Reorganizing the gun/reloading room and adding a rolling work bench.

You will be happy with that box.

I picked one up last year on sale because it was super cheap.

I have several big Kennedy's that I have accumulated over the years.

"Cheap" boxes have come a long way since the 70's & 80's.

Good luck keeping the top cleared of junk,at the risk of sounding snarky. Not at all the intent.

ANY horizontal surface,ANYWHERE there are tools about,is a breeding ground for clutter.

I still would do what you're proposing though. Just know that,there are 3 "sides" on your new box that aren't being utilized,at all. Just the way most of them are designed. Fold down extensions are pretty easy to fabricate. There's also the space under the box for a full length drawer. Another is hang on,repurposed metal tool boxes(the type large drills and such come in). Just clean them well and shoot some matching paint,maybe pulling out interior deviders.

Good luck with your project.

I use one like that but on mine the lower drawers are equal width, I use it for cleaning and working on firearms, I've thought about creating a turnbuckle to hold it to the wall, if you mount a vise put some steel under the top to help support it, I mounted a strip magnet under the handle to hold tools. I have a Craftsman that I use for tools that I mounted mid boxes to the back top so I still have a work surface on the front.

MCMXI said:

I have a big empty space in the center of the room that my Great Pyrenes likes but it's simply not the most useful, efficient or practical arrangement.

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Awesome Lap Dogs!!!!! LOL
Who would have thought you could snuggle with a small horse while watching TV????

Yep, no pics, it didn't happen.... just sayn.

We are still in the first week of December!!!

When first reading the OP,was thinking about suggesting a "riser" or hutch,or whatever it's called. But then let the post absorb a bit more and saw it as more like an island.

Pic below is my version of a hutch. Have a dz big boxes in our shop,stuffed with tools and equipment. The loading room is a peaceful escape from that world. This is a small Kennedy box from their early years. But you can possibly get a cpl ideas. Those are Hilti drill boxes on the sides that are great for taller items.

If you want to see the real smackdown on boxes,look up images and do some digging on NASCAR pit boxes. They've taken roll arounds to a whooooole nuther $$$ level.

OK,more pics. #3 son bought a very nice house/estate that was built in 1948. Needs tons of work but they like it there. Anyway,he's always just lived hand to mouth when it came to tool stowage. I bought him the Cman box on the left in this pic as a moving in gift. Nice brick,attached 2 car garage. Which I'm helping him turn into his doghouse. We built this shelf unit a month ago. Maybe get some ideas from it.

I'm getting him another Cman "lower" to go to the right of the new bench(bright green target on floor spot). It will function as a "remote" island if you will. But has a parking space when not "out". I have had a professional cabinet/furniture shop,business for 40+ years. Don't get me started yappin about building reloading "system" storage..... can go on for days talking about just drawer construction,doh.

I like stuff that is easily mobile because it helps with cleaning up in my small shop and makes it less of a chore if I need to move things around for a specific task.

I never could find a roll around work bench that worked for me as far as being able to roll it around and once in place was stable enough to really use as a work bench, like putting stuff in a vise and hammering/bending, mounting and using the angle iron notcher, as well as store commonly used hand tools as well as the larger stuff all in one place.

So I started out by making a frame with steel casters on one end and fixed on the other, that are mounted so a 3/4” rod inserted into a receiver and steeped on would rotate the wheels down picking up the bench. A tab in the center would hold them in place until the bench is moved to the desired location. Then they could be rotated up, retracting them and sitting the bench onto the threaded leveling feet under each corner, making for a bench that is just as stable as one that doesn’t have the ability to be rolled around.

This is the down position.



Then I added electrical, regular tool box and large drawers (front and back), behind the tool box is clamp and weld rotary fixture, as well as drill and tap the top for the various tools that require being securely mounted.

This is up, in travel position.

You'll like the Husky bench. I went with the 65" one for more storage. The next size up, 72", actually has less storage volume, I think because they had to add more internal supports.

Here's mine with a reloading press on the end. Didn't like that arrangement and have since moved the press it's own table.

My bench is very multi purpose, from working on the kids bmx race bikes to wood working and gun cleaning. It started life as a kitchen table and now sports an additional 3/4 oak plywood top to add more strength. The large casters are a key factor making it easy to move in and out of the garage. Using a router in the driveway is much better than cleaning the mess for the next six months. The white top makes finding small parts easy while cleaning my lever actions.

Walkalong said:

I'm feeling inadequate, I may have to go see a shrink.
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If you look carefully there are black marker labels on my table for sorting headstamps

MCMXI said:

The problem with mounting presses to the front of a 32" deep bench is that you lose access to so much usable space.

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I agree with that 100%. My reloading room is a small office that also has an electronics work bench and a built in desk, so it’s already tight. I made the bench only 18” deep and an L shape with a bottom shelf (dead weight) to keep it from wanting to tip but it doesn’t move.

I use multiple roll around boxes in my garage and a roll around bench, I just need to find a good way to secure them to the wall easily to help secure them when I need to put a little pull on something, I'm thinking eye bolts and turnbuckle. A good addition is a power strip and a good light, I use big desk lights and the big circle ones with a magnifying glass.
I like to put all my powder in a wooden cabinet on the other side of the shop from the presses and only getting one out at a time to make it hard to mix powders.

I use multiple roll around boxes in my garage and a roll around bench, I just need to find a good way to secure them to the wall easily to help secure them when I need to put a little pull on something, I'm thinking eye bolts and turnbuckle.

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In the racecar trailers we use E track as it helps with spreading the load across the entire wall and lets you attach to points between the verticals. There are various straps and anchors that drop/lock into any of those rectangular openings.

jmorris said:

I agree with that 100%. My reloading room is a small office that also has an electronics work bench and a built in desk, so it’s already tight. I made the bench only 18” deep and an L shape with a bottom shelf (dead weight) to keep it from wanting to tip but it doesn’t move.

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That's a factory!