More Evidence for my Antifa Tribunal

My new shooting bench is taking shape.

Today I put the remaining pieces on it and finished the welding. I was thinking about getting a new welding table, and I can now confirm that I need one. This afternoon, I had to take the shooting bench off my table and stand and sit inside it to weld. This was the first time I had ever had to get inside one of my projects.

Everything went well. I have a couple of lumpy welds I decided to grind down, but generally, I did an acceptable job. The table doesn’t rock when I put it on its top on the driveway, so it can’t be all that warped.

Once I was done with the welding, I put the wheels on it so I could roll it out for a photo. Then I shot most of a can of truck bed coating onto it. I figure I’ll need one more can to finish it.

I went to Home Depot and picked up some wood for the top, and I also bought deck sealer. I got the cheap kind. Pressure-treated wood may resist rot and bugs, but it soaks up water and swells, and it gets moldy. Maybe sealant will slow things down.

I’m hoping I can use the bench without paint. There may be times when I don’t want a slick surface. It probably doesn’t matter, but I’m playing it safe for now. I can always paint it later.

I’m considering making a cart attachment so I can pull the bench around with my EZ-GO. If I drill one big hole in the bench’s frame, I can come up with a way to attach it to the cart later.

The bench seems very low. Without the top, it’s low enough to sit on without jumping. The wood will raise the height an inch and a half, though.

I have to keep it low in order to do proper recoil management. If you’re going to go to the trouble of making a bench, you might as well make it correctly instead of making an amateur bench no serious shooter would want.

It’s very sturdy. If it were overloaded to failure, the axles on the wheels would probably collapse before the wood and metal box would give. An online calculator estimates that each of my steel crossmembers will deflect about 1/20″ if a 500-pound weight is suspended from the center, and I have three crossmembers with two by six lumber on top. I need the bench to be rigid, so it made sense to build it too strong.

I’m very excited about this project. Should be a great addition to the shooting area. I just hope the cattle don’t take a liking to it.