Loading bench pics

[RogerDat]

How many of you guys incorporate a sink, with or without "running" water in your shops? hand washing, parts washing, whatever purpose. Any of you guys got 'em?

I have known a couple of people that have used a dry well to install a sink and/or urinal in the garage or shop. For those not familiar with a dry well think of a buried 55 gallon barrel full of pea gravel with the bottom open to drain. Fancy ones are an open bottomed concrete box. They only work if the land perks well enough that the water drains out faster than you feed it enough water to fill the remaining space.

Old farm house down the road from us found their entire septic field was two 55 gallon barrels of pea stone in a sand vein. Been like that probably since they got indoor plumbing in that house. Three teenagers in the house and septic never backed up.

One fellow was in the city but the rest have been pole barns etc. in rural locations. I'm pretty sure none got permits

[Whiterabbit]

I know the how-to, just whether folks find it worth it to dedicate the space to do so. I'm thinking it would help me wash brass after tumbling, and I could wash my hands too, clean parts, etc. But not sure. I can do that now in the house or by the garden hose, just that I don't as often as I might due to convenience. Might I do it more if it were accessible? dunno. That's why I was thinking I;d ping the collective.

[NavyVet1959]

I guess it depends upon where you live on whether it might be practical. If you live somewhere that it gets really cold and the frost line is pretty deep, digging a trench that deep for a water line could suck if you had to run the line any real distance (unless you rented a ditching machine [e.g. Ditch Witch, etc]). I find having a sink worth the space. If I've been handling lead, I prefer to wash my hands before I pop the top on the next beer. Sometimes my hands get greasy from various things I'm working on and I prefer to not track that grease around to other equipment.

In a pinch, you can just let the sink drain outside away from the building a bit. Although hot water is nice to have, it's not a necessity (at least around my place). If I lived somewhere cold, I might think differently.

[Whiterabbit]

I won't put in hot water. Spoke to Mooseman and others too. I think we are a go for putting in a sink, it's too valuable. Drain outside to my solvent trap and just dump there. I don't put gallons of water in there in a go.

Only thing I won't have is the ability to run hot soapy water without putting it on a burner first or going to the house. That won't be a frequent need though.

[dragon813gt]

Wish I had a toilet in the detached garage. There have been many close calls because I was trying to finish something up. I guess the flip side is running from the garage to inside is exercise

[NavyVet1959]

Wish I had a toilet in the detached garage. There have been many close calls because I was trying to finish something up. I guess the flip side is running from the garage to inside is exercise

Where there's a tree, there's a place to pee...

[Whiterabbit]

Where there's a tree, there's a place to pee...

Where there is 6 inches of dirt and a hand trowel, there's a very very​ angry wife...

[dikman]

My loading bench. The frame is Jarrah, a fairly dense hardwood, so it's pretty heavy and I figure all up it's around 150 lb. I decided to screw a backboard on at the last minute to stop things rolling off the back. The whole thing is pretty rigid, but even so when the press handle is pushed down it can still move!!! Amazing how much leverage the press handle can exert. I'll probably screw a couple of diagonal braces across the end and I have some brackets to screw the legs to the floor. I'll also nail a bit of trim to the raw edges.
Total cost about $20 for bolts and brackets.


Aesthetically it's not the prettiest bit of carpentry, but I'm more concerned with it being functional.

Now I have to figure out what to do about cupboards/cabinets/shelves. I'm thinking a lockable 4-drawer filing cabinet for powder/primers etc. I also have a nice timber bookshelf that might make good shelving. I'm not sure whether to extend the bench into the corner or put a cupboard there - decisions, decisions......

[RogerDat]

Not that anyone really cares about my opinion on aesthetics and beauty but I think it looks pretty nice. Corner braces at the end will add a lot of stability and strength. Might move a bit less once you stack some coffee or 30 cal. ammo cans full of cast lead bullets on the bottom shelf

I ended up with brass and some components on shelves on one side of the bench and finished ammo on shelves on the other side. With all the heavy lead stuff under the bench. I think your wood is stouter than the 2x4's I used and I have had no problems with either stability or strength. It is probably worth mention that a 1 inch thick wood box without latch for powder storage is sort of a national standard once you get past 20# or so, and generally primers stored away from powder. I have a friend who is working on a wood box for me made of 2x4's planed down a bit to reduce weight.

[dikman]

Nice neat setup you've got there, Roger. My wood, btw, is a mixture of 2x3 and 2x4, but they're 40-odd years old, well seasoned (!) and aren't going to warp or shift in a hurry. I've got quite a lot of ingots - pure and range scrap - and I'm thinking of stacking some on the shelf underneath. I've got three presses to mount on there (not including the shotshell press, which I don't use) but I need to figure out the optimum positions, which won't happen for a while.

