Multi purpose reloading area

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bcook4321

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BB156AF0-7101-446D-92AD-95B1EB15EAA0.jpeg 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.
 
For years and years I loaded in mixed areas like that. Mostly because I was in the Army and moving all the time, I always had unique housing situations to deal with in order to load. I ended up getting an old used school desk, and put big heavy casters on it with brakes. I mounted all my presses on that, and kept it in a closet, then rolled it out to load. Your area isn't bad at all, and most of my life I would have been thrilled for that set up. It's clean, organized, I see no real issues myself, though may not be as comfortable working the Rockchucker over in the corner. You may gain from investing in one of the quick change mounts that are available, put that on the front of your bench then swap in the press you are using.
 
When I started reloading I put my bench in my single car garage which I had turned into a woodshop. But as my tool collection started to grow, I needed more room. I relocated the reloading bench to our sunroom (enclosed heated/cooled patio) and then added a gun cleaning bench a supply cabinet and soon an ammo cabinet.
 
The world is my reloading room :cool:
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I take powder (only as much as I need), bullets, cases, primers, dies, scales, and stool to wherever I want and put it all together. When the weather is nice I go out under the big oaks. When it’s not so nice, the porch, deck or carport; and when I don’t want to go outside I can setup anywhere inside.
 
I HAD a dedicated gun room for 20+ years.
We moved and I had my bench set up in our bedroom. Wife not thrilled for several years. Finally, rebuilt a walk-in closet and created a 6x8 reloading room. Still in our bedroom, but behind a closed door.
 
My enclosed section of my shop is my reloading room. I have a dedicated bench for reloading, and one for general use. My work space in only 12x24' At one end of my shop is my lathe, the knee bend end mill is on the other end. Several cabinets for storage, specially built storage for my gun powder. Climate controlled with a dehumidifier running 24/7. I need to expand it but I'm limited by all of the wood working tools in the other area.
 
wife and middle / high school aged kids are working out down there now.
You can test the area surfaces with lead test kits to see where lead dust are floating down to settle.

If the basement is ventilated, it will circulate any airborne lead dust into the ducts then throughout the house.

Be safe.

I am also careful to only wet tumble to keep lead dust down.
Keep in mind if you deprime before wet tumbling that most of lead dust comes from primers. Even in "large enough" space, if it is confined, small amount of lead dust introduced will ACCUMULATE over time unless lead dust is removed. ;)

When my blood lead level increased high enough (Over 12) to be reported to the Public Health Department, my doctor and I narrowed my lead intake source to inhaling lead dust while picking up spent brass off indoor range floor (Since I sorted brass and dry tumbled outside patio that's well ventilated, that got ruled out for primary cause for blood lead level increase). Since I stopped shooting indoors and collecting brass off range floor, my blood lead level returned to normal (Under 8) with me doing everything else the same in regards to brass case sorting/processing, reloading and shooting (I only shoot outdoors now) - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ealth-information.307170/page-12#post-9625420

Now I deprime brass on Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro which collects spent primer through ram into a tube/plastic bottle to minimize lead dust as I reload indoors.
 
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I have had to share my reloading area with other stuff a few times. You just make do the best you can. My areas were always smaller than your area. I'm really enjoying having a dedicated room. I've vowed to never be without my own room again.
 
Mine is in the basement - about 600 square feet of finished, climate controlled area. I have a corner, my wife has her candle-making stuff, I have an elliptical, treadmill and bicycle for exercise, so all shared space. I used to have a decent "weight room" in one of my garages. Too old for that now, the cardio exercise with some light dumbell stuff suffices.
There is also a bed and full bathroom for when my son spends a night or two - once a month or so.
 
Keep in mind if you deprime before wet tumbling that most of lead dust comes from primers. Even in "large enough" space, if it is confined, small amount of lead dust introduced will ACCUMULATE over time unless lead dust is removed. ;)

that’s a good point. I mostly tumble wet with primers In. Most of the dust (but not all) is washed out that way. I do deprime before on occasion and I’ve wondered how much lead might be coming out….

thanks for the reminder, I’ll probably minimize my pre tumble priming.
 
I like this!
I take powder (only as much as I need), bullets, cases, primers, dies, scales, and stool to wherever I want and put it all together. When the weather is nice I go out under the big oaks. When it’s not so nice, the porch, deck or carport; and when I don’t want to go outside I can setup anywhere inside.
 
A nice man space. Half the time I load on the kitchen counter so almost anything is more dedicated than that.

I used to set my equipment up on the dining room table, wife wasn't impressed, dud it this wY for most of my loading career. Did finally get a dedicated room. Had it for about 3 months, yhen it was needed for family members.
 
I used to have a very compact reloading setup. Now I have cabinets that are better than most kitchens. Got them on FB market place. Guy built a low kitchen for his wife. Then got a job relocation. Couldn’t sell his house due to the low kitchen counters. So he bought new replacements. I build up the base to allow for my own comfort.

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Before that I always shared space, reloaded where I could. Was hard to organize.
 
I used to set my equipment up on the dining room table ... finally get a dedicated room ... it was needed for family members.
Before that I always shared space, reloaded where I could. Was hard to organize.
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).

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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)

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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)

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Nice I like it, but st this time there are 7 people in my home. One closet on first floor one on second. Unfortunately I dint even have room for that.

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.

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).

index.php


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)

index.php


It was big enough to store often used reloading components and tools to move the bench anywhere inside/outside the house.

index.php
 
Nice I like it, but st this time there are 7 people in my home. One closet on first floor one on second. Unfortunately I dint even have room for that.
Then if you had a portable reloading bench, you could just roll it anywhere in the garage or any corner of the house.

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.

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Then if you had a portable reloading bench, you could just roll it anywhere in the garage or any corner of the house.

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.


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What are the trays under the press?
Just to keep stuff from rolling off. Like like cafeteria trays??
 
What are the trays under the press?
Just to keep stuff from rolling off. Like like cafeteria trays??
They are plastic trays I got from the dollar store meant for muddy boots/shoes. Two of them just happened to fit the 2'x2' bench top.

I cut to fit around the press bases to catch loose items and to prevent bullets/brass/loaded rounds from rolling off the top.
 
@geodude What do you use to transport your brass, bullets, primers etc to the oak trees and any other place you might want to load
A $5 tackle box. I use old pill bottles for powder and bullets, a pocket scale (Lymans) and I use dippers and a FA trickler. I measure everything in advance so if I end up with powder leftover or not enough for the last cartridge I know something is wrong with the batch. Dump it all back and start over.
Here’s ready for loading up some.357
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I store a lot of smaller stuff in a big tackle box but it’s a little heavy to haul around
 
I have a nook in the basement that was a selling point for the house. It's perfect: nestled under the stairs with shelving, drawers, cabinet and a workbench, which was formerly an office area.

The basement is also the study, library, DVD room, fly tying, and my leatherworking area with a gas fireplace. My wife claims it's shared but I spend FAR more time there than she does.
 
My basement has a large “great room,” which holds a 16x20’ wrestling/weightlifting/workout mat, then beside that a few PRS type props, and then two desks, a document cabinet, and a couple bookshelves for my office (18yrs remote office), two workbenches for my workshop space, and my reloading bench. My reloading component and ammunition inventory is stored in an adjacent room. I forget the overall dimension of the room, but I do spend a lot of time in these spaces within the room.
 
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