Project Powder Magazine - Forum Build!

[blujax01]

Okay folks, I would like to call on all of you to help me build my reloading room. I am not rich nor poor and am a little handy when it comes to construction. Right now I'm loading hand guns only but I do want to make it so I can load shotguns later.
This is what I have done so far. The room is 9'6 x 9'6 and I can spill over into the adjacent areas if I can justify it to the SWMBO (from another poster = She Who Must Be Obeyed. I love it!). The bench is made from a 4x8 sheet of oak plywood that was slit to 2', doubled up to 1-1/2", glued and screwed to a (cheap) 5' kitchen base cabinet and 1x2 pine lumber to trim. OAL = 8 ft.
4 overhead cans, a ventilating fan and a heat/AC outlet in the ceiling. I'll tape and mud later - maybe in this life and maybe not.

The desk is a 4 footer. Next Big Lot trip I will buy a chair. Found the dry erase board and am utilizing it for formula notes.
The wall cabinet sitting on the floor I made long ago for VCR tapes and I figured to mount somewhere to store finished ammo. The toolbox I have been using for storage of small stuff but is open for any suggestions. Never mind the debris on the floor. I'l not done cleaning.
My next purchases will be (1) a fire extinguisher and (2) a smoke detector. There is a detector in another part of the basement but I want one in my alcove.

Major areas that need addressed as I see it:
(A): storage of press equipment. Dies, conversion kits and primer tubes.
(B): storage of materials. Brass is currently under the bench in plastic tubs. Need ideas for powder, primer and bullet storage.
(C): Man, that vibrating system is making a mess. Especially when I sieve the media back into the box. Ideas for a table or enclosure, or???
(D): Shelving or racks for gun parts, holsters, books, etc.
(E): ???

Well what are you waiting for? Pimp my ride!

 

[s&wchad]

Looks good to me! Buy more tubs (the big ones) and buy some sturdy metal shelves.

My shotshell presses are mounted to heavy plywood that I C-clamp to the bench when needed. I put four thick stick-on rubber pads on the bottom of the boards to keep them from slipping (get the pads at the hardware store). It works great, it’s quick and it frees up precious bench space. I store mine on the floor.

Big industrial type baking trays are good for containing spills. Check a Salvation Army store or other resale shop. You might consider putting a molding on the floor at the entrance to the area. WHEN you spill shot on the floor, the ledge will keep it mostly contained and be less irritating to SWMBO.


I wish my reloading area had an exhaust fan to the outside. Cleaning solvents and aerosols can’t be good for you and when shot gets old the surface oxidizes. Sometimes you can actually see the cloud of oxidized lead dust when you fill the bottles and when the press dumps the shot. If it’s really bad, I go outside to fill the bottles and wear a filter mask when loading (sometimes).

 

[GF]

First burglar to second burglar, "Let's pin down s&wchad in his reloading room 'til he runs outta' ammo - then rush him!"

Second burglar, "Let's come up with a better plan."

Both you guys have a great place to reload, as in get way from the world for awhile.

GF

 

[Rule3]

Heck, you don't need our help, that looks awesome!

You mentioned something about "vibrating" our tumbling being a mess. I for one would do that outside. I can here, as we have good weather all year. I just think over time you will "contaminate" your work area with nasty dust that has lead and other assorted crap in it. But that's just me. Otherwise you would need a completely sealed box or cabinet to contain the tumbler and it seems like a waste of space and materials to me.

Oh and you need some Dillon Calenders on the wall unless SWMBO would object!

 

[Marksman]

Looks as though you are off to a great start, you might want a strudier support for the end of your bench a 4 X 4 leg rather than the staircase spindle. Eyeball lights are great, I have three over my reloading bench they provide great illumination. I have a two shelf bookcase for powder, primer and press part/die storage, a shelf for reloading manuals close to the press is a good idea. My chair is a high back swivel barstool with a padded seat, comfortable for long reloading sessions. A small shop vac comes in handy for cleaning up after reloading sessions, a long reach grabber like used by folks in wheelchairs is good for retreiving dropped object that find a way of hiding under the bench. That's about all the ideas I can think of, I'm sure others will chime in with neat ideas of their own.

 

[AveragEd]

I agree with those who have said your setup looks nice. I remember my first reloading bench - it was about five benches ago. They are like gun safes - sooner or later, they become outgrown.

