Am I the only one?

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

OK true confession here. I had a Lee Turret press mounted on a bench. But mine never, ever looked like the nice tidy photos you so often see posted on these forums. My bench was always buried under junk. I sold the press for a number of reasons, but part of it was that I didn't use it because to use it meant a long time spent cleaning the bench off just to get at it. I don't have the blocks of time to sit and reload for hours - or even an hour. Maybe 20 minutes - 1/2 hour here and there. So it was hardly worth it to spend 20 minutes clearing the bench so I could spend 5 minutes reloading.

I switched to a Lee hand press and that has solved some of my problems. I don't have a bench to mess up anymore, but I still dream of a nice progressive press and cranking out a few boxes of ammo each sitting.

Maybe I just need some ideas on how to keep the bench clean. Some of it is discipline no doubt, but I know that some guys just have better ideas than me.

[sharps4590]

Don't pile "junk" on your reloading bench. Works for me.

[kungfustyle]

Any hard flat surface tends to collect things. Same can be said for a treadmill, tends to collect clothes etc. Solution move the bench to a part of the house that no one uses much and don't stack stuff on top. Make it a house rule...keep away....

[JBinMN]

Learn to store things in an organized manner... Off the bench. Leave the bench clear with the exceptions of what things you "know" you will be using & need for "that" particular run of rounds, or "prep" type of operations.

Not unlike , if you were working on your vehicle, to only bring the tools you need up near the car & not keep all the tools you have, along with all the fluids, ectra stuff, etc. to the vehicle when just working on doing one particular thing.

If you are going to change the oil, there is not need to bring any more tools than the ones needed to do the job.


The first steps is to evaluate what space you have, what you need to do the job at hand & only bring to the bench what you need, leaving the rest in an appropriate place & container until you need it.

Anyway, I could get more detailed on how to organize & all that, but I will leave it to others to do that.

Besides... I need to go clean my reloading bench & area , as well as do some organizing.
;)

Be back later.
LOL
;)

G'Luck!

P.S. - You are not so alone as you might think. ( I have most organized, but I am a bit of a slacker somethings to "keep" things organized like I should. You should see my garage...
;))

[CastingFool]

Sounds like my bench. I just try to keep one square foot area open, and reload in steps. I do have two single stage presses mounted semi-permanently. Usually do 50-100 rds at one time. My powder measure is on a shelf above my bench, just about eye level.

[dragon813gt]

Clutter happens because people let it happen. Hard flat surfaces don’t collect anything outside of dust at my house. This is because I don’t pile things on it. Tools and any other items used are put away when I’m done using them. Even if I will be using them again the next day I put them away.

A lot of this comes from working out of a van. Worked w/ to many people over the years that had trash falling out of vans when doors were opened or having to climb over said trash to get to the shelves. It creates a very unprofessional appearance and not someone who I would want to hire. So I’ve always kept my van neat and tidy which carried over to my garage at home.

Spending a few minutes putting everything away when you’re done keeps everything neat and tidy. It can also save you money because you won’t be buying duplicates, or even more, of items because you can’t find them. And I certainly don’t subscribe to the “empty desk, empty mind” way of thinking. Someone who’s unorganized came up w/ that to justify their mess of a desk. I do know the origin, actual quote and who said it. I won’t ever question that man’s intelligence but people have twisted the words to make themselves feel better.

[Chainsaw.]

Any cluttered space is nothing more than laziness. I dont mean to be harsh but thats the facts. Pit stuff away where it belongs, if it doesn’t have a home, make one for it. Organization doesn’t just happen, it’s incremental, steady work towards getting there. If you dont get there, a press wont help.

[Winger Ed.]

Nature hates a vacuum, and seeks to fill it. Like gravity, you have to fight that too.

Clutter is another thing you have to fight.
If clutter is more important than a space for reloading- it will win.

[Black Jaque Janaviac]

Any cluttered space is nothing more than laziness. I dont mean to be harsh but thats the facts. Pit stuff away where it belongs, if it doesn’t have a home, make one for it. Organization doesn’t just happen, it’s incremental, steady work towards getting there. If you dont get there, a press wont help.

Don't worry. No offense taken. That last sentence is the kicker. I know if I don't get there, there's no point in getting a press. Making a home for stuff is a difficulty for me. I tend to clean the garage, only to find that I moved all the **** to the basement. Then I'll clean the basement only to find I can't park in the garage anymore. TMS - too much stuff? Part of the other reason I sold the press was to cut down on clutter that I wasn't using - and here I am reloading for 9mm.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

There is a youtube video to answer any question.

