A nice weekend project - shelves that can support a lot of weight for reloading supplies or tools.

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CraigC said:
FWIW, I bought a Dewalt track saw a couple years ago that works great for ripping plywood.

I don't know what that is but I'm sure it's better than what I have. Trying to rip a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood on a table saw on my own is a royal pain. I have a couple of rolling stands but it was still a bit of a goat rope. I got it done and the boards seem to be the right dimension but it wasn't what I would call fun.
 
I don't know what that is but I'm sure it's better than what I have. Trying to rip a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood on a table saw on my own is a royal pain. I have a couple of rolling stands but it was still a bit of a goat rope. I got it done and the boards seem to be the right dimension but it wasn't what I would call fun.
It's just a circular saw that cuts along an aluminum track, up to 8ft.

dewalt-dws520k-3.jpg
 
Cool. I have a DeWalt worm gear drive circular saw so maybe I can find a similar track for it. I don't need to rip big sheets of plywood that often but when we have the right tools it's amazing how often we end up using them way more than we thought we would.
 
Just clamp a straight hunk of something to the 4x8 and push the saw up against it. Like the fence on a table saw but your moving the saw vs the material.
 
Bridgeport? I've worked with wood all my life and I never heard of a Bridgeport! Educate me.....

Here is what my Bridgeport type, knee bend end mill looks like. Bridgeport are the std, mine is Twain made but runs on single phase power since it has it's own phase converter built in. These machines weight ~2400 lbs, before you start adding tooling. Power feeds on table and Digital Readout on 3 axes. There tall I've got about 6" clearance in my 8' ceiling. This is considered the small size and they get larger.

Knee Bend Mill.jpg
 
Interesting lights you have above your Bridgeport, good lighting is a must have in a work room and I like it.
 
That picture is over 2 yrs old only one I had that showed a 1/2 way clean shop ;). All those LED strip lighting (low voltage 12vdc) started failing after 2 yrs and replaced them with a different LED setup. You can never have too much lighting when your working. Since your constantly reading micrometer and calipers all the time it's best to be able to see them with out eye strain due to poor lighting.

I still use them in areas where I need special lighting, reloading press. They are cheap, $12 for a 5 meter roll. These come setup with double stick tape, peal and stick in place. The led's can be cut to length about every 2", attach wires and ready to go. I use them a lot in my boat. It's nice to be able to throw a couple of switches and lite up the boat like it's daylight. Sure makes it easy to tie knots or untangle lines. I have Green and UV Led's setup on my boat for night fishing. These high power ones draw ~1 amp for every meter. I have some lower power ones that draw less but not near the brightness.
 
This project reminded me of how much I don't like painting. I swear that priming and top coating the shelves was harder than cutting and welding the steel. Anyway, the shelves are up and I'll start moving dies, tools, powder etc. over once I've given the shelves a day or two to really set up. I'll have to think about how I want to make the best use of the space.

One of the aspects I like about this design is that the gussets provide a stop to stack reloading books or other stuff up against.

Middle notches
middle.jpg

Corner notches
corner.jpg

Complete
complete.jpg
 
Thanks guys! :D I'll post a photo or two once I've got a bunch of stuff moved over which will be in a few days.
 
Nice shelves......... Waiting to see what goes on the top shelf.
Heirlooms, antique powder containers, things that only get used every couple of years, maybe trophies. or pictures?:)
Anyways, I like.........
 
This project reminded me of how much I don't like painting

It looks fantastic and we must be cut from he same cloth... The very first car I built from a 1923 ford model T pickup that was parked in a Texas field in 1941 that I turned into a “racecar” took me 6 months to build and just over 7 to paint. Most of my projects are “rust” colored or someone else painted them.

I do admire people going outside of their comfort zone though, makes you appreciate the work of others. Two thumbs up.
 
1976B.L.Johns. said:
Nice shelves......... Waiting to see what goes on the top shelf.
Heirlooms, antique powder containers, things that only get used every couple of years, maybe trophies. or pictures?

