shelving above it.
And I still run out of room on a regular basis.