Here you go...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0yF0Iz74yQ

[RED BEAR]

I fully admit my bench gets cluttered because i am lazy. I keep building bigger benches but it never helps no matter how much room i start with it gets filled up. When ready to reload i will clean off a fair space. But after reloading it will get cluttered in short order. I have got lazy down to an art form. Different strokes for different folks.

[Conditor22]

I'm building my 5th shelving unit for my reloading area. I got everything cut to width, BUT I got the garage so cluttered up I need to clean it before I can cut the plywood to length sand, assemble and stain. [smilie=b:

[Bazoo]

Part of my bench is covered with bullets and brass and sometimes other junk, but the center where I work always is clean. I've always worked that way in everything and it works for me. I always put my tools and dies back up either when I'm done or if I have another project that takes over in the middle of a project. And I'll clean the whole bench whenever the notion strikes me. I find it's important to have a catchall space too so the work bench doesn't get cluttered.

This is as it sets right now.

236583

[atr]

I share my shop space with rebuilding older motorcycles but I NEVER let that intrude on my reloading space. The reloading space itself is not large 2 ft x 5'-6" but what I do a lot of shelves going up the walls. The shelving stores brass, powder, books and bullets.
atr

[Winger Ed.]

. I find it's important to have a catchall space too so the work bench doesn't get cluttered. ]

I thought I was the only one that did that. I toss 'questionably needful things' into a 5 gallon bucket. When its almost full,
I'll start stacking them. If I need something back out- its there. After awhile, I'll sort a little, then dump them in the trash.

[dragon813gt]

I started tossing items that I don’t use after six months. Tools don’t fall into this category. Obviously food and necessities don’t either. This is keeping them longer than statistics say you should. You’d be surprised how much stuff you keep for no reason. And how much more space you have when you throw it out. I’m young and I don’t want to burden anyone w/ having to sift through worthless junk when I pass.

[Pete44mag]

Build a reloading bench only big enough to mount your press, then you can't fill it up with ****!

[Tom W.]

And some people have OCD.....Or just got out of the Marine Corps....:kidding:

[L Erie Caster]

My bench stays neat because I put things away when I am done with them. That way I can find what I am looking for in just seconds.

[HangFireW8]

Mount your reloading press on a folding table. Then unmount it, fold up the table and put them away when you're done.

[JBinMN]

And some people have OCD.....Or just got out of the Marine Corps....:kidding:

Haha..
:drinks:

[T_McD]

Hey I have reloaded thousands on a hand press. It shines to fill the empty time where otherwise reloading would not be an option, like in a car.

[Catshooter]

My mother taught me to put it away - and put it away where it belongs. But not the way she intended.

I lived very close to her the last few years of her life. I literally watched her waste a good 20 to 25% of her life looking for things. She put stuff away alright, but never in the same spot twice. She died at 87 and she really did spend close on to 20 years looking for things she'd lost.

I was inclined to put things away before that, but wow. Afterward!

Life's too short to spend that much time wasted.


Cat

[rbuck351]

My loading room is about 8'x12" with 2 loading benches and wall to ceiling shelves. I have only three of my dozen or more presses set up and probably 30% of my brass, powder, bullets and other loading stuff in the loading room. I have a small amount of the casting gear and lead in the garage along with another two presses on a bench. Most of my loading/casting stuff is still in storage from my move about 2 years ago. All three of my benches are stacked with loading stuff cause there is just no where else to put stuff.

I see pictures of others that have really neat organized loading areas but what I don't see is several hundred pounds of brass, a dozen or so presses, a couple hundred pounds of powder, three lead pots, 40+ molds, 30+ die sets, a couple foot lockers full of ammo and the list goes on.

I'm working on a 40x60 shop which should have room for my stuff but in the mean time there just isn't room to put this stuff anywhere organized so I have stacked my loading room with the things I need to load for the guns I am currently working with. Not so much lazy as just don't have the time or place to keep it all accessable and pretty.

No, you are not the only one that has a cluttered bench. I have three.

[dragon813gt]

I see pictures of others that have really neat organized loading areas but what I don't see is several hundred pounds of brass, a dozen or so presses, a couple hundred pounds of powder, three lead pots, 40+ molds, 30+ die sets, a couple foot lockers full of ammo and the list goes on.

