Folding portable reloading table

[Rich Jordan]

With the summer in full blast my garage is not a happy place to be. I've been thinking about a 'workmate' style, or similar folding workbench/table that I can drag into the living room for doing just the lighter tasks. Probably not resizing rifle brass all the other normal operations. I'm trying very hard to get back into a regular shooting schedule and need to get the reloading back online.

Has anyone done this with a workmate or equivalent style folding bench? Possibly one of the lighter duty ones like this one. Both the press and the powder measure would fit, and I'd probably have a one-piece board to clamp into the gap so room for the scale and supplies. Put a few boxes of bullets on the low shelf, if one is present, for weight and it might be stable enough.

Thoughts?

Thanks

[HTRN]

I've made that suggestion many times, i would however rip off the clamping hardware and bolt on a butcher block top - it shouldnt run you more than a 150 bucks.

Or you could skip all this, buy an arbor press, and some arbor dies instead, and then you can do it on basically any flat surface.

[Netpackrat]

Currently building my new reloading bench in the garage. But portable, it is not.

[Weetabix]

I don't use it for reloading, but I have a Workmate and a piece of plywood with a 2x4 perpendicular down the center. Clamp the 2x4 in the vise, and I have a larger work surface.

I suppose you could also do something with the holes in the Workmate and some bolts or something.

[Rich Jordan]

I've made that suggestion many times, i would however rip off the clamping hardware and bolt on a butcher block top - it shouldnt run you more than a 150 bucks.

Or you could skip all this, buy an arbor press, and some arbor dies instead, and then you can do it on basically any flat surface.

I still have some of the 1.25" solid wood stair treads I built my garage bench top from. Not end-grain on the working surface but they've helped up very well. I bet replacing the pressboard top pieces with that would be pretty darn strong.

I can see the clamping capability being useful on occasion; have to think on removal...

[Rich Jordan]

I don't use it for reloading, but I have a Workmate and a piece of plywood with a 2x4 perpendicular down the center. Clamp the 2x4 in the vise, and I have a larger work surface.

I suppose you could also do something with the holes in the Workmate and some bolts or something.

I was thinking more in terms of a filler piece that gets clamped into place but that would work too. I wonder if you could get enough edge beyond the actual workmate top so that you didn't have to remove the clamp or bolt on tools without compromising stability from the weight being too far out.

[Rich Jordan]

Currently building my new reloading bench in the garage. But portable, it is not.

Thats my problem now. 99F in the garage yesterday and the bench is lag bolted to the wall studs and covered with heavy stuff.

[Netpackrat]

Fortunately it is unlikely to get that hot here. Previous owner of my house had his reloading bench in the house, but his kids were all grown. Mine are little and into everything.

[Rich Jordan]

If this was a house instead of a townhouse I'd have the garage air conditioned. But there's no window (units on both sides, our interior past the back wall) and the front face has nowhere to mount a through-wall unit. I'm still trying to finagle a way to put in disguised hose vents for a portable but the HOA board is a real bunch of snoops; I doubt I'd get away with it.

[Vonz90]

If this was a house instead of a townhouse I'd have the garage air conditioned. But there's no window (units on both sides, our interior past the back wall) and the front face has nowhere to mount a through-wall unit. I'm still trying to finagle a way to put in disguised hose vents for a portable but the HOA board is a real bunch of snoops; I doubt I'd get away with it.

Have you considered a mini-split?

https://www.friedrich.com/products/comm ... it-systems