It's interesting that you mention wood for powder storage, as I know in the UK it's a requirement that it be stored in a timber container. Here, however, it's different. The law states that it has to be kept under lock and key and stored separately to firearms, which also have to be kept locked up. While the regulations are actually a little vague about exactly what constitutes safe storage of ammunition, it's generally accepted that if the police do an inspection and the ammo isn't in a metal safe then you'll probably get busted! I figure a metal 4-drawer filing cabinet, suitably modified for better locking (steel bar across the drawers maybe) should suffice. Plus I can probably store a lot of the press parts in there too.

So goes my current thinking.

[RogerDat]

USA 1 inch or greater wood w/out a latch is standard but people do use refrigerators that "latch" by magnetic strip rather than an actual latch. Thickness of wood provides insulation from heat in the event of a minor fire (1 inch of wood is about 20 minute fire rating). Lack of a latch prevents pressure build up which would accelerate burn rate of powder and might lead to an explosion. Old fridge does the same thing, with higher fire rating and shelves.

Seems like one would be safest under those rules if powder was in wood container in an area that was locked such as a closet. Don't know if a locked closet would pass inspection in that legal climate. The file cabinet approach would cover the secure part. Maybe provide a venting route for any gasses? I know primers are going in one at my house once it is cleaned out. Not locked but metal is protective, the grandkids are locked out of that room. But locking up ammo in a safe? Seems like overkill if you pardon the expression. Wonder how effective it is at preventing homicides or other gun violence?

[dikman]

No-one can ever say that our gun laws have any logic or common-sense reasoning behind them, they were basically drawn up by politicians to meet the requirements of a Prime Minister who hates guns! While locking live ammo away from kids and miscreants is probably a good idea, it's the way that it's enforced that's the problem. There have been cases of people who have been busted for having a live round in their glovebox - and that can result in seizure of all your firearms and loss of licence!!!!!

In my case, the powder and primers will be in the locked filing cabinet in my new reloading shed, but all assembled ammo will be in a separate safe in my main garage. Should hopefully cover me if/when Mr. Plod pays me a visit.

I've put diagonal braces on the loading bench and it's screwed to the floor as well - not much more I can do, but I think it will work ok. Got my filing cabinet and made a key for the lock (didn't come with one). Just picked up a couple of timber office cabinets for extra storage and a timber bookshelf to use for shelving (pretty cheap from a guy clearing out his office). Oh, and a nice gas-lift office chair for $15!
The table for the casting gear is pretty well finished. Got my three sewing machines in there too, but I just bought #4, which has to fit somewhere (I just couldn't help myself, I don't really need it, but the price was too good to let it go!).

Now I'm just keeping my eye out for a used single stage loading press, to use for sizing, and then I should be ready to go.

[dikman]

Well, it's sort of finished (at last).


Lockable filing cabinet on the left, screwed to the floor and the bench extension, holds powder, primers and brass in the top drawer. Haven't figured out what I'll put in the bottom one yet. Bookshelf is a convenient way of getting some shelving, and it was cheaper than buying the timber to make something (I just had to cut an extra shelf, only came with two). Tomorrow I'm going to stack some lead ingots underneath the bench as well.

The presses are clamped temporarily while I try and work out the optimum spacing. Each one is bolted to a steel plate and I had intended removing them and just bolting the presses directly to the bench, but now I'm thinking I might leave the plates on as the plates will let me use mounting bolts further in, away from the edge of the bench, which should help with overall rigidity (at least, that's my theory). I'll drill and tap steel bars to fit beneath the bench so that I don't have to mess around with nuts underneath (will make it quicker and easier to remove the presses).

Ignore the sewing machine, that's my latest acquisition and it's only sitting there until I can figure out where I can put it!

[Ric-san]

A lot of great ideas in this thread...

[Ovationdave]

I have owned guns for years, but basically ignored them for a while for family and other hobbies (I fly R/C, Ride motorcycles, ATV, love camping). So a little less than a year ago I decided I wanted to get my CPL (with all the **** going on), and like most things I do, I jumped in with both feet. So within a year, I got my CPL, joined a range, have purchased 4 new guns and a new 36 gun Safe, and started reloading, and now I will be casting come spring. My reloading bench is small, and right next to it is my fly-tying bench (roll-top desk). This same room also serves as my airplaine hangar and build room. Needless to say, I will be expanding. However I have really enjoyed shooting again, and really enjoyed reloading. But as you can see, Airplanes take up a lot of room! This is only one end of the room, the other end is a soldering/charging bench and wing storage, a drafting table, and a 2' x 8' walk-around building table that currently has a 8' airplane wing on it. I will be dedicating more room to reloading in the near future.

[9.3X62AL]

My new bench.......18 months was TOO LONG to do without a work/play space.

[Ben]

I like it, VERY NICE !
Now......, how long it is going to take you to get it cluttered like mine ?

Ben

[9.3X62AL]

HA HA! Already commenced!

[dragon813gt]

Built this in the basement because it's to cold in the garage.


Top didn't turn out nearly as dark as the one I built in my garage, oh well. Not sure if I'm going to use an Inline Fabrication Ultramount or not. After I decide I'm going to build some storage directly underneath the top. Might as well take advance of the dead space in the top frame.

[Sam Casey]

Now that really looks sturdy! Wish I had room for something like that.