You don’t see that in my pics because everything is put away. A lot of that stuff is behind the cabinet doors. I’m not going to post pics of how much powder and ammo I have. I never understand why people do that. Brass is stored in five gallon buckets in the attic loft of my garage. Every one is labeled so I know what’s in them. Smaller lots of brass are stored in FRBs which are again labeled. Lead is stored in foot lockers and every ingot is stamped w/ it’s composition.

I store my molds in my house because the humidity is controlled. There are sixty molds in the pic. I have three more MP molds coming which will fill up the last box. At that point I will need to start another one. I don’t need handles for every one as that just wastes space.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7874/33310189478_30d0e9ec26_b.jpg

I use ammo cans to store a lot of things. One of them is cast bullets. This is an old pic but it’s still how I label and store them. I moved them out of the garage loft due to high temps and melting lube.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4331/36489784351_4f5b7e0b72_b.jpg

I don’t have nearly as much as some. But if I didn’t keep things organized I wouldn’t be able to keep everything in such a small area. And I would have a hard time finding things when I needed them.

[lightman]

OK true confession here. I had a Lee Turret press mounted on a bench. But mine never, ever looked like the nice tidy photos you so often see posted on these forums. My bench was always buried under junk. I sold the press for a number of reasons, but part of it was that I didn't use it because to use it meant a long time spent cleaning the bench off just to get at it. I don't have the blocks of time to sit and reload for hours - or even an hour. Maybe 20 minutes - 1/2 hour here and there. So it was hardly worth it to spend 20 minutes clearing the bench so I could spend 5 minutes reloading.

I switched to a Lee hand press and that has solved some of my problems. I don't have a bench to mess up anymore, but I still dream of a nice progressive press and cranking out a few boxes of ammo each sitting.

Maybe I just need some ideas on how to keep the bench clean. Some of it is discipline no doubt, but I know that some guys just have better ideas than me.

No, you're not the only one. Everyone struggles with staying organized. It don't just happen, you have to work at it. Put your gear and components away when you get finished using them. Invest in some cases like Dragon posted pictures of. Make some shelves or cabinets or buy some. Some guys are naturally more organized than others, you just have to develop good habits.

[Baltimoreed]

236645
My problem is that I have multiple reloading/gun projects going on at the same time. That means that I’ve got a bunch of stuff on my bench from the multiple projects. Occasionally I complete something and it gets cleaned up and put away. As to the OP’s query, shallow shelving to the ceiling and deep shelving to the floor. Heavy big stuff goes under the bench, not often used small stuff goes towards the ceiling while the stuff you use alot goes in the middle for an easy reach. Build your shelves to fit what they hold. Narrow shelves for die boxes, wider shelves for books, reenforcement for shelves holding boxes of bullets or shot. I’ve done some remodeling since this pix and my plastic flip top boxes that you see under the bench are in shelving on top of my bench on the other end. My onkyo stereo system is now under the bench which will open up another corner in my room for a floor to ceiling shelving unit.

[mdi]

"A clean desk (or bench) is a sign of a sick mind". But, reloading benches, work benches, tool boxes and tackle boxes tend to shrink. A reloader, fisherman, mechanic can have plenty of room when the bench, etc., is first used but progressively gets smaller, holding less and less. Proven fact!

But I can't talk, mainly because when I was growing up, learning to use tools, I had to clean them and put them up after each use, or Pa would see to it, sometime with the application of a v-belt across my butt (Pa survived and helped feed 5 sisters during the Depression by being a "roving" mechanic, and his tools made the difference between meat and a lard/onion sandwich for dinner). Sixty five years later I feel guilty if I don't put my tools in their assigned place (some times I look around for the belt approaching my rear). My bench may appear to be cluttered at times, but I know the reason for every part of a project that's sitting there (but no tools left out)...

[Taterhead]

I can't tolerate clutter or disorganization on my bench. After I'm finished, everything is put away and the bench top is wiped down. Nothing is "stored" on the bench top. This is pretty much how it looks all the time that I'm not actively loading. Not begrudging anyone that likes to keep some character to their workspace. Just my preference.

https://i.postimg.cc/fWdfYd3Y/20190203_152831.jpg

[Dieselhorses]

I can write a book on this subject. I can’t throw the first stone on this and neither can most else! Doesn’t matter how much “space” one has, there will be a time when things get a little cluttered. Also more space means more stuff. It’s a vicious cycle. My problem is while I’m cleaning brass, I’ll start reloading, hence maybe starting something else. At the end of the day I just clear my mind and put things back where they came from.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[double00]

I was all ways told, it is a work space not a storage area.

