I am working on my loading room ideas. I'd love to see your room / bench for ideas.

Here's my current setup in my basement:

Room 1

Room 2

anyone?

Since you showed me yours I'll show you mine.
It will be next week though because I am leaving to go on a hunting trip in 1/2 hour.

Could only view the thumbnails of room. ???? Hope to have my bench and room complete by March.

Highvelocity, nice pics! I especially like the Napa poster

I'm thinking about mounting some of my stuff with c lamps too. I hav so much mounted permanently to my bench that it is difficult to put a rifle on the table when I need to.

I don't know what to say about my pics. They worked when I tried them??

the only press ihave mounted permant is the lyman. try a couple more shots later

HV:

What don't you like about your current set-up. Looks nice to me.

RSY

Rsy, its functional.need an up grade on the pictures. i have other presses that i use some time.
The clamps make it easy to move things around when i need more space.
I just finished loading a total of 1200 rounds for both the 20 and 12ga. i will pull those presses until later or until i need some special loads
I have a truline jr decitated for 38spc.158gr semiwad cutters.
A rcbs o frame i use only for seating.
Like all the other reloading rooms it sure can get pilled up and messy.

Born to hunt

Have you shot any national 3D archery? Just wondering, saw the golden key banner and bow press.

John TN,

Not for a long time! I was a High Country dealer in the early nineties when they were hot. I guess the last "major" I shot was the ASA shoot in Lexington, KY. I'm not certain of the year. Probably 97 or maybe 98??

I have shot with the best (IMHO) at some point or another. I've flung many arrows with Burley Hall and I think he's the greatest. A fine fellow and a fine shot. Keep your eyes on Rod White. He's shooting for Mathews now. He's won a Bronze and a Gold in the Olympic games. