Great Idea for Reloading benches!

[HTRN]

I came across this bit of brilliance while looking for something else: T-Tracks

Instead of having a bajillion presses taking up lotsa counter space, you put in some tracks, bolt the press to a plate with some t-nuts on it, and switch them out as needed.

There's some more posts about it in the original thread, including a poster who retrofits his setup after seeing the pics in question.


HTRN

[Netpackrat]

That is awesome. What material are the tracks made from, and how are they anchored to the bench?

[Rumpshot]

Wow! I liked the T-Tracks idea and bench/room. Looks like the presses and other tools are mounted on 3/8 or 1/2" aluminum plates? Probably heavier on second look.

Also like the roll-around units with the ammo cans. The Rifle rack was not bad either.

[HTRN]

That is awesome. What material are the tracks made from, and how are they anchored to the bench?

The guy is using 80/20, which can be kinda thick to put in a typical bench top - note he's using a maple butcherblock top, which is probably 2" thick.

You can buy basic T-track that's maybe 3/8" thick from woodworking suppliers like Rockler(They have 4 foot lengths for 20 bucks) Typically having predrilled holes every 4-6". One of the better ones I've seen was available in up to 8 foot lengths, but came "ribbed" on the outside, sorta like a heat sink, so you can also epoxy them in..

I'm just pissed I didn't think of it - I mean hell, my choice of career involved playing with t slots and bolting stuff to flat surfaces with them on a daily basis - I just didn't make the connection between Machine table to reloading bench

Wow! I liked the T-Tracks idea and bench/room. Looks like the presses and other tools are mounted on 3/8 or 1/2" aluminum plates?

Personally, I'd use Aluminum, but A)I've got access to machine tools, and B) I can get "drops" of aluminum plate for cheap, if not free.

I think if you look closely, you'll see the plates are actually made of delrin.


HTRN

[SoupOrMan]

Wow. That reloading room is cleaner than any other layout I've ever seen.

[Erik]

I've read an article in a DIY magazine that had a similar idea for powertools. But they bolted the tools to identical boards, then drilled four holes through them at identical places, matching four holes in the bench. Then they just placed the tool needed on the bench, put four bolts through the holes, and secured it with nuts under the bench. Supposedly as solid as if the tools were bolted directly to the bench, and you could change them in a few minutes. And if you make a few more holes in the bench, you could set them up beside eachother too.

I thought about trying something like that when its time for me to set something up.

[FelixEstrella]

Instead of having a bajillion presses taking up lotsa counter space, you put in some tracks, bolt the press to a plate with some t-nuts on it, and switch them out as needed.

So you're trading counter space for ..... storage space.

[Fivetoes]

Great, another place to search for spilled primers, not to mention powder.

[HTRN]

Except that presses, etc can be stacked up neatly next to each other, while if they were bolted down, you'd need working room around each press.

I did actually think of it; I just didn't think that the normal ttrack/tbolts were strong enough. I thought they would end up pulling out of the benchtop.

I never thought about using 10 series 80/20... that would certainly stay embedded.

I've been thinking about this issue, and it most centers around the rear track, as that's where most of the leverage would be applied. There's two seperate worries - the track seperating from the benchtop, and the t-nut point loading to failure the track. I think with epoxying the track in addition to screwing it down, and using wide(as in, the width of the plate to distribute load) T-nuts, both issues will probably be mitigated.


HTRN

[Dedicated_Dad]

I used anchor-nuts similar to these to mount my MC's wheel-chock on my trailer. The anchor-nuts are mounted on the underside of the deck, and I use eye-bolts to screw it down. When I remove it, the "nuts" stay in the holes and I need no tools to install or remove it...

My point: If one mounted each tools on a standard-sized board with mounting holes at uniform distances - like multiples of 6" or 12" - and used anchor nuts under the bench-top at the same intervals, it would be easy to swap out tools just like I do the wheel chock, and mount an almost infinite number of combinations of tools and arrangements.

DD