Looking for specific building plans for cabinet

[El Catorce]

Looking around at my messy reloading room (my wife actually let me take over a spare bedroom!) I remembered a plan for a workbench/cabinet featured in a better homes and garden or another crafty magazine from late 80’s or early 90’s… you know those things before the internet with color pages that came in the mail?… this specific cabinet was made from two 4x8 sheets of plywood with zero wasted wood. When closed all the junk was hidden behind the doors….the two doors in the lower half would open to support a fold down desk top or counter in the middle section… then two more smaller doors on the upper part of the cabinet… when folded it was only about a foot deep but it would open up to be a great workspace with storage areas.

Anyone remember this plan? I can’t find anything even remotely close to what I’ve just described. I thought maybe the collective consciousness of this group might have some leads on locating the plans for what would make a great reloading and storage cabinet! 

[Badlands Bob #61228]

It's been my experience that reloading benches need to be very heavy and sturdy.  I like 3/4" plywood and 2x4's.  

[El Catorce]

Yes agreed but the fold down counter would be where I’d strip and clean my guns and such …  

[Dungannon Gunner]

1 hour ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

It's been my experience that reloading benches need to be very heavy and sturdy.  I like 3/4" plywood and 2x4's.  

Bob, is that your set up? Very nice! Do you ever wish you had built this at table height? I am considering shortening the legs on my bench.

[Badlands Bob #61228]

19 minutes ago, Dungannon Gunner said:

Bob, is that your set up? Very nice! Do you ever wish you had built this at table height? I am considering shortening the legs on my bench.

Yes, that's my reloading setup.  I do all my reloading standing up.  That way I can lean into the reloading handle and I get less high primers.   The top of the reloading bench is at my elbow height.  I do all my gun cleaning, etc on a different workbench in my shop around the corner from the reloading bench.  

[The Rainmaker, SASS #11631]

Very nice and tidy... and stocked!

[Cypress Sun]

12 hours ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

It's been my experience that reloading benches need to be very heavy and sturdy.  I like 3/4" plywood and 2x4's.  

 

WAY TOO ORGANIZED. How the hell do you find anything?

 

On the serious side, very nice set up!

[Dusty Devil Dale]

13 hours ago, El Catorce said:

Yes agreed but the fold down counter would be where I’d strip and clean my guns and such …  

Since you have an entire room to work with, you might consider the Harbor Freight Woodworking bench as a gun working/cleaning station.   I have two of them.  You cannot beat the $129 price (Sometimes as low as $89 with coupon), and they are really quite sturdy.  The four drawers are quite small, but perfect for things like an impact screwdriver or trigger pull Guage.  My table tops  are padded with outdoor carpet.   These benches are worth a close look, but they're on the light side for a press platform.  Sometimes the wooden vise can be handy when you need a non-marring work-hold point. 

Just a suggestion.  

Edited September 30 by Dusty Devil Dale

[SHOOTIN FOX]

Gladiator 8’ workbench and cabinets.

[Too Tall Bob]

Or - watch for someone replacing their kitchen cabinets and grab the bottom ones. Instant drawers and doors. Just put a 3/4” plywood top on it and you’re done. 

Edited October 1 by Too Tall Bob

[Dusty Devil Dale]

3 hours ago, Too Tall Bob said:

Or - watch for someone replacing their kitchen cabinets and grab the bottom ones. Instant drawers and doors. Just put a 3/4” plywood top on it and you’re done. 

And they look good, if you're putting them in the house.  

Great idea!

[Too Tall Bob]

11 hours ago, Too Tall Bob said:

Or - watch for someone replacing their kitchen cabinets and grab the bottom ones. Instant drawers and doors. Just put a 3/4” plywood top on it and you’re done. 

Add-on:  lots of places have habitat for humanity stores. You can get used cabinets from them inexpensively. You just have to be patient and know what you want. I got almost 20’ of cabinets that had been display models at one of the local big box stores and were literally brand new. 

Btt

[Flanigan Flats]

Look up 2x4 Basics. Very simple easy to build exactly what you need. I used 2 layers of 3/4” plywood and put “joists” 16” on center like a house because I wanted it to be solid enough to handle anything I decided to set on it or attach to it. 

[bgavin]

I'm giving a new bench a whole lot of thought.
I'm (mostly) retired from the computer business, but still have occasional need for a service bench.

My thoughts are building the bench in such a fashion that my Redding and MEC presses, along with scales, etc can be stored down below.
The bench will be standing height to allow for this, and other storage.
Above the bench I need to be organized as well.
This is sorta like stuffing Dolly Parton into a "B" or playing Tetris with all the components.

My bride insists on bedroom #4 being wasted as an occasional guest room, instead of a more practical use of this space.
We each have our own 10x10 room for our individual use... but I am out of room.

I'm leaning toward heavy 4x4 posts, 2x4 stringers, a heavy (replaceable) top surface, and triangulated bracing for 100% stability.

Thanks to all for posting their photos.

[August West, SASS #45079]

I've learned two things the hard way:

 

1: Any swinging doors beneath a loading bench will interfere with the lower extension of most presses -- sooner or later.  A real PITA.

 

2: Any old cabinet, or piece of furniture will work well as a loading bench -- IF it is bolted directly to the wall of the house.

 

I'm certain there are more real world lessons in store for me, but those two have been well learned.

 

All the best!

[Loophole LaRue, SASS #51438]

I recently moved, and had to leave my reloading bench behind- too big and too heavy to move it.  But I now have the opportunity to plan a new gun room, including a new reloading bench; so I have been roaming around web sites and old images I have collected of solid designs.  At this point, it looks like I will pretty much duplicate my old bench (4 feet by 12 feet, 4 x 4 legs on the corners and at the mid-point, 2x8 framing under the top), and a double layer of 3/4 plywood, topped this time with Formica.  I'm also going to add an L at a lower height, to allow for sit-down loading; as I get older, I need to take the weight off my knees and back, and want to use a rolling padded stool to allow me to move easily between presses and supplies.  I also want to include a dedicated computer with an oversized wall-hung monitor, to make it easier to use You Tube, e-mail, and the Wire in the gun room.

 

Which leads me to the need to post a new entry - I'm looking at vault doors, instead of buying a 2nd safe.  I'll open a new post below.

 

LL

[bgavin]

Ouch!
That just plain sux.

I have a client with a 10x10 room converted to a vault.
He has thick steel cables in the walls, and a safe vault door as the only entrance.
Near as I can tell.. if he gets locked in... he is S.O.L,

You must have relocated somewhere other than Boston..
I figure property large enough to hold your bench, and proposed vault, is not in the City.

[Matthew Duncan]

Sorry El Catorce,

 

You asked for helping in locating plans and instead got hijacked.