I mentioned earlier that I'll be using the top shelf for barrels. I have two extra AI barrels plus Savage, .450 Bushmaster and a bunch of Kimber barrels. I'll probably add a "lip" to the front edge of the top shelf so that barrels can't roll off and call it good. These are low profile items that I don't need to access very often so the top shelf is perfect for that. Also, it shouldn't get too dusty up there being so close to the ceiling. Dogs and a wood burning stove results in more dust than I'd like.

@jmorris, sometimes I can't leave well enough alone. This morning while switching barrels on my .450 BM AR15 I made the mistake of running a finger or two over the top surface of the bottom two shelves and the surface is rough! Now I'm thinking about taking each shelf down, doing a bit of sanding followed by another coat of paint. Maybe I need to buy a roller with a shorter nap. Did I mention that I don't like painting?! :cuss:

Quite a few years ago I cut a section of aluminum angle and added a bunch of holes for primer tubes. I just need to modify it slightly but it will work great bolted to the end of the second shelf near the RCBS "automatic" bench priming tool.
 
I picked up some cabinet paint and a better roller and am going to sand and repaint the shelves this weekend. I did manage to mount the primer tube bracket that I made quite a few years ago. It's where it needs to be so that job is off the list.

primer_tubes.jpg
 
I completed another small project in my gunroom today using material bought for the shelving project previously discussed. I've been using a retired bench from a chemistry lab for 8 or 9 years that has a very heavy 2" thick solid top. The frame was kind of flimsy due to how the legs and supports were connected, so a few years back I welded up all the connections and added some C-channel bracing near the base with the idea that I'd add a shelf for storage. After adding steel and welding the joints the bench was way more sturdy. I had to buy two 4'x8' sheets of plywood for the shelves I built recently and fortunately had a piece of plywood left over that was a little over 18" wide and 8' long, so I cut it to 18" x 71-3/4". I drilled the C-channel, bolted the shelf to the steel and added four 12 gallon totes that I got from Home Depot. Now to figure out how I want to use the totes … probably brass and bullets.

My gunroom has been in such disarray for so long that it adversely affected my desire to do much in the way of reloading. Now that things are getting organized I find myself in there a lot more.

totes_bench.jpg
 
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Cool. I have a DeWalt worm gear drive circular saw so maybe I can find a similar track for it. I don't need to rip big sheets of plywood that often but when we have the right tools it's amazing how often we end up using them way more than we thought we would.

If you want, "need" the DILLON version get one of these. or as mentioned just clamp a straight piece of wood(or aluminum) to the piece you want to cut.:) (no need to cry once etc:rofl:)

https://www.kregtool.com/store/c48/...MIz5Cm--ze4QIVR2SGCh0akgh5EAAYAiAAEgIR2PD_BwE
 
Rule3 said:
If you want, "need" the DILLON version get one of these. or as mentioned just clamp a straight piece of wood(or aluminum) to the piece you want to cut.:) (no need to cry once etc:rofl:)

Yep, I used a straight section of plywood as a guide to cut the shelf for the bench, but one of those Kreg guides looks like just the ticket, and it's cheap enough. I know I've used a guide and a circular saw in the past but got tunnel vision when I cut the shelves for the wall-mounted system. Getting old I guess.
 
I think I'd have had to look at putting clear plexiglass up for the top two shelves, so I could see through to what's on the shelf before climbing up. That said, I wish I had the skill to weld up something like that myself. Nice work.
 
horseman61 said:
Op I’m digging that room a lot!

Thanks! :D It's a work in progress. I do a bit here and there and then jump to other pressing projects. I'm in the middle of gutting the detached garage and need to move a bunch of dirt in preparation for having my driveway asphalted in a couple of months, so I do what I can when I can. I hope to post photos of the completed setup once I have it the way I want. I get inspired seeing photos of all the great things so many members do so hopefully this thread inspires someone to build something, or learn to weld.

Talking of welding, I went to Home Depot last week and bought a pair of those 6,000 lb Husky metal shelving units for the garage. Good thing I have a welder and can fix the POS design and fabrication. Same part numbers but different units with completely different cross members … go figure!! I swear that someone could have a great business designing and building quality modular shelving units that are completed entirely in this country, and not some third world, lowest common denominator garbage that still costs $200.
 
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