Reloading room

[Canuck Bob]

A Stack-On reloader bench, the simple cheap version, went on serious clearance at a local tool store. I bought one and get it later this week. I'm finally setting up my reloading room, shared storage room, and starting reloading again. Lead work will be relegated to the parking pad or garage workshop later in the winter. Sadly, I'm a good woodworker but my health has stalled the project. Time to plow ahead and get setup.

Any tidbits of reloading shop wisdom sure welcome. For now it will be a Lyman T Mag press and hand tools.

 

[USSR]

Taking the initial first step is the tough part. Once you get set up and under way, everything else will fall into place. Congrat's on taking the first step.

Don

 

[Ian]

Put three times the amount of lighting you think you will need. Have plenty of electrical outlets, or a solid power-protection strip for extra plugs. Put shelves every where there is room. Put more lights in, and have dedicated spots for several flashlights, safety glasses, and extra reading glasses if you need them (screw a small tomato sauce or pineapple juice tin to the edge of the bench as a flashlight holster). When you're done, add some more lights. Don't forget a good spot for a wastebasket is under the bench so you can clean primer pockets over it, sweep off the benchtop right into it, etc. While you're building shelves behind the bench (or a "nesting box arrangement that just sits on the back side of the bench against the wall), make yourself a little stick-out for mounting your powder measures. Have a dedicated cubbyhole for your scale on the shelves so it stays protected and relatively dust free.

 

[RicinYakima]

This is where I reload.



When our children and grandchildren grew up and moved, I got an 8 by 10 bedroom to use as library, gun room and computer room. I ended up adding an under shelf light, LED battery, but have been happy with this for the last few years.

 

[Canuck Bob]

Ric this bench has a 20X40 top. However it will double as a gun workbench and cleaning station. Your area and shelving look like sturdy solid wood, nice. Glad you brought up under shelf lighting, preference is good old fluorescent tube light. I use the grow light version, nearest to sunlight, takes away the drabness for my eye.

Do you or others swap out presses and bolt down tooling or line them up? What about a steel vice?

 

[Brad]

Understand that horizontal surfaces, while important, are also great collectors of "stuff".
Be sure to go thru in occasion and clean house. Don't be afraid to get rid of stuff no longer needed or in use. As fun nuts we all tend to be great collectors of "stuff" much of which later becomes clutter.

Storage is never enough.

 

[fiver]

bolt it to the wall
what I have found is if I don't have something mounted I don't use it I will re-set up a die set to the press I have on the bench rather than go get out another one.
or use the cordless drill and my foot to drill a hole if the press is off the bench.
I also keep my reloading stuff separate from my gun stuff the tools are handier and I have lights set up specific to aim where I want them.

 

[KHornet]

Many good words of wisdom, particularly regarding shelving
and lighting. Try to avoid clutter, I repeat that, try to avoid
clutter, and then follow Brads advice.

Paul

 

[Canuck Bob]

So far I've realized that the plan to make the bench a do-all reloading/gun bench is not sensible. The location for the bench will change in a few months when the retirement man cave is finished. Wow, anti-clutter is a real theme already.

Gun bench will be in the garage with the lead tooling. Keep the lead and smelly liquids in the garage. Cold can be a factor there but it does have heat just not all the time. It is a 60s era double garage with a dedicated parking stall for Barb and a dedicated shop and family storage for the other bay.

 

[Brad]

You put a car in your garage? Mine is too full of "stuff" to get a car near.

What is wrong with some of you? Cars in the garage. Funny.

 

[Ian]

Why would you put a car in the workshop/storage area? It would just take up valuable space. Garages are for tools, carports are for boats and lumber storage, and the vehicles sit out in the weather. Sound about right?

 

[RicinYakima]

[Do you or others swap out presses and bolt down tooling or line them up? What about a steel vice?[/QUOTE]
Yes, the aluminum plate is drilled for C&H 444 press, Pacific Standard "C" and Johnson Red Head with the Redding shown. Plus Lyman and SAECO lube and sizers, 3 inch vice and other tooling. Bottom has plate glued to the old school desk, so I can clamp on a Harrell's turret press and other clamp stuff.

Being retired, time to change tooling isn't an issue, as I can clean and put things away as I go.

 

[Canuck Bob]

Gentlemen, happy wife happy life.

Ric I am slowly understanding that time is on my side. Adjusting to retirement has been a challenge. A guy can replace efficiency and hustle with a comfortable pace and manual chores at the bench. As a card carrying night owl low noise is a welcome benefit.

I never considered a plate for attachment (that is some piece of sturdy metal). The bench comes with a much despised 1" mdf top. There is no plan to change that at this time. It is a throw away thing good for trying ideas and different layouts. You tube is a trove of reloading room vids. The problem with clutter is revealing when some rooms are showcased.

 

[Cherokee]

Ian got it right on lighting and electrical. Bolt it to the wall like fiver said. Shelving really important, make it strong (I used 2x12's).

 

[Hawk]

I mounted all my presses, vices, Dillon and lube sizers to 6"x8" 3/4" plywood bases where the edge of the press is on the edge of the plywood. Use bolts that have "V" heads so the bottoms are flush and smooth.

Then drill 7/16" holes on 6" x 4" centers at the corner of the bases so they all match.

Then drill 7/16" holes in the reloading bench where I can have up to three "mounts" installed at once. Drill the first on where you want you main press set. Mine is just left of the center of the bench so I can have the scale, powder measure and other stuff in front of me and the press set up so my right hand can just reach to the right a little and pull it, because I'm right handed.

Then set screw inserts in the bottom of the bench holes for bolts to drop thru the mounts, bench and screw in to the inserts to hold the mount securely.

I keep the presses and stuff I'm not using stored on the top of a small book case using 3/8" wooden dowels set in the top of the book case. I set the back holes of the mount over the dowels as "keepers" to hold the different tools.

Swapping out presses or swagers is as easy as removing 4 bolts.

 

[Hawk]

Holy Hobgoblins! The pictures looked ok before I sent them.
Now I don't know how to fix them.
They look right side up when I open the files individually.
Oh well, you get the idea.

 

[Hawk]

It's very easy to make more 3/4" plywood mounts/bases from scrape as you collect more tools and gadgets that need to be secured to the work top.
As you can see, a couple of mine were made from 3/4" heavy fiber particle board shelving that I liberated from a trash pickup in the neighborhood.
Hey, it works and was free.

 

[fiver]

you gotta keep stuff off the benches somehow.
nuthin better than gouging up your forearm on the top of a re-sizing dies punch, especially when you got a pan full of powder.

 

[Todd M]

Ric, I am impressed with your simple space to reload. Fortunately I have a corner in the basement about 10x12 with an L shaped bench and table. But as others have said, bench space is forever filling up with other junk and when I want to do something, I have to clean for 15 minutes before I can settle down to enjoying myself. Although finding lost goodies is always a fun surprise also

 

[RicinYakima]

Todd, I have a small 12X12 shop in the back yard I built in 1975. With work benches on two side and a 6" lathe and small mill on the others. Until 2002 I reloaded, cast bullets, build engines, did wood working, etc. etc., in that space. Every thing was stacked over, under and in the rafters. Time and space planning was important to get things done quickly. What I found is that if I could have 18 inches by 18 inches with shelves over the surface, I could reload. So when I got a room in the house, the old TV consul cabinet became storage and shelf with machinists box for tool storage. Works for me, Ric