Reloading with no room

wuluf · April 17, 2011, 04:35 PM

Here's my bench:

Our house is 1050 sf, and the garage is stuffed too. I found "plans" to bolt a Lee single stage press to a Black & Decker Workmate which folds nicely. I keep powder in the house, everything else is in the garage in tubs, by caliber until i need it.. Works for me...

Lost Sheep · April 17, 2011, 05:00 PM

Do you prime on-press or with a separate primer? I did not see the hand primer, nor the usual primer "pez dispenser" primer feed.

Do you dismount the press when folding the workbench for storage or leave it bolted on?

Do you have any problems with air drafts from the window affecting your scale?

You have a nice setup there. Good photography, too. Thanks for sharing with us.

Lost Sheep

wuluf · April 17, 2011, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Do you prime on-press or with a separate primer? I did not see the hand primer, nor the usual primer "pez dispenser" primer feed.

Lee Auto Prime while watching TV

Quote:

Do you dismount the press when folding the workbench for storage or leave it bolted on?

Press stays bolted on, i just tighten it every once in a while

Quote:

Do you have any problems with air drafts from the window affecting your scale?

Sometimes! There's another window to my left, behind the laptop, and a vent for the Heat/AC under the desk. i can adjust the thermostat or close the windows as needed..

I got most of my info on setup here and elsewhere on the 'net, happy to share and help someone else!

shootniron · April 17, 2011, 09:37 PM

I do not really reload in a limited space but I have actually gone from a stationary bench to a rolling computer cart for my reloading as it gets hot reloading in the garage during summer and with this cart I can just roll it into the house to reload in the comfort of A/C. I have four presses, 2 progressives, 1 turret and 1 single stage mounted to the cart and it is as stable as can be. I actually ran 5/4 deck boards along the edges to mount the presses on.

I know it sounds kind of crazy and probably looks goofy, but we reload over 5k rounds per year on it without a problem and it was bought for $20.00. Also, it has some storage for components, but I retained my shelves for components in the garage when I dismantled the stationary bench.

chris in va · April 17, 2011, 11:00 PM

I sit in my Lay-z-boy and reload while watching TV. Seriously.

45K20E4 · April 17, 2011, 11:19 PM

My office has a small 5x5 closet, and I keep all my reloading gear in there on a small cabinet/counter I got from Lowe's. Soon the wood shelves are coming down and I plan to put up modular shelving for more space.

FrankenMauser · April 17, 2011, 11:35 PM

When I was living temporarily in a 600 sq ft apartment in NY, I bolted my press to our entertainment center. The wife wasn't happy about the holes, but understood it was my only choice. I kept my components, powder, primers, and other tools inside one of the storage areas in the entertainment center (was isolated from the TV enough that heat and static weren't an issue).

Rifleman1776 · April 18, 2011, 08:25 AM

Set up looks OK to me. We do what we can with what we have.

MrWesson · April 18, 2011, 08:42 AM

When I started we had an old end table we didn't need. I butchered and bolted it to a stud in the closet

.

abber · April 18, 2011, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Soon the wood shelves are coming down and I plan to put up modular shelving for more space.

I guess once you get all set up, you won't ever want to come out of the closet....

spacecoast · April 18, 2011, 09:00 AM

I wish I had a dedicated corner or a Workmate that I could afford to leave up. All my stuff, including my hand press, fits into drawers in my L-shaped desk and a small filing cabinet in my office (along with a lot of other non-reloading related files and such). When the drawers are shut, as they normally are, there's no indication at all that it's a place where reloading is done. 11K rounds the last 18 months.

Coyote WT · April 18, 2011, 09:07 AM

My dad just gave me his pressing/reloading gear. He has a full garage that he's converted to his knife work shop and I have, well I gots nothin'. I had no clue how I was going to set up a work station in my house. The portable work bench is a perfect solution. Thanks for sharing your solution.

Coyote WT

Snakedriver · April 18, 2011, 09:18 AM

That's my set-up exactly and it works great! I used to have everything out in the garage where it was 180 degrees most of the time, then I figured out I could rig a mobile set-up like yours and move it inside to the air conditioned man-cave. Makes it all much more tolerable when the sweat isn't running down into your eyes. I like it!

wuluf · April 18, 2011, 01:55 PM

Coyote, here's the link:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5221731_make...-portable.html

feets · April 21, 2011, 08:20 PM

I have an old Lee Challenger press bolted to a short piece of 2x4 stud. When it's time to load, I slap it on the desk and secure it with a couple C clamps.
It's worked great for thousands of rounds from 45 ACP to 300 WM.

wwmkwood · April 22, 2011, 06:34 AM

I had all of my reloading gear bolted to 2X4s that I just clamped into the Workmate. I still use the workmate that way, vise, grinder, ect.. bolted to 2X4s in the garage. everything stores on shelves out of the way.

Bleeber · April 25, 2011, 07:58 AM

Great solution to a similar problem of mine. Those who reload, or store their stuff, in the garage...does it effect the loads, components at all (other than the potential for rust)? I wonder if going back and forth from cool to hot would create condensation in powder, effect load charge, etc.