[tinsnips]

Part of the fun of reloading is keeping everything on my bench in order. It is so much easier to work if stuff is in order. Years ago I had to go to court an pay a fine ,well as I was digging threw my billfold for the cash the judge said to me if your billfold is in that big of a mess the rest of your life in more than likely the same way. I never forgot that bit of info it stuck with me till this day. Also helps when you have a wife who keep the castle super neet.

[Texas by God]

I'd like to see an episode of that tidy up Netflix show shot in a loading room:-)

[ozarkeod]

I'm fortunate enough to have high ceiling in my shop so I have used every inch of space from floor to ceiling for shelves and they are all near my loading bench. So what if they are pallet lumber! Bench space is limited so I use those shelves. Rescued some old kitchen cabinets to build loading bench on top of them but it's easier to reach the shelves instead of getting on the floor to reach the back of the cabinets. Soon learn what to reach for instead of what to crawl for!

[salpal48]

simple Clean it

[Tom W.]

I don't bend as easily as I used to. Heavy things like boxes of boolits go into plastic boxes with a paper saying what they are INSIDE the box so it won't fall off and get lost.They also stay on top of the bench. It looks cluttered, but I know where everything is. After I load some shells. the rounds that I'm going to shoot end up in different colored plastic Midway boxes. I have some metal shelves that a lot of them go on to, but I keep my lead pot on the bench now, and the molds in a wooden box on the extreme right. sized cases go into military ammo boxes, powder goes into it's own cabinet, as do most primers. I keep 2-300 in plastic bins on the bench. One thing I'm very picky about is that I have only one bottle of powder on the bench at any time, and when I'm finished filling cases it goes into the cabinet. I also have 2-3 tablets that I write my loads on before I start.

[Three44s]

A ways back in this thread a member mentioned having multiple projects on going at the same time to account for lots of stuff on their bench at the same time.

I can appreciate that situation. I often resemble that in my load room. And be it for me to profess that I myself am an organized person but the situation of multiple projects has always crossed my mind as begging for a series of large stackable bins house these several projects while one is cycling through them.

My load room is within a larger shop/barn in an insulated/heated lean to and within the larger shop area we have begun with a large wooden stand alone portable closet I can lock. We have powder and some brass there. Within the load room I have more brass and dies not in use on a high reinforced shelf. I need to move more of my brass out to the unheated portion.

For now just about all my presses are set on steel plates and get c-clamped to my loading table when in use. Other tools get a wooden or metal base as well commensurate with the area it may need be clamped to achieve it’s intended role.

JonB’s video is interesting and thought provoking, thanks for that!

Three44s

[Kenstone]

OK true confession here. I had a Lee Turret press mounted on a bench. But mine never, ever looked like the nice tidy photos you so often see posted on these forums. My bench was always buried under junk. I sold the press for a number of reasons, but part of it was that I didn't use it because to use it meant a long time spent cleaning the bench off just to get at it. I don't have the blocks of time to sit and reload for hours - or even an hour. Maybe 20 minutes - 1/2 hour here and there. So it was hardly worth it to spend 20 minutes clearing the bench so I could spend 5 minutes reloading.

I switched to a Lee hand press and that has solved some of my problems. I don't have a bench to mess up anymore, but I still dream of a nice progressive press and cranking out a few boxes of ammo each sitting.

Maybe I just need some ideas on how to keep the bench clean. Some of it is discipline no doubt, but I know that some guys just have better ideas than me.
Build a small short/shallow loading bench with shelves above/below it for reloading stuff.
Even in a cabinet with a door, and keep it closed when not loading.
My cab closed, note "other stuff" benches on either side of it:
236795
My cab open, note other presses under towel on the right, swapped out for use, with only one press on the bench/in the cabinet, "shelf" the press is mounted to is a 2x12, not deep enough to collect anything:
236796
Build ANOTHER bench for the other junk!
:mrgreen:
Edit: I stand to load.

[762 shooter]

I clean off my bench top every month so I have a place to put more stuff to clean off every month.

762

[onelight]

Build a small short/shallow loading bench with shelves above/below it for reloading stuff.
Even in a cabinet with a door, and keep it closed when not loading.
My cab closed, note "other stuff" benches on either side of it:
236795
My cab open, note other presses under towel on the right, swapped out for use, with only one press on the bench/in the cabinet, "shelf" the press is mounted to is a 2x12, not deep enough to collect anything:
236796
Build ANOTHER bench for the other junk!
:mrgreen:
Edit: I stand to load.

