Multi purpose reloading area

[Phantom 309]

My press is on a sturdy workbench in the garage that was built by my Grandpa many years ago. If you look closely at the joints between the 2x6 top boards you can still find spots of spilled Testors model car paint from my childhood. I will never ever resurface this bench. I bought 4 large ammo crates with o-ringed lids to store reloading items: one for bullets, one for processed brass, one for dies and turrets, and one for all other assorted reloading goodies. These crates stay in the garage and each has a large reusable desiccant package. Powder and primers stay indoors in our storage room.

It is the only workbench in the garage, so I do occasionally need to remove the presss for other projects, but that is a rare occurrence. I've worked for the same small company for 16 years now, and my employer shares similar interests. We are commercial mechanical contractors but we take our off-time goofing around very seriously. The shop is 10 minutes from home and we have a full metal fabrication section, a 2 post automotive lift, and all the tools one could need. Nearly all of my projects take place at the shop. This allows me to use the home garage for vehicle storage and reloading almost exclusively.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I'm using the laundry room for loading and the garage for tumbling. I'll keep the dust in the garage. My cases are all wet cleaned in an ultra sonic with citric acid so I'm not to concerned about the molecular lead building up in the garage. I mostly use the tumblers for taking the case lube off my resized cases anyways.
So what goes in the laundry room is or has been cleaned.
And yes, I have to do laundry as a users fee for using the room.

 

[NorthBorder]

I have a man cave so I'm pretty fortunate when it comes to my hobbies.
However, organization is NOT one of my better qualities.

 

[LiveLife]

I have a man cave so I'm pretty fortunate when it comes to my hobbies.

Nice area that's dedicated to reloading/gun related but we already have another thread for that - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/show-us-a-picture-of-your-reloading-bench.218720/

But that's not what this thread is about.

OP posted inquiries about other members who share same reloading space with other purposes and mentioned "keep lead dust down" as same space was shared by children and wife.

Multi purpose reloading area ... I am curious how many ... share an area and can not dedicate the space for loading ... combination basement, gym, workshop, loading space ... as my wife and middle / high school aged kids are working out down there now ... wet tumble to keep lead dust down.

I think shared reloading space with other purposes can be done "safely" by reducing lead dust exposure to minimum. But if the space is confined, then gradual accumulation of lead dust should be considered with lead swab testing to determine if/where lead dust are accumulating. And if space is ventilated, then consideration should be made that lead dust could be circulated throughout the house by ventilation ducts.

And why I posted suggestion of using portable reloading bench so lead dust generating activity like depriming could be done better trapped (through ram/tube/plastic bottle collection) and/or away from confined spaces as another option to reduce lead dust accumulation.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

OP posted inquiries about other members who share same reloading space with other purposes and mentioned "keep lead dust down" as same space was shared by children and wife.

​

I think shared reloading space with other purposes can be done "safely" by reducing lead dust exposure to minimum. But if the space is confined, then gradual accumulation of lead dust should be considered with lead swab testing to determine if/where lead dust are accumulating. And if space is ventilated, then consideration should be made that lead dust could be circulated throughout the house by ventilation ducts.

And why I posted suggestion of using portable reloading bench so lead dust generating activity like depriming could be done better trapped (through ram/tube/plastic bottle collection) and/or away from confined spaces as another option to reduce lead dust accumulation.

The primary gist was not lead either, but it was mentioned.

Sawdust and cleaning solvent smells get some reactions from them

One of the reasons I clean guns away from family areas is smell but the fact that this stuff is poisonous is the bigger reason. My wife doesn't mind - she likes the smell of Hoppe's Sweets not so much - but we have pets and they'll lick/eat anything that hits the floor. I'd hate to lose a pet to accidental poisoning.

Hand loading can be done almost anywhere, really. It just takes concentration and a good routine. Decapping empties can be done almost anywhere, too but takes almost no concentration. Things like the Lee APP make that a lot easier - it's WAY light but does a good job on decapping en masse.

Cleaning and repair work requires some space and tools, typically. I have those portable as well but not quite as portable. BE careful of pets. Their systems are much more delicate than ours and they can't communicate as well when they feel bad.

 

[barnfrog]

I even have a 2'x2' portable castered bench I still use that can literally be stored readily in any corner of a room. Put some boxes of bullets and brass on the bottom shelf and bench becomes very stable.

