New reloading room, looking for input....

Cleftwynd

Cleftwynd

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Since I moved back home I have not set up my reloading room / gun room in the new house until now. In the past I have always found I was either disorganzed, or lacking space, especially for keeping the small items stowed away, but easy to find and immediately accesible.

My room is a lot smaller than I am used to for reloading, it is 11 x 12 and has a large closet in one wall, on the opposing wall I have built a 10' x 28" bench that is 42.5" high so I can work either standing or on a stool. Now I need storage for all the little stuff, reloading tools, accessories, bullets, etc... I was thinking of building a shelving unit for on top of the bench to stow away books, dies, trimmers, etc..., along with those small drawer cabinets for the little things. I also have a lot of room under the bench but planned on using that for the large bins I keep brass, shotshell hulls, and all other bulky stuff. I need some ideas, and since I use 2 presses and 2 shotshell loaders, I am thinking of only perma mounting the main press, and come up with some sort of quick change system for the other three.


Anyone have any pictures of their rooms they wouldn't mind sharing?
 
My setup isn't worthy of pictures, as it's 4 project panels from Home Depot drilled and connected with 1/4" machine screws, bolts, washers, and L brackets. A quick and easy table, and intended to also be very easy to disassemble and stow if needed.
That said, I know Lee sells some species of...mounting panels or whatever you'd call them, where you attach the press to a board and the fit it into a section of the table so they're easy to switch and don't require permanent surface space.

Ah, these h ttp://www.titanreloading.com/press-accessories/lee-steel-base-block and h ttp://www.titanreloading.com/press-accessories/lee-hardwood-base-blocks

Honestly, if I was slightly less lazy I'd go through the effort of grabbing another few project panels and cutting them down an inch or so so they'd fit horizontally under the top and could be used as shelves, it would really help with adding weight because my table is very light and I need to use one hand to hold the press down. My idea is to get it to something like h ttp://www.storloc.com/images/Cabinet_Shelf.jpg which has very little wasted space. I think that would be a pretty good setup for me. I considered adding some sort of shelving on top, but figured I'd end up making my design too top heavy which is bad since it's not bolted to the floor or a wall. If needed, I can disassemble the bench and transform it into a box for when I move into a real house.

I'll admit the project panel bench was my second idea, I did try to get my press attached to the central drawer on my computer desk. I'm that lazy. It works too, but I had to sit so far back, or lean down so much, that it was too much of a annoyance to use.

Good luck with yours.
 
My bench is 10' x 28" of two layers 2x10,s topped with good one side oak plywood (3 3/4" thick solid) on a 4x4 frame bolted to two walls, it will never move unless I set off 50 lbs black powder under it, lol.
 
Thinking about the same thing, and these are my design points:

- a tall bench, like the aforementioned 42.5"
- super solid, I was thinking butcher block with nicer wood where visible
- bolted down fixtures
- the thing is, how to fix it solid to the house studs. I have the opportunity to build it in, but would that make sense in the long term.

Currently I have an ex-government desk, heavy and solid, only too low. To which I c-clamp my presses and trimmer. I'd rather it be bolted in, but c-clamps work well, and are quick to clear.
 
I started to put all my shot and new cases for one rifle in ziplock bagges marked... how many times they were shot annealed trimmed. Then i put the bags in the small rubber maid totes with the bullets and dies for one rifle. Then marked the tote for that rifle. I dont really have any cubbards right now and i have multiple rifles to load for so it keeps all the componants for one rifle together and organized and off the bench out of the way of another rifles componants. Also the totes stack perfectly to the roof with out clutter if need be. My room is about the same size as yours. That seemed to work for me. Other that that, a nice sturdy bench with plenty of room on it, and the more shelving and cubbards the better. Also i bought 2 case trimmers, one is for out side necks and one for over all length. When i bolted my trimmers down, i put them in a type of platter. When i fastend them to the bench ... that way when i trim, the fillings dont fall on the bench and all over your room. There contained directly under your trimmer. makes it real easy to pick them up with a vacume when your done ... nice and tidy !
 
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Some pics of the partially finished room, sorry about the bad pics... phone is getting old...

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I turned my kitchen into my reloading room... bolted the dillion onto the kitchen counter and bingo bango, done and done... works well since there were plenty of drawers there I never used... is it sad I need one kitchen cuboard for my kitchen stuff, but 8 for my reloading stuff?

If I had a wife she would have killed me, so may not apply to everyone!

great conversation piece when people come over who dont know I shoot...
 
Kayser Sose said:
Thinking about the same thing, and these are my design points:

- a tall bench, like the aforementioned 42.5"
- super solid, I was thinking butcher block with nicer wood where visible
- bolted down fixtures
- the thing is, how to fix it solid to the house studs. I have the opportunity to build it in, but would that make sense in the long term.

Currently I have an ex-government desk, heavy and solid, only too low. To which I c-clamp my presses and trimmer. I'd rather it be bolted in, but c-clamps work well, and are quick to clear.
Click to expand...

When you build it, include a 2x6 or something running flush between the back two legs. A couple of lag bolts through that into the studs and it'd be solid as a bag of hammers. Would that meet your needs?
 
Beer fridge doesn't go in my reloading room, it's outside in the heated shop lol

I never play with firearms or anything related when drinking, just a personal choice.
 
Cleftwynd - Not suggesting during, but it's such a marvelous mancave, it would be a shame not to be able to curl up with a cold one after loading is done. I guess right outside is not too far.
 
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easysauce said:
I turned my kitchen into my reloading room... bolted the dillion onto the kitchen counter and bingo bango, done and done... works well since there were plenty of drawers there I never used... is it sad I need one kitchen cuboard for my kitchen stuff, but 8 for my reloading stuff?

If I had a wife she would have killed me, so may not apply to everyone!

great conversation piece when people come over who dont know I shoot...
Click to expand...

I got to see this! lol Do you have any pics?
 
easysauce said:
I turned my kitchen into my reloading room... bolted the dillion onto the kitchen counter and bingo bango, done and done... works well since there were plenty of drawers there I never used... is it sad I need one kitchen cuboard for my kitchen stuff, but 8 for my reloading stuff?

If I had a wife she would have killed me, so may not apply to everyone!

great conversation piece when people come over who dont know I shoot...
Click to expand...

Every mans dream! heck, instead of buying a toaster I would buy an annealer and make toast while annealing! TV trays would serve dual purpose, the possibilities are endless!
 
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