Nice job that would probably pass the wife test in the house. :D
Is it bolted to the wall ?

[Baltimoreed]

236831
My first reloading room? area? was the very back end of a 8’x14’ walk in pantry [also contained the hot water heater, a chest freezer, dog kennel and floor to ceiling shelving]. Just closed the bifold doors. Out of sight. Worked ok but since my post Hurricane Irene house rebuild I’m in a 12x12 kitchen addition that I built 40 years ago. It has a heavy glass door and frosted glass side window. I made it from a set of atrium doors that used to go from my kitchen to a screened porch. Removed the glass from the stationary side of the atrium door and cut the frame down to fit the 12x12 rooms door opening along with the opening side of the atrium. Had a piece of 4 in frosted glass cut to fit in the narrow opening. Close the door and out of sight. I eventually want to frost the door and add ‘Spade and Archer’ across the top.

[Kenstone]

Nice job that would probably pass the wife test in the house. :D
Is it bolted to the wall ?
Yes, bolted to the wall, and I have taken it along on 3 moves but built it into a shed with benches on either side and cut down the top to fit under a loft.
That's where it is in that pic, here's a pic in a different garage, next to the man door:
236877
It's built with 2 sides, 1 back, and a top and bottom of OSB, with a 2x2 internal frame, and a 1x2 furring strip face frame, all screwed/glued together, a simple build.
Caulk all the joints/corners and paint the inside gloss white, you will see anything/everything in there, and nothing small can hide in the cracks.
:mrgreen:

[sparky45]

Any cluttered space is nothing more than laziness. I dont mean to be harsh but thats the facts. Pit stuff away where it belongs, if it doesn’t have a home, make one for it. Organization doesn’t just happen, it’s incremental, steady work towards getting there. If you dont get there, a press wont help.

Sounds to me like Anal Retentive Syndrome. I like a cluttered workspace, helps me spend my time and keeps my blood pressure up.

[JBinMN]

Sounds to me like Anal Retentive Syndrome. I like a cluttered workspace, helps me spend my time and keeps my blood pressure up.

LOL
:)

Along with some other posts earlier that were pert near the same, I was thinking the same thing you just posted... I just did not say it... Glad ya did though. I piss off enough people here for saying what I think. Nice to see someone else do it sometimes.
;)

IMO, No one needs condescension , nor to be patronized, just because something is done different, and some folks might not know that "how they say things" on the internet, doesn't come off as it would face to face. (sometimes folks get punched for it. ;))
Jokes & teasing may just not work well if not done right with some hints to help pass the message the right way..
If someone is serious, and comes off that way, it just ticks off the others who are not thinking the same way.

IMO, That is something most all should try to keep in mind, if they can.

There is always gonna be plain out *******s.
;)

My motto is, "most" of the time, "try to be helpful, but don't ridicule or put down someone in trying to do it."..

Civility & being polite can go a Loooong way. right?

Or, not..
;)

I still have a "organized disorganization", but I pretty much know where everything is at, even if I have to move something to get to something else.

Don't like that?

Tough ****, it is "my" stuff & "my" system.

Other folks walk their own path & I will walk mine. Don't poop on "my" path.
;)

[lightman]

Mine looks pretty messy right now because I have been tumbling and sorting 9mm brass. Its actually more organized than it appears. The whole floor is currently covered with coffee cans of sorted brass. I have about 3 more loads to tumble and then this will get stored away. Think organized mess!

[jeepvet]

There have been several posts telling you that if your reloading bench is messy your are lazy. I would venture to guess that a majority of reloaders are lazy. I too like to have a clean bench, but it rarely happens. I do like to have a place for everything and everything in it's place but most times that just does not happen. Seems like I heard somewhere that if a man has a clean desk he has too much time on his hands. Don't let anyone look down on you for having a messy bench.

I have found that the easiest way to keep a semi clean bench is put a 4" or 6" block of wood under the legs on the back side of the bench. This will cause everything you put on it to slide or roll onto the floor and make it much easier to kick it out of the way. The alternative is to clear off a section of the bench each time you start to reload and refill it with the tools and supplies you need for that session. Or you could just put everything up when you get done, but where is the fun in that?

Whatever you decide, know that yours is not the only messy reloading bench in the world.

Jim