I love this option. My reloading space is currently my home office, which is also the spare bedroom. Something small and mobile will work very well. Thank you for posting the pics.

 

[webrx]

I have a spare bedroom in the house, ~10x12 that is now my fly tying, reloading, man cave, working from home office (due to covid).

I used to reload in the garage, but summer heat and winter cold made that a bit of a pain, not to mention things getting dusty from sanding, cutting, grinding, etc when restoring cars, fabricating or working wood. When my 3rd son moved out I was going to take over his room upstairs which is about twice the size of mine, but the wife beat me to it, when they shut down schools for covid, and she needed a home office. Hewr "Craft Room" was not adequate for that task (too full)

I tumble outside or in the garage never in the house, but i do deprime in the house, so, may want to rethink that part, might need dedicated decapping station setup like GeoDude on a stool so I can take it outside or in the garage.

d

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I have a spare bedroom in the house, ~10x12 that is now my fly tying, reloading, man cave, working from home office (due to covid).

I used to reload in the garage, but summer heat and winter cold made that a bit of a pain, not to mention things getting dusty from sanding, cutting, grinding, etc when restoring cars, fabricating or working wood. When my 3rd son moved out I was going to take over his room upstairs which is about twice the size of mine, but the wife beat me to it, when they shut down schools for covid, and she needed a home office. Hewr "Craft Room" was not adequate for that task (too full)

I tumble outside or in the garage never in the house, but i do deprime in the house, so, may want to rethink that part, might need dedicated decapping station setup like GeoDude on a stool so I can take it outside or in the garage.

d

Nice thing about the Lee APP folks concerned about lead contamination ought to keep in mind: it uses a captive bottle arrangement for the empties. The air space between the bottle and ambient air is smaller than the opening in a drinking straw. I have no qualms about decapping indoors.

 

[LiveLife]

Good mention of pets and cleaning/reloading related hazards for them.

Our 4 dogs LOVE customizing any brass they find on the floor.

 

[Riomouse911]

My Man cave slowly became the Dad cave: kids motorcycles, a quad, bicycles, scooters, luggage, my sons 3-D printer, etc. slowly encroached on the floor space in the middle of my workshop. Now my loading bench is clear on one side and the tool bench on the other, but I need to shuffle stuff on occasion to have enough room to maneuver freely.

Best thing I ever bought was a Husky wood-top rolling cart from Home Depot. I added two more swivel casters to the two that came with it so it can spin 360 degrees for easy movement. That’s become my cleaning bench, minor gunsmithing bench, priming bench, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Husky-3-Draw...ocphy=9031595&hvtargid=pla-571685214417&psc=1

Stay safe.

 

[webrx]

I have one of those in the garage riomouse911

 

[bcook4321]

My Man cave slowly became the Dad cave: kids motorcycles, a quad, bicycles, scooters, luggage, my sons 3-D printer, etc. slowly encroached on the floor space in the middle of my workshop. Now my loading bench is clear on one side and the tool bench on the other, but I need to shuffle stuff on occasion to have enough room to maneuver freely.

Best thing I ever bought was a Husky wood-top rolling cart from Home Depot. I added two more swivel casters to the two that came with it so it can spin 360 degrees for easy movement. That’s become my cleaning bench, minor gunsmithing bench, priming bench, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/Husky-3-Draw...ocphy=9031595&hvtargid=pla-571685214417&psc=1

Stay safe.

I really appreciate everyone’s input on this. I think there are a few things noted here that I can do to keep the space safer for everyone. I also think I might have to pick up one of these benches for the garage or porch.

 

[bcook4321]

then gradual accumulation of lead dust should be considered with lead swab testing to determine if/where lead dust are accumulating

Anyone have any recommendations on a particular lead swab test kit? It might be nice to do a little testing.

 

[LiveLife]

Anyone have any recommendations on a particular lead swab test kit? It might be nice to do a little testing.

3M 8 pack - https://www.amazon.com/3M-717834209102DUPE-LeadCheck-Swabs-8-Pack/dp/B008BK15PU?th=1

 

[Big Wes]

H Here's my reloading room and multi-purpose room fishing tackle room , electrical repair room etc etc

 

[barnfrog]

Based initially and largely on LiveLife's 24x24 mobile reloading cart, but with inspiration from other posts here as well, this is what I came up with and built this past week.




