Man Cave/Reloading room/Gun cleaning room/Outdoor clothing and equipment storage

[BKS]

We have been doing some remodeling around the house and are having a 30x50 shop built behind my garage. I am wanting to take a section of this and enclose it into the above.
I would like to have a place to reload, a place to clean firearms, store hunting clothes etc in.
I was thinking a 10x30 or 20x20 walled off, insulated room, climate controlled with a good sturdy door. I'm thinking a large roll around tool chest would be great for the cleaning station/work station for guns, and building a bench along one wall to put presses shelves etc. Of course there would need to be a couple recliners and a tv.
I don't want to put my gunsafes out there, they are gonna stay in the house.

Anybody got any suggestions, comments, photographs etc of anything similar.

[Nueces]

For your shelving, I strongly recommend installing adjustable ones. For nearly 30 years, I have used the arrangement of vertical tracks lagged to studs and snap-in shelf supports. These things are very strong and can be reconfigured easily. Shelves are 1-by dimensional boards. You can put narrow shelves low, to preserve bench 'air space' and wider ones above. Close spacing for heavy stuff and wider for lighter stuff. I've designed half a dozen arrangements using a computer to draw them.

I have a bunch of 'euro drawers' in my system. These have side slots for dividers and some sizes are perfect for loading die boxes. Google for images of them and notice the finger pocket at the front. You can retrieve one of these from up high by sticking a piece of wood in this pocket to pull it down.

[CASTER OF LEAD]

BKS, just my opinion ,but if you think 10x30 is big enough ......... make it 20x30. You'll thank me later. I did a kinda similar thing and look back on it thinking......dang "should have made it bigger I had the space" . Another suggestion. When reloading ammo leave the tv off. No need for distractions that could have disastrous consequences. Not telling you what to do mind you. Just MHO ,and how i choose to do it. YMMV. - CASTER

[BKS]

Caster,
Definitely goodidea on tv. I inherited a bass boat and other stuff and had the shop built to hold it. I believe it will all fit. Gonna test fit it all before I build the room for sure.
Thanks for the ideas.

[Grmps]

Think about (and write down) everything you want to do in there.
Figure how much room you'll need to comfortably do this and the amount of storage needed for each procedure
Remeber you can do multiple things in one area but need separate storage for everything
how many pieces of equipment do you want to have set up permanently and what will you want to move on and off your bench. Think about quick change bench plates or ?
Many people would kill for a 10x30 reloading room, many work off a 6 ft loading bench.
I'd consider an 8x10 separate room with a good vent fan/hood vent, that way you can cast, smelt, aneal, PC or HiTek year round

[buckwheatpaul]

Built a 12 by 36 in my equipment building. I put a pellet stove and a ac and ceiling fans. The room is double insulated (the building was already insulated and when I added the 2 x 4's I insulated again. Used steel purlins for the ceiling joists and could hold a barn dance on top along with access via a pull down. Used 3/4" tongue and groove 4 x 8 cdc for the flooring. It is dry, cool and warm when needed. Built in shelves and closets for hunting clothes and found base and upper cabinets for my reloading cabinets. The tops on the base units were 3/4" oak and I glued and screwed down (from underside) another layer of 3/4" plywood and stained and sealed for a rock solid top.....put in a camo easy chair and it is home....you wont go wrong!

[Petrol & Powder]

Don't know what type of floors and walls you will have but a reloading bench really needs to be tied to the wall. I set mine up with a ledger board with carriage bolts protruding from the back side of the board. The bench is then bolted to the ledger board using nuts and washers. That allows the bench to be removed from the wall if needed. Install a shelf over the bench with a good set of lights on the bottom to illuminate the bench top. Plan for you presses and other gear (including height) when you design your bench. For my reloading bench I used cabinet grade hardwood plywood for my bench top. It was sanded, stained and sealed with polyurethane. The cleaning bench is a different story.