Ed

 

[H Richard]

I'd recommend going around all 3 walls where your bench and desk are with counter top over base cabinets. Make a horseshoe shaped counter where you can put 2 or 3 loaders on 2 of the three area's and keep one side for clean/repair work station. Above all sides install shelving all the way up, sturdy enough you can stack ammo if need be. You will eventually fill the shelves with die's, powder, bullets, shot, primers, tools, etc. Here's a few pictures of my loading room. It is a little bigger, but not too much.
Clean/repair area:

Rifle/misc loading area:

Volume pistol and shotgun loading area's:

 

[SMSgt]

I don't have the space I had in my former residence (entire basement to myself; everyone else was afraid to go down there!) so now I have to be imaginative with my reloading. Handgun only these days, so I picked up a Lee handloader for $25 and casually resize, flare, and prime my cases in my LaziBoy office while watching TV. The powder-seat-crimping is done with my old Herters single-stage press mounted on a 12x18 5/8" piece of plywood clamped to the kitchen counter.

I no longer crank out 100s of rounds at a time, just 2-3 boxes as needed. It works for me. But I do miss that big lonely basement.

 

[Leonard]

I like single stage presses

 

[Engineer1911]

Those ceiling can lights will cook you like a fine steak in a cheap broiler oven. Use compact flourescent bulbs. Every time you seat a primer, the corner of your bench will go thump. You need shelf space to store loaded ammo cans to weight the bench.

Great first effort. Google "reloading bench" the ideas will be amazing.

 

[leas327]

I can show you some pics of how not to do it if you want. These reloading rooms make my setup look like a thrown together mess done in the only part of a dimly lit kinda dingy basement that SWMBO will allow. Really makes me want to overhaul my setup. The original plan started out as a Lee aniversary kit used to start reloading .243 on an abandoned desk from the previous owner. Seems to have gotta out of hand with each addition that I just made space for. I guess the only thing I can recommend is putting your tumbler outside or in your garage. I have mine on a light timer so I just turn it on and it shuts itself off. Then I don't have to listen to it and it won't run all night.

 

[David LaPell]

For storing some ammo, primers, ammo etc I like those orange plastic cans for boats sold at walmart. I take the tray out and load them up with whatever. They have a very nice seal on them which will help with moisture, air etc. For my powders I use an old US Navy footlocker which has twelve heavy latches and is also airtight. For my brass, the previous owner left a whole slew of metal cookie tins and I have enough of those things for one of each caliber. My bench isn't that big, but it is enough for my press, scale, powder measure,trimmer and a few other things. Since I only really load pistol calibers, I pretty have everything I need. You are off to a good start though.

 

[jepp2]

I agree with the suggestion with replacing the baluster/spindle with something much more substantial.

I don't see any outlets in the wall behind the bench top. You will find these essential.

I would need a lot more storage space than you have. But it may be all you need.

Everything else you will be able to add as the need arises.

 

[blujax01]

Those ceiling can lights will cook you like a fine steak in a cheap broiler oven. Use compact flourescent bulbs. Every time you seat a primer, the corner of your bench will go thump. You need shelf space to store loaded ammo cans to weight the bench.

Great first effort. Google "reloading bench" the ideas will be amazing.

Will do on the CFL's.
The back edge of extended bench top is affixed to a 2x4 that in turn is screwed into the wall studs. No movement yet after 500 rounds. I'll keep an eye on the leg spindle and if it's jumpin' will replace it with a 4x4 and Tapcon a bracket to the floor!
Keep the ideas coming, folks. I do appreciate it.

 

[JohnnieB]

........SWMBO (from another poster = She Who Must Be Obeyed. I love it!)...........

This “term of endearment” has been around for ages. Horace Rumpole (Played by Leo McKern) in the BBC series Rumpole of the Bailey, often referred to his wife, Hilda, that way, but he had most likely borrowed the phrase from a 17th century novel Henry Rider Haggard SHE, whose title character was the all-powerful queen, Ayesha, aka “She” or “She-who-must-be-obeyed”.

Okay folks, I would like to call on all of you to help me build my reloading room. I am not rich nor poor and am a little handy when it comes to construction.
..............