Fits pretty well in the spare bedroom, and storing items on the shelves and in the built-in cabinet freed up some space in the closet and in my desk. It's pretty well over-built. It weighs 100 pounds without the presses or anything stored in it.

In retrospect, I should have notched the upright 2x6s so they were flush with the 2x4s that are perpendicular to them; that would have made more space in the cabinet. I also should have gone with larger casters. The 2" ones I bought don't swivel as well as I'd like. Overall though, I'm pretty happy with it so far.

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

It's pretty well over-built. It weighs 100 pounds

That is not a bad thing. Heavy = sturdy!

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Based initially and largely on LiveLife's 24x24 mobile reloading cart, but with inspiration from other posts here as well, this is what I came up with and built this past week.


View attachment 1046061 View attachment 1046062

Fits pretty well in the spare bedroom, and storing items on the shelves and in the built-in cabinet freed up some space in the closet and in my desk. It's pretty well over-built. It weighs 100 pounds without the presses or anything stored in it.

In retrospect, I should have notched the upright 2x6s so they were flush with the 2x4s that are perpendicular to them; that would have made more space in the cabinet. I also should have gone with larger casters. The 2" ones I bought don't swivel as well as I'd like. Overall though, I'm pretty happy with it so far.

Retrospect = Version 2.0

 

[barnfrog]

Retrospect = Version 2.0

Right on, brother.

 

[barnfrog]

That is not a bad thing. Heavy = sturdy!

Well, it certainly isn't going to tip over just because I get a little over zealous in my sizing operations, that's for sure.

 

[Driftertank]

My reloading space is a secondhand desk in my dining room.

Unfortunately it's also become my wife's "pile all his crap when I don't like where he left it" space, so I usually have to dig a bit to clear room to do my work...

 

[ColtPythonElite]

My workshop is about a 12 x 25 area in a climate controlled basement. I have a 12' long 30" wide bench. About half is for reloading. The other half is for other projects. It's a great place to be on a rainy day.

 

[HowieG]

My reloading shop is in my 3 bay garage. It doubles as an auto repair shop, wood working shop, odd project shop, artist studio, and believe it or not, an actual 3 car garage complete with cars. The "U" shaped portion of benches is mine. The bench with the drafting light is my wife's, for her crafts and art. The benches have a lip so I can C clamp various pieces of equipment down wherever I want for my needs at the time. At the moment, it's rock tumbling time, so I have bags of petrified wood sitting around and the tumbler is running on the bench.

View attachment 1046138 View attachment 1046139

 

[HowieG]

View attachment 1040673 I’ve seen posts with nice looking reloading benches. I am curious how many people have to (like myself), share an area and can not dedicate the space for loading. Mine is a combination basement, gym, workshop, loading space. presses are mounted to a 4x6 block chucked in a 10” woodworking vise (back right). COVID made things more interesting as my wife and middle / high school aged kids are working out down there now. Sawdust and cleaning solvent smells get some reactions from them. I am also careful to only wet tumble to keep lead dust down.

Boy! If you got rid of that gym equipment, you could really have some stuff.

 

[HowieG]

Like it. Good idea.

Solution to not having dedicated reloading space is a portable castered bench you can roll anywhere in and around the house.

I built several for friends and this last one was "paid it forward" to a brother of coworker who retired recently and planned to start reloading for retirement together. (I am building another bench to mount Dillon 550C and Lee ABLP)

It's 2'x3' rolling on Harbor Freight furniture dolly casters and with presses mounted at ends, can move through any doorway and short 3' length allows it to turn into bedroom doorways even from tight hallways. The small size allows for storage when not needed (I used to roll it inside closet of guest bedroom at previous house).

With presses mounted at ends, I was able to resize thicker case military LC .308 brass without moving the empty bench, even on hard floor. (11 layer plywood top reinforced with 2x4 under the press did not flex at all)

It was big enough to store often used reloading components and tools to move the bench anywhere inside/outside the house. It was nice to reload in the back patio while sipping iced tea with wife or be processing/priming brass while watching TV/movie with family in the living room instead of being alone in the reloading room away from family. (But usually I preferred to reload early in the morning while family slept so I would not be distracted)