Anyone reload in the Garage? Post up some pics

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MrWesson

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I went from townhouse loading(covered back porch) and now have a man cave of a garage.

Only problem is I live in north florida and the damn thing is unusable most of the time(early morning and night).


I setup my reloading bench with a fan blowing in my face but i'd like to see other people's setup. Also looking for tips on staying cool. I am about to get a portable AC to at least blow cold air in my face.
 
The best thing is cross ventilation. Try to pull some air from outside to cool you off in the morning and evening. You probably already know this but keep everything waxed or lightly oiled or it will rust.

I use a metal sided shed here in florida too. It's like an oven. I don't really mind it though.
 
I lived in Fort Lauderdale for a year (2012) and could not work in the garage 6 months out of the year. A/C was the only solution. Now in CA where gun laws are against me but reloading in the garage is pleasant most of the year.
 
I started off in the garage with no heat and no air and the humidity rusted everything if you were not careful. The best day ever is when I was able to move inside.

The little portable A/C units work pretty well if you have a small enclosed space and can vent the heat output completely outside of the space. We use them in emergencies at work. Anything from small 110 units to big 220 units. How big of a space will you be trying to cool?
 
I'm in NE Florida and reload in my garage. I usually reload in the am. Sometimes I'll do an hour or so in the pm then go in and cool off. I open both garage doors and use 24" pedestal fan. I also load on a Dillon 550B. I grew up without ac and spent several years riding Navy ships so adjusting to heat for me is just a matter of getting in the right frame of mind.
 
My garage isn't near as hot as my mentors out building.

I have my "bench" in two parts. One being a bathroom vanity with our old kitchen countertop on top. My bench with my presses mounted is foldable and I take it inside if the weather is uncomfortable in the garage. Of course the bench is almost 90#
I thought about casting in the kitchen but decided against it. :)
 
Anyone reload in the Garage?

Not yet, but my wife told me if she steps on another spent primer in our bedroom barefooted, Im headed that way. Stay tuned...:uhoh:
 
When I lived in New Orleans, my garage was heated and air conditioned. besides reloading out there, it was also my race car shop.
 
Just moved to a new house this week, and I may end up reloading in the garage again, but it have as 4 bedroom home with only three bedrooms used, and my wife has given me permission to use the spare room as my mancave. Not sure where I'm going to reload. Probably set up in the garage, since I'll be casting soon, too.

As for ventilation, main garage door, side door and an 18" industrial fan, and I'll probably cast outside the garage anyway.

No pics, since the garage is full of boxes to get sorted, organized, put away, etc. Also have a basement, too. Its nice having options.
 
I'm also in Fl, almost south Fl. If I get up early, (summer), don't open the garage, (which I don't like, claustrophobic a bit), the garage is slightly cool with the A/C unit in there, so during the 'warm' months, that's what I do. The rest of the year, the door is open, try to get most of my reloading done then.
 
Reloaded in the garage for years in Orlando. Frame a small room inside garage. Mine was 8x6. Install Insulation and mount air unit through the wall, a 5-7 thousand works great. Put a locking door on it and you are good. If you can put in a corner, call it a storage closet when you sell.
 
I do, central Florida on the coast.
 

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No garage. My basement serves the purpose for everything except parking. BUT! I'm divorced, so my whole house is the man cave! I do what I want, where I want!
 
I'll get a pic later, I'm in South FL, and I load in the garage. It gets warm, but on really bad days I open the door to the house and have a/c come in. One thing I did to help keep the garage cool was install foam insulation sheets/boards on the garage door. It helps!
I was expecting to have humidity problems, but so far - things have been rust free for the most part.
 
Here's a pic of my garage reloading set-up right when I built it 8 yrs ago. It looks different now in there as there's crap everywhere and both bikes have been sold. The bench is the same, but more cluttered.

Bench_Bikes1.jpg
 
I have been reloading in a garage for a while in Arizona. Right now I go out at night and do a little at a time with a fan blowing up from the floor. One thing for sure, if you are running any kind of fan or A/C or cross-draft gizmo, be sure it is not causing an effect on your balance beam scale if you use one.
 
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Not yet, but my wife told me if she steps on another spent primer in our bedroom barefooted, Im headed that way. Stay tuned...
Click to expand...

I load in our laundry room which opens into the garage. This room is air conditioned and has a 12' work bench with cabinets underneath.

I don't want kicked out of their, it's perfect for reloading,

BUT,

Wait till your wife finds a spent primer in her skivvies. OHHH MANNN!.

I had to quit using the spring loaded primer punches in the universal de-priming dies and I shop vac the floor every time I load.
 
I reload in the garage but try to avoid it through the hot summer months (Texas heat). I have enough pistol brass that I only need to reload once a year if I loaded everything up. If I have to reload it is very early in the morning or I did my portable base out that allows me to clamp my setup to the kitchen table. All this is, is a 2 sheets of 3/4" plywood, 1'x 4'x1.5". The 2 sheets are screwed and glued together. I use T-Nuts on the bottom for the press bolts. These are recessed so nothing will get scratched. The only bad thing is that it is only as stable as your table. So my speed is reduced but it sure beats 100+F temps in the garage.
 
I don't reload in my house garage but I do in my shop. When I built our house in 2012, I built a 40x64 shop as well. I also cheated when I had the house spray foamed, I had them do the shop too. :)

In the summer, it never seems to get above 83 or so in there.
 
I started off in the garage with no heat and no air and the humidity rusted everything if you were not careful. The best day ever is when I was able to move inside.

The little portable A/C units work pretty well if you have a small enclosed space and can vent the heat output completely outside of the space. We use them in emergencies at work. Anything from small 110 units to big 220 units. How big of a space will you be trying to cool?
Click to expand...

2 car garage but its a rental house so I can't make any changes to anything.

I thought about a window unit but not sure you can run one without a window.

The garage is poorly insulated(not at all) so trying to cool it down would just waste electricity but an AC blowing on me would probably make it nice enough.
 
MrWesson said:
2 car garage but its a rental house so I can't make any changes to anything.

I thought about a window unit but not sure you can run one without a window.

The garage is poorly insulated(not at all) so trying to cool it down would just waste electricity but an AC blowing on me would probably make it nice enough.
Click to expand...

They make portable A/C units that sit on the floor with hoses to duct the air to the outside. Build a spacer that sits under a slightly open garage door for the ducts. The units with two ducts work better than those with one, but are a bit more expensive.

Build a drape or curtain to cover the garage door. I have corrugated metal roll up door like at commercial places in my garage/shop. I put up a curtain in the winter and stuff the major opens with foam. It does a reasonable job of insulating the door. I do not hang the curtain in summer because I open the door more frequently and the shop stays relatively cooler in the summer time than warmed in the winter. Last year I made it roll up so it stays in position year round. I could easily lower the curtain in the summer now.

If you have room, build a small enclosure around your reloading area that can be removed easily when you move. A frame with canvass sides, etc. Then use one of the floor portable a/c units to cool it. If the enclosure is small, even if poorly insulated, the a/c will cool it nicely. Run the a/c only when you are reloading to minimize electrical usage. It will cool quickly.

If you do this, I would store your equipment inside the house where the humidy is better controlled. Your dies will thank you.

Just some food for thought.
 
I do all my reloading in the comfort of my garage, which is not only insulated but also a/c controlled. After all it gets up to 120+ out here (It's a dry heat). I knocked a hole in the garage just above the washer and dryer and placed an A/C unit in it and then framed it all in. Looks really good, and I don't have any complaints when the wife goes out and does the laundry. Kind of like a man cave. I placed pics on "show me your reloading bench" forum quite a while ago.
 
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