Thanks!!

PawPaw · April 25, 2011, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bleeber

Great solution to a similar problem of mine. Those who reload, or store their stuff, in the garage...does it effect the loads, components at all (other than the potential for rust)? I wonder if going back and forth from cool to hot would create condensation in powder, effect load charge, etc.

I reload in the garage and haven't noticed a problem. As long as the powder containers are tightly closed, humidity shouldn't affect it.

Bleeber · April 28, 2011, 07:21 PM

Glad to hear that. I miss reloading and could easily start again if I did it in my garage.

FrankenMauser · April 28, 2011, 08:05 PM

Quote:

I wonder if going back and forth from cool to hot would create condensation in powder, effect load charge, etc.

It takes rapid, massive temperature changes for condensation to be an issue in a sealed powder container.

However, those temperature swings will cause the powder to degrade more quickly. Powder stored at high temperature (say 80+ degrees F) will also degrade more quickly than powder stored at more reasonable temperatures (50-70 F).

Yet, it is humidity that causes issues with primers. Humidity swings are even worse.

General rules, in simple terms:
Keep primers cool, DRY, and out of sunlight. Avoid HUMIDITY swings as much as possible.
Keep powders COOL, dry, and out of sunlight. Avoid TEMPERATURE swings as much as possible.

If you keep your powder and primers in the same place, that means you need a place with both a stable humidity level, and a stable temperature.

Me? I keep mine in a closet under a stairwell. The humidity runs about 20% year round, and the temperature is an unwavering 62 degrees all year. When I didn't have such an ideal storage area, I did the best I could. (Stay far away from kitchens and bathrooms!)

tlm225 · April 29, 2011, 07:39 AM

Looks like you've adapted to your environment. When I started loading over 30 years ago it was with a Lee Loader. All my equipment fit into the space of a shoe box. It was slow but got me started.

stu925 · April 29, 2011, 08:10 AM

I was just talking to someone at work the other day who was telling me he had no room for a reloading area. I am now going to point him towards this post. There's some very good methods discussed here, thanks for sharing. I had to go another route and put up an 11'x14' shed to use as an all around workshop. Insulated, ran electric, and put in an infrared propane heater, seems like no matter how much room I have it's never enough though.

Stu

Bleeber · April 29, 2011, 09:58 AM

Thanks for the info, Franken. Storing in the house is no problem for all of my equipment, just not set up. I think I'll start looking at purchasing some powder and primers, bullets, etc. and load a bit. Then bring everything inside and see how it works out.

Thanks!!

mikld · April 29, 2011, 11:24 AM

Looks good! I reloaded on a similar set-up for several years before I moved to a place where I had a dedicated reloading room. My set-up differed in that I bolted my press to a scrap piece of counter top (screwed a 2x4 to the bottom) and then clamped the counter top in the Workmate.

Fullthrottle · May 1, 2011, 01:04 AM

What ever it takes! Glad to see you are reloading.

April 17, 2011, 04:35 PM	#1
wuluf Senior Member Join Date: October 30, 2006 Location: River City CA Posts: 228	Reloading with no room Here's my bench: Our house is 1050 sf, and the garage is stuffed too. I found "plans" to bolt a Lee single stage press to a Black & Decker Workmate which folds nicely. I keep powder in the house, everything else is in the garage in tubs, by caliber until i need it.. Works for me... __________________ Freedom isn't the choice the world encourages. You have to wear a suit of armor to defend it.

April 17, 2011, 05:00 PM	#2
Lost Sheep Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2009 Location: Anchorage Alaska Posts: 3,341	Nice setup. Do you prime on-press or with a separate primer? I did not see the hand primer, nor the usual primer "pez dispenser" primer feed. Do you dismount the press when folding the workbench for storage or leave it bolted on? Do you have any problems with air drafts from the window affecting your scale? You have a nice setup there. Good photography, too. Thanks for sharing with us. Lost Sheep

April 17, 2011, 09:37 PM	#4
shootniron Senior Member Join Date: April 16, 2011 Location: Georgia Posts: 1,599	I do not really reload in a limited space but I have actually gone from a stationary bench to a rolling computer cart for my reloading as it gets hot reloading in the garage during summer and with this cart I can just roll it into the house to reload in the comfort of A/C. I have four presses, 2 progressives, 1 turret and 1 single stage mounted to the cart and it is as stable as can be. I actually ran 5/4 deck boards along the edges to mount the presses on. I know it sounds kind of crazy and probably looks goofy, but we reload over 5k rounds per year on it without a problem and it was bought for $20.00. Also, it has some storage for components, but I retained my shelves for components in the garage when I dismantled the stationary bench. Last edited by shootniron; April 17, 2011 at 09:48 PM.