Major areas that need addressed as I see it:
(A): storage of press equipment. Dies, conversion kits and primer tubes.
(B): storage of materials. Brass is currently under the bench in plastic tubs. Need ideas for powder, primer and bullet storage.
(C): Man, that vibrating system is making a mess. Especially when I sieve the media back into the box. Ideas for a table or enclosure, or???
(D): Shelving or racks for gun parts, holsters, books, etc.
(E): ???

Well what are you waiting for? Pimp my ride!

A, B & D: Looks like you’ve got a blank canvas to work with and you’ll get tons of suggestions from other, so my suggestions are limited to thoughts on basic construction.
Build it Strong. Reloading stuff get really heavy, really quick.
Tie shelving & benches into wall studs for strength and stability.
Make sure wall studs are tied into structure at top and bottom.
Isolate wood from cement floor in basement with no-porous material.
Calculate number of outlets needed. Double it. Use GFI.
Use Goldenrods or other dehumidifiers in cabinets used to store things that rust or are hygroscopic.

(Don’t ask how I know about these things. )

C: Clean brass in well ventilated area.
To each their own, but I wash my brass before tumbling and depriming.
(This gets rid of most of the bad stuff that get in the air while tumbling)

Winnowing media reduces dust. (Pour from one container to another in a mild breeze. Credit for this goes to someone on the forum, but can’t remember who )
Small pieces of used dryer sheets added to media while tumbling also helps keep dust down.
Adding a small amount of polish to media also keeps dust down.


Hope this helps,
John

 

[Skip Sackett]

Reworking my own!

There is a thread that covers reloading benches in the "Notable Thread" sticky.

I went to Menards and got some shelving to do my new configuration.

Still a work in progress. Here it is.

Notice under the bench. I cut the center out of one side of the milk crates so I could stack them as designed and still reach into the. A word to the wise, maybe some 1/8" plywood in the bottom to help support them. Some of mine didn't like being filled with cast boolits!

Then, the coup de grau (sp), the computer in the corner, on my favorite forum! (And section!)

 

[David LaPell]

This is my simple bench with a simple Lee press, my little RCBS scale, and Lee Powder measure.

Not quite as organized as I hope, but here as a few dies, some lead and brass.

More brass and more bullets

and more brass

Here are my ammo containers, orange ones are airtight marine containers. The big one on the bottom is a US Navy footlocker that latches up airtight. Powder is in there.

Here is my tumbler ready to roll. (I have the C-clamp there with another one nearby to keep the tumbler from wobbling off the bench). Not to mention my entertainment system while I am loading.

 

[blujax01]

Powder, Primers and Dies Under Control

After viewing you all's sprawling benches I realize this is probably a small scale of what will eventually be but this morning I cobbled this from a couple 2' 1x6 poplar boards and some 1x2. Obviously I haven't loaded the dies yet but I had a few clapped out cymbal stands laying around and a pipe cutter. What else could I do?!

 

[440turner]

You and me both about thinking were small scale,I have big dreams about relocating my reloading bench or a new one, its currently located in my basement were I was storing big plastic totes stacked two high and three wide. I simply used a donated kitchen table top from a friend and screwed it atop the existing 3/4" plywood shelf, it may look a little rude and crewd but works great. I have seen plans on the net for a reloading center that is made for a corner and has doors that inclose the whole reloading area shut when closed, I really thought it was a trick set-up, maybe someone knows what im talking about and will post the link. My set-up has suited me well and has loaded over 1000 44 mag rounds in the last six months as seen on my dry erase board, I also keep a log book as well.I i keep my powder in my safe as well as my primers, scale on the next shelf over with other misc. reloading stuff, its simple but works great

 

[Engineer1911]

Plaster / paint walls & ceiling. You will have sheet rock dust blowing everywhere. Here is a simple way to store dies.

For die storage, I use a plastic tool box with a plywood insert. Drill rows of 7/8" diameter holes spaced 1-1/2" apart. The 22 Hornet and 222 Rem die sets are on the left and the 45-70 set is on the right. Rifle dies are in this box, another box has the pistol dies. At this time of the year, Sears has a nice big 23" wide tool box on Christmas special for ~$25.

For a brass reloading tub, I found that Walmart plastic meat trays work great. The hamburger or roast tubs will hold a couple hundred pistol cases, don't tip over, and are free.

1 gallon milk jugs, rinse out first, are great for bulk brass storage. 1 gallon of 38 spl or 45 acp brass will keep you in ammo for a couple of days.