Reloading bench input?

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I'm looking to buy my first reloading bench but also want it to double as a small work bench for taking apart my firearms and cleaning them too and was wondering if anyone has any experience with the particular one im leaning heavily on purchasing from Midwayusa. Please let me know your thoughts on this bench and if you have or had experience with it and other suggestions? I am set on buying a bench and not using a "makeshift" bench so this is where i am at.

Do you think this one will be big enough to also handle gun work or is there another one available from midwayusa that might suit my needs better, this one has a backboard wich seems to be an added bonus and a top shelf which I would potentially outfit with a light.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/69...ding-bench-20-x-40-top-with-pegboard-backwall

Let me know what you think, thanks
 
The old Stanley(?) Workmate was one that somebody used in a small space. Not sure how much you have but I suggest making quick mounts. It is easy to say "I can do this one job" and break an expensive piece of the press. Then again, Dillon has great CS. Brian Enos (sp) has blue stuff.

Old woodworking benches from school shops are excellent and as sturdy as anything you will find on the web. Freecycle has them occasionally. A friend has one, I want it. Lol
 
I'm a huge fan of small 'island' benches. I think big benches with a backboard and storage are a huge waste of floor space. More than one storage drawer on a bench puts the stuff in an inconvenient place.

Think about it... For storage you're way better off with floor-to-ceiling shelving about 12" deep. You can store WAY more stuff and use much less floor space. Put the stuff you don't use that often near the top and bottom, and the stuff you use a lot from eye to waist level.

How much space do you actually need on a reloading bench? Enough for a can of powder, press, scale, a wrench or two, calipers, and a set of allen wrenches. I loaded well over 100K rounds on this bench:

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I've got two progressive and one single stage press mounted on a bench that takes up less than 6 square feet of floor space. That 'bench' is 4 metal drawers (that I got for free) screwed together with an MDF top. The bottom three drawers are filled with lead ingots (for stability), and my frequently-used tools are in the top drawer.

Fixxah already recommended the best solution for working on guns - A B&D Workmate. The whole top is a vise that you can use to hold rifles for cleaning, etc, and it folds up when you're not using it (which is most of the time really).
 
http://dennymac.com/bench/ I found this plan to work out great. I built 2 over the years....every move I need to modify it to fit.
I followed the plans for my first bench and made it 1/3 the length. and built upper shelves as needed. theres so many options.
Also habor frieght had a bench not long ago all wood and lag bolt construction seemed sturdy in the store and would be better bolted to wall or floor.
Check out all the different pics on link above and fit one to space. I find solid doors to make the best work tops.
 
I have a dedicated room upstairs in the house that is my "gun/reloading" area. But anyway, a friend built me an L shaped bench along 2 walls, lagged into studs, using 4x4s as legs and 3/4" ply for the top work surface and the storage shelf below. I think 1x6s frame it. I reload on one side and use the other for a gun workspace. There's a fan in the wall for exhaust for when the lovely aromatic smell of Hoppes fills the air, it gets vented out. For insurance purposes I only bring the powder needed for the current reloading session up from the storage cabinet. But back to the bench, huge amounts of space so I'm not crowded but I need to be careful cause it will clutter fast. I installed a shelf on the wall above the bench for loading manuals and misc storage. When the top gets grungy we sand it, looks good after. Since this set up is 25 years old the top has been replaced once. In the room is a small "Workplace" bench with top shelving I now have my progressive pistol caliber machine on. Building this custom bench was the way to go and I'm glad it's so big cause I've accumulated a lot of stuff.
 
I got http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod1490086&navAction= this one at Sam's Club. Very sturdy and very long so you can have plenty of space to mount your press, etc and have room for a work area. I have a couple of cabinets underneath it where I can store stuff. It's got a thick surface, that's important. My other bench top split on me and it was 1.5" thick. I now use it for just a work surface.
 
When I was setting up my first reloading area I initially planned on just buying a table. But I wanted something that fit a certain area, was thick, sturdy and designed for my exact needs. So I built a very simple yet very sturdy bench. The top is 4'x2' and IIRC is 2" thick (maybe 3" I forget exactly) while each leg is a 4x4 that is attached to the top using 4" wood nails, wood glue and brackets. The legs and top I then mounted to the floor and studs in the house using about two dozen brackets. The press and table don't budge even a fraction of an inch no matter what I'm reloading; I could probably jump on the table with the same results. That table you linked looks a little small, plus it costs twice what my bench costs me to build. I have some recent pictures if you want. Good luck.
 
Build your own. I spent less than $100 on wood brackets and screws and plan on using the space for reloading, cleaning, and doing some builds.

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i'm building one based on these plans bench_plans.pdf (but with a back like "nightpoison's" above)
and with the addition of a shelf up top to hold a light fixture (hitchcock movies are filmed in my basement)

i'm no Norm Abrams i own a tiny detail sander and a circular saw with a dull blade... i didn't buy because i figured it'd be cheaper to build, so far so good.... top and bottom shelf are glued and screwed, 4x4 legs go on in a day or so as does the plywood then the vise....

IMAG0010.jpg

2x4s spaced 11" apart to support the plywood used for the bottom shelf? yeh, i hope to be storing a LOT of heavy stuff on that shelf :)
 
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