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Much to my wife's chagrin, half our "spare" bedroom has been stolen for a reloading room (and the other half for storage space for my business). It's still messy, and the presses aren't anywhere near set up, but you see here a Hornady LnL with Case Feeder, a Lee Classic Turret, and my new Redding T-7 (for my Grendel and 300 Win Mag loading, plus whatever else ).

I use 3/4 cabinet grade plywood with strong brackets supporting the shelving. In places where the workspace mounts to the brackets, I use 8-12" wide sections of the same plywood (basically doubling the thickness). This works really well. I just drill for each press using the largest bolt I can for each (for instance, Hornady says use 5/16" bolts, but 1/2" bolts work perfectly). There is NO wobble in this setup.

I'll be installing a second tier of shelves later for lighter stuff. The first set of shelving was designed to be right at my eye level when I'm sitting, which is perfect for reloading.

Click on the pic to see a higher resolution version! (yes, the large size pic is a little blurry - the only light in the room was that lamp, and I wasn't expecting the camera to stop down to a slower shutter speed)

When Child V went off to college I took over her playroom for my loading room. The leopard carpet has to go but it serves the purpose. Child V graduated and unless she gets a job real quick I will probably be relocating my loading room to the utility closet.

Very nice!! Good job. I wish I had some space to do that but my better half has dibbs on most of the square footage around here.

I need a giant man cave!!! Or maybe a bunker!!

I second the bunker idea!

eureka40 wrote:Very nice!! Good job. I wish I had some space to do that but my better half has dibbs on most of the square footage around here.

I need a giant man cave!!! Or maybe a bunker!!

It was a tradeoff -- I took over a room, but I'm upgrading the house's AC system, and if we get $$ back for our tax return, I'm going to put in wood flooring, so her silence has been purchased

Looks nice, great looking space. I'd also suggest mounted a 4-bulb 48" fluorescent fixture in there. Good lighting really helps during reloading.

I hope the 3/4 in works out for you. Where you doubled it, is it double thickness all the way to the back of the shelf?

My first press was mounted on 3/4 inch hardwood. I cracked that top in less than a month.

Very nice. I'm stuck out in the garage for the time being as the spare bedroom is still a bedroom for a daughter in school. Not long though and I'll be moving upstairs.

Jumping Frog wrote:Looks nice, great looking space. I'd also suggest mounted a 4-bulb 48" fluorescent fixture in there. Good lighting really helps during reloading.

Agreed! I'm not done wiht lighting arrangements yet, but not sure I'll use a fluorescent - although I do have a spare one lurking. I'm more likely Ott lights, as I have a couple of spare ones.

Jumping Frog wrote:I hope the 3/4 in works out for you. Where you doubled it, is it double thickness all the way to the back of the shelf?

Oh heck yes, otherwise there would be flex in the mount. All places that are bracketed to the wall have double thickness (1 1/2") going all the way back. A big guy could lay on it and it wouldn't flex or come out of the wall (speaking from firsthand experimentation )

Looks good. I've just...errr... gotten the go-ahead to carve out a 10x15 ft section of the garage for just this. It's going to be a few months, though. I've got to run some extra electrics, A/C, and add a few windows/insulation. I'm stoked. I may even get into bullet casting now that I'll have a dedicated area I'll be able to ventilate.

OldCannon wrote:

Jumping Frog wrote:Looks nice, great looking space. I'd also suggest mounted a 4-bulb 48" fluorescent fixture in there. Good lighting really helps during reloading.

Agreed! I'm not done wiht lighting arrangements yet, but not sure I'll use a fluorescent - although I do have a spare one lurking. I'm more likely Ott lights, as I have a couple of spare ones.

Agreed! I'm big on adequate (who am I kidding - overkill) lighting. My garage ceiling is festooned with two bulb, 4' T-8 fluorescent fixtures, with daylight bulbs. Have the same type over my workbench - it's wonderful.

Is that an armored vacuum cleaner for finding all the primers you'll lose in the carpet?

Napier wrote:Is that an armored vacuum cleaner for finding all the primers you'll lose in the carpet?

LOL. My Rigid Shop Vac. It sucks up everything, even caged parrots!



For those of you that don't get the reference. Here's a little bit of Inspector Clouseau (and yes, I'd had similar disasters happen with this vac )
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=iO_eXXgOsFI[/youtube]

I do, I do! Have a preliminary setup.

All but took over AndyC's thread regarding the wonder of reloading in these troubled times, don't want to derail this one, so will start another with pics as the project progresses. Again, VERY preliminary. What I like most is that there is plenty of room for expansion, and the much beloved wife hardly ever goes out there. Just noticed, and before I get a well deserved lecture, the ashtray will not be living on this bench. This one will be reserved for gun work/reloading, and will be a non-smoking area, for obvious reasons. The other will be for general workshoppery, and smoking will be allowed. For the most part. Common sense will be the guide. Inasmuch as common sense and smoking can coexist. 'cause we all know how bad it is for us.



BTW, I believe I have the same wet/dry vac that is in your pic. Very handy thing to have.

I took over a spare room in our new home and made it my man cave; a place for me to retreat, load, watch tv, listen to music and workout.

I really enjoy looking at everyone else's reloading set-up whether it is a corner of the closet, a room, the garage or a stand alone shop. I started reloading in a corner of my bedroom at home while still at home 55 years ago, and still consider it a large part of the pleasure I get from shooting, hunting and being with the folks that enjoy the same.

Perhaps we can keep adding pics of everyone's "corner of the world". and make it continuing post. Last year I moved my stuff from a barn at the farm the the little machine shop at the house and I am still buildingbenches, storage, adapting and changing. (the reloading equipment had to take space of one lathe, shaper, alt/gen/starter tester, and valve grinding setup--these moved to another shop where the tractor work takes place. I will take some pics tomorrow and post and I hope more of you guys will do the same.