I would suggest a separate bench for gun cleaning / gun repair. A few points here that I promise will make your life easier:
* Because it's a fixed location, forgo a tool box and just install drawers below the bench top to store tools and cleaning gear.
* Place a shelf over the bench at a convenient height and install a good light on the bottom of that shelf to illuminate your bench. Use the top of the shelf to store oil, grease, cleaning solutions, etc. Resist the temptation to squirrel those supplies away in a cabinet where you can't see them. It's more convenient if they're right on the shelf in plain view, plus you can see what you have on hand.
* When I built mine, halogen lighting was the best available at the time. Unfortunately halogen lights produce a lot of heat. (welcomed in the winter, hated in the summer). Now that LED lighting has come down in price, I would consider going with LED's.
* You can make the bench top out of plain plywood with a linseed oiled finish and just accept the fact that the bench top is going to get stained/soaked with cleaners & oils. (this is the route I took). OR, you can start with some oil resistant top such as Formica, a sheet of aluminum, etc. and try to keep it clean. Both methods work but avoid a hard surface that can damage a gun's finish.
*Whatever type of floor you end up with near your reloading & cleaning benches; remember you're going to have oil, powder, spent primers, small parts, springs, bullets, solvents, etc., in that area. I would avoid carpet. I would avoid busy designs that will conceal small springs, pins, detent balls, etc. (had a vinyl floor in a prior house that I swear was designed to camouflage small springs ! ). Concrete covered with one of the epoxy type floor paints would be ideal. Plain vinyl would be OK. Tile wouldn't be too bad.
*Plan for and install a VISE on your cleaning bench. You'll thank me later.

You might want to avoid storing hunting clothes around all of the cleaning oils / solvents due to the odor of those chemicals. I'm not much of a hunter anymore but that gear was always washed separate at the end of the season and stored in closets or foot lockers.
If you want to store hunting gear in the room, I would suggest a specific closet (maybe cedar lined?) away from the cleaning bench.

Plan first, build second.

Good Luck.

[BKS]

Thats why I love this forum, the knowledge and willingness to share it. The building is a metal pole barn type but it is studded like a house on a concrete slab. I paid for them to double insulate it. They should be finished with it in the next few days and I can see how much room there will be in it to add my little getaway.
I had thought about the gun oil/solvent smells thing and planned to isolate them somehow.
I defintely want a seperate location/bench to clean and repair on.

Thanks for the replies and if anyone else has any ideas or knowledge please share them.

[OS OK]

If you use an electronic powder dispenser or scale I suggest that you figure a way to mount it so that the bench vibrations will not affect it...if you neglect this it will take longer for it to throw or weigh charges. Make this so that you can use it at all the presses you intend to use it at.

Below you can see the stand for the scales comes up through the center of the table, it sits on it's own base on the floor...it will turn to face all the presses and the height is adjustable...the neet thing here is that none of the bench vibrations will affect the throws or the scales...

Solid bench tops will not flex like the ones made with 2" X ?" boards. A 1/4" plate mounted under the press that is two times the depth of the presses footprint will take even more flex out of the press. This extra metal footprint allows a place to place magnets that will keep small allan wrenches or other small metal tools that will not get knocked off the press area.

Below you can see the plates I'm speaking of...

Attachment 204545

I tend to cast a lot more projectiles than I need, I store those on metal shelving with 3/4" plywood shelving and the shelving is bolted to the wall...I live in earthquake country and there's a lot of weight on those shelves.

Another handy idea is to get 2 or three used file cabinets to store your cleaned brass in...they will hold a lot of brass all sorted neatly and stored in quart ziplock bags.

When you mount lighting for bench work be sure to mount the lights directly above your head or a little farther behind by 6" or so and that will keep the lamps from reflecting off the surface you try to look at closely...it's an angle thing.

Plenty of outlets or several strip outlets will make life easier at the workbench area...I can't stand having to plug in to an outlet 4' away from where I'm using a drill motor or grinder or ?

After decades of trying to live with a bench mounted vise, I finally made a vise stand that stands on it's own pedestal...it can be moved anywhere you need to use it, can accommodate different shapes and sizes without something interfering with the edge of the bench or ?...
I used a fire engine brake rotor for the pedestal and a 4" pipe for the riser to the plate the vise bolts to...it's heavy and stays put, best of all it's out of the way when I don't need it, which is most of the time.

