Input for setting up a reloading room

[ilcaveman]

I have a 32" x 8' bench. I bought some 10" shelf boards and built a shelving unit and installed it on the back of the bench. This gives me places for my scale, caliber changes and misc. I have 22" of working space which is plenty for reloading. One thing I learned also is to move my reloader to one side instead of the middle of the bench. If its in the middle I can't work on my rifles because the reloader is in the way.

 

[moosehead]

So, after looking at all of the great advice, I ended up with something that seems to work. I went with an "L" shape. The narrow leg is 18" deep, and the wider leg is 27" deep. Shelving under the short leg is the right height for ammo can storage. I'd like to thank everyone for the input. I think I've got the best possible solution for the space I have, and more importantly, I've actually started reloading. I've still got some work/organization to do, but I'm on my way!

 

[Steve B]

Welcome to the reloading club. Be prepared to shoot more. That money saving BS is just a story we tell our wives.

 

[moosehead]

Welcome to the reloading club. Be prepared to shoot more. That money saving BS is just a story we tell our wives.

Thankfully, my wife doesn't have a problem with the setup money. Thankfully, I got the Lyman from Billybob at the swap meet, so I saved some cash on it.
Excluding my time, I figured that I saved around 1/3 to under a half of the cost per round...and it's a lot of fun. I figure I need to load another 3000 rounds or so to break even

 

[Maximinus Thrax]

Congrats on getting started and the great looking setup!

I'm on the prowl right now for pricing and components to build a bench with improved storage, lighting, and stability. I've been watching threads like this one for months and I'm about ready to take the plunge. I've got a bench now but I'm fighting all of the above mentioned shortfalls. It's rather annoying.

 

[moosehead]

Congrats on getting started and the great looking setup!

I'm on the prowl right now for pricing and components to build a bench with improved storage, lighting, and stability. I've been watching threads like this one for months and I'm about ready to take the plunge. I've got a bench now but I'm fighting all of the above mentioned shortfalls. It's rather annoying.

I think storage is always an issue. As for lighting, I just added standard light fixtures above the bench, spaced every 2 feet. So far it seems to be a good setup.

 

[Maximinus Thrax]

I think storage is always an issue. As for lighting, I just added standard light fixtures above the bench, spaced every 2 feet. So far it seems to be a good setup.

Probably true, as of now I have almost no usable space and I have a bunch of stuff just stacked in piles with nowhere to put it. I've reached the limits of my current setup and have no room for further organization of what I have.

As for lighting, I'm thinking about buying a fluorescent light bar and mounting it underneath a shelf I will mount to the rear section of my workbench.

 

[Ben Nelson]

Congrats on getting started and the great looking setup!

I'm on the prowl right now for pricing and components to build a bench with improved storage, lighting, and stability. I've been watching threads like this one for months and I'm about ready to take the plunge. I've got a bench now but I'm fighting all of the above mentioned shortfalls. It's rather annoying.

I use a standard work bench for my reloading area. I kicked around shelving and storage ideas for awhile and bought a couple of rolling tool cabinets to store bullets, primers, powder, brass, tools, etc. That way you can move the storage around as I wish.

 

[Que]

Buy components as if they will be banned in a year and you are the only one that knows. What I mean is, stock up and add to it every so often. You can never have enough.

 

[dieselrealtor]

Buy components as if they will be banned in a year and you are the only one that knows. What I mean is, stock up and add to it every so often. You can never have enough.

^^^this^^^

The next "crisis" will start soon enough (yes, there WILL be another crisis). I have established minimum stock levels for primers, powder & projectiles, higher on the powder & primers because I plan to start casting in the near future. If you find a sale or a good buy on powder, primers or projectiles then overbuy for trading material. Powder & primers (specialty items) make better trade options when things are scarce.

Make sure you have the dies you need as well. 9mm Lee 4 die sets were selling for over $100 used just over a year ago.

ok, hijack over

 

[Maximinus Thrax]

Buy components as if they will be banned in a year and you are the only one that knows. What I mean is, stock up and add to it every so often. You can never have enough.

I'm still working on convincing the boss of that logic. I think I'm slowly making headway!

That's part of the reason I'm building a new bench. I'll be able to organize and safely store what I have and what I will be stocking up on.