Aieeee!!! This is progress?

[jmoore]

But as you can see in the background, there's loads of work yet to be done.

This old door was my first dedicated reloading bench. Got it in the 1980s from a house where I was working for a handyman friend. It was already a table, but the owner was tossing it out. It was good if homely, but it was "retired" from reloading duties after several years after being replaced by a much nicer appearing workbench. However, the new bench just never had a good "feel" to it. So, given the recent upheavals, the old table is being returned to duty!

Maybe a paint job is in order?

Oh, and here's an odd old Herter's press that gets used for some "fringe" calibers:

[Patrick Chadwick]

Now that is a cunning trick! Using an old door - which stops all those tiny screws from rolling off and disappearing under the bench, never to be found again. With the jmoore patent workbench, they just roll into the grooves and stop!

[Gun Surfer]

Too clean, now its highly suspicious.

[jmoore]

...which stops all those tiny screws from rolling off and disappearing under the bench, never to be found again.

You aren't wrong! It's a little harder to clean, but the wet/dry vac does fine-if there's not too much powder in the mess! That gets swept up with a handheld brush.

This table has proven to be quite strong. At one point there were two 351 c.i. Cleveland engine blocks stored on it, along with a host of other stuff.
It got new paint yesterday, for whatever good that'll do.

[Patrick Chadwick]

It got new paint yesterday, for whatever good that'll do.

Surely that will improve the contrast, so you can see the tiny fiddly bits better? Not (just) joking - over the years I have painted more and more equipment in a light blue color, to provide a better reflected lighting background. I may lose screws, but at least I can now find the screwdrivers!

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

At one point there were two 351 c.i. Cleveland engine blocks stored on it

One tough motor. And a bit quick as well.

[xa-coupe]

. At one point there were two 351 c.i. Cleveland engine blocks stored on it,

I built my first 351 with my dad on a door ... handy things and seem to have a lot more strength than you'd guess. I now use a cheap door as my second computer table. $26 new plus some legs made from scrap wood and it's lasted near 10 years. 'taint pretty but I got my money's worth I reckon and it beats paying $100+ for something that does the same thing.

[jmoore]

A bit of paint, filler and reinforcement to the "gang plank". It was showing signs of a split in the center, so some interference fit lag bolts were installed. One went a bit off horizontal, but it was all done by guess and by golly, so that's actually better than expected. The bolts sure seem to reduce flex which was evident even on the old table. ( The calipers were used to get the right sized drill bits for about 0.010" undersized stepped holes. linseed oil and a bigger wrench was required to reduce torque to managable levels during install.)




A little silicone caulk to keep small stuff from hiding under the plank was added too.

[jmoore]

Almost ready to start production. Actually a bit ahead of "schedule", but the organization of components has a LONG way to go before anything resembling completion (or sanity)!


BTW, running the six lag screws horizontally through the top board helped reduce flexing during the upstroke a great deal. A big improvement!

[xa-coupe]

wondered how the long screws were going to help .. now I get it.

Now to fill it up with extraneous crap again