Lots of drawer space below the benches is a must...I like the drawers that are only 5 or 6" deep...prolly 20" or more wide...things don't get pilled over and dissappear in the bottom of the drawer....they are just plain handy that way.

Best suggestion I could give you is to be flexible with the layout and let it morph as you learn to live with your creation or as your presses change over the years...

[Petrol & Powder]

BKS - if your building has a concrete floor I would suggest painting it with one of the two part epoxy floor paints (like the ones used for garage floors). That stuff is incredibly tough, easy to clean and resists stains. It's also an excellent sealer for the concrete (stopping dust and moisture). The down side is you may have to wait for the concrete to completely cure before you apply it. It the floor was recently poured I would wait a month before I put that epoxy paint on.

Even if you plan on using some other floor covering on other parts of the room I would put that epoxy on the entire floor first.
Try real hard to avoid getting any oil or grease on the concrete before you paint it.

[Iron Whittler]

Paint your concrete floor with a GOOD paint designed for concrete. If there is an industrial paint supplier around, check them out. Do this BEFORE you put anything in it or spill any oils or grease. It is almost impossible to remove the oils and grease stains and paint WILL NOT STICK to oil or grease stained concrete. Ask me how I Know. Best wishes on your project. Ps It never ends, you will make several adjustments to your layout in the foreseeable future. Dennis

[dragon813gt]

It is almost impossible to remove the oils and grease stains and paint WILL NOT STICK to oil or grease stained concrete.

I thought the same thing. I have a friend who works for Eastwood. He tried out some paints and well as prep procedures on his very stained garage floor. One of them adhered best w/ no prep right over the oil and grease stains. It's been close to a year since he did it and it still looks brand new. So there are paints that can adhere over oil and grease stains. Until I saw it I wouldn't believe it.

[Petrol & Powder]

Use the two part epoxy floor paints. Nothing else even comes close in performance.

Do it once and do right.

[ascast]

1) I don't like the term "man cave" 2) I have used the water block latex based paint on my shop floor. It has scuffed off a tad in high traffic areas, about 15 years. I like the 2 part epoxy better. 3) plan in some windows for cross ventilation, especially if planning on casting a lot. Maybe under a shade tree if you can.

[ascast]

PS my shop is well insulated;4 inch hard board foam all around except the floor. I have a real problem with humid outside air coming in to the cool room and condensing on EVERYTHING. Rust is a constant enemy and fast mover.

[CLAYPOOL]

Extend your wiring "GROUND" when your power comes in. I plan on using a "EXTRA" ground rod with contact to my loading bench and any thing else I think needs it. I live in anticipation of lightening strikes coming down phone , trees, and High Tensile fencing..! A "OLD REA LINEMAN" told me you CAN"T have too many grounds..

[MaryB]

I use one like this on the main and all sub panels https://www.menards.com/main/electri...255078&ipos=13 whole house surge protector. If you dig you can find them cheaper(and better, Square D reputation has really tanked)

[Walla2]

For storage in mine I bought some used 4 drawer file cabinets for $5 apiece. I sawed the top two drawers from 4 of them. Then I built a 2 inch thick table top on the four together. Instant work bench with drawers underneath. Strong as an ox. I sawed only the top drawer from 4 others, added the top and had a standing workbench with storage underneath. On this one I bolted the cabinets together. No sway.

[KenH]

1) I don't like the term "man cave"

I've never really cared for the term myself - tried to chase down a couple of times the origin of the term. It's my "Radio room", "Gun room", or something like that.

[OS OK]

I've never really cared for the term myself - tried to chase down a couple of times the origin of the term. It's my "Radio room", "Gun room", or something like that.

It's one of them 'New Age' words, supposedly 're-affirming and ego boosting self assuring' type thingies...I hate it too, in fact I ain't even gonna say it anymore..."PeeeUUUUwie!" wash my mouth with a bar of soap!