April 17, 2011, 11:35 PM	#7
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,427	When I was living temporarily in a 600 sq ft apartment in NY, I bolted my press to our entertainment center. The wife wasn't happy about the holes, but understood it was my only choice. I kept my components, powder, primers, and other tools inside one of the storage areas in the entertainment center (was isolated from the TV enough that heat and static weren't an issue). __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

April 18, 2011, 09:00 AM	#11
spacecoast Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2009 Location: Sunshine and Keystone States Posts: 4,461	I wish I had a dedicated corner or a Workmate that I could afford to leave up. All my stuff, including my hand press, fits into drawers in my L-shaped desk and a small filing cabinet in my office (along with a lot of other non-reloading related files and such). When the drawers are shut, as they normally are, there's no indication at all that it's a place where reloading is done. 11K rounds the last 18 months. Last edited by spacecoast; April 18, 2011 at 09:07 AM.

April 17, 2011, 11:00 PM	#5
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	I sit in my Lay-z-boy and reload while watching TV. Seriously.

April 18, 2011, 08:25 AM	#8
Rifleman1776 Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: Arkansas Posts: 3,309	Set up looks OK to me. We do what we can with what we have.

April 18, 2011, 08:42 AM	#9
MrWesson Senior Member Join Date: October 10, 2010 Posts: 357	When I started we had an old end table we didn't need. I butchered and bolted it to a stud in the closet .

April 18, 2011, 09:07 AM	#12
Coyote WT Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2011 Location: Woodinville WA (north of Seattle) Posts: 147	Brilliant! My dad just gave me his pressing/reloading gear. He has a full garage that he's converted to his knife work shop and I have, well I gots nothin'. I had no clue how I was going to set up a work station in my house. The portable work bench is a perfect solution. Thanks for sharing your solution. Coyote WT

April 18, 2011, 09:18 AM	#13
Snakedriver Senior Member Join Date: September 3, 2010 Location: SW. Florida Posts: 135	That's my set-up exactly and it works great! I used to have everything out in the garage where it was 180 degrees most of the time, then I figured out I could rig a mobile set-up like yours and move it inside to the air conditioned man-cave. Makes it all much more tolerable when the sweat isn't running down into your eyes. I like it! __________________ Fear is a reaction................Courage is a decision!

April 18, 2011, 01:55 PM	#14
wuluf Senior Member Join Date: October 30, 2006 Location: River City CA Posts: 228	Coyote, here's the link: http://www.ehow.com/how_5221731_make...-portable.html __________________ Freedom isn't the choice the world encourages. You have to wear a suit of armor to defend it.

April 21, 2011, 08:20 PM	#15
feets Senior Member Join Date: April 28, 2008 Posts: 560	I have an old Lee Challenger press bolted to a short piece of 2x4 stud. When it's time to load, I slap it on the desk and secure it with a couple C clamps. It's worked great for thousands of rounds from 45 ACP to 300 WM.

April 22, 2011, 06:34 AM	#16
wwmkwood Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2008 Location: Kansas Posts: 110	I had all of my reloading gear bolted to 2X4s that I just clamped into the Workmate. I still use the workmate that way, vise, grinder, ect.. bolted to 2X4s in the garage. everything stores on shelves out of the way.

April 25, 2011, 07:58 AM	#17
Bleeber Junior Member Join Date: April 24, 2011 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 10	Great solution to a similar problem of mine. Those who reload, or store their stuff, in the garage...does it effect the loads, components at all (other than the potential for rust)? I wonder if going back and forth from cool to hot would create condensation in powder, effect load charge, etc. Thanks!! __________________ B.Leeber President/Biochemist Premium Nutrition, Inc.

April 28, 2011, 07:21 PM	#19
Bleeber Junior Member Join Date: April 24, 2011 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 10	Glad to hear that. I miss reloading and could easily start again if I did it in my garage. __________________ B.Leeber President/Biochemist Premium Nutrition, Inc.

April 29, 2011, 07:39 AM	#21
tlm225 Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2004 Location: Arkansas Posts: 962	Looks like you've adapted to your environment. When I started loading over 30 years ago it was with a Lee Loader. All my equipment fit into the space of a shoe box. It was slow but got me started. __________________ All that is neccessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke

April 29, 2011, 08:10 AM	#22
stu925 Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2010 Location: New York Posts: 953	I was just talking to someone at work the other day who was telling me he had no room for a reloading area. I am now going to point him towards this post. There's some very good methods discussed here, thanks for sharing. I had to go another route and put up an 11'x14' shed to use as an all around workshop. Insulated, ran electric, and put in an infrared propane heater, seems like no matter how much room I have it's never enough though. Stu

April 29, 2011, 09:58 AM	#23
Bleeber Junior Member Join Date: April 24, 2011 Location: Naples, Florida Posts: 10	Thanks for the info, Franken. Storing in the house is no problem for all of my equipment, just not set up. I think I'll start looking at purchasing some powder and primers, bullets, etc. and load a bit. Then bring everything inside and see how it works out. Thanks!! __________________ B.Leeber President/Biochemist Premium Nutrition, Inc.

May 1, 2011, 01:04 AM	#25
Fullthrottle Senior Member Join Date: October 24, 2009 Posts: 280	What ever it takes! Glad to see you are reloading. __________________ When seconds count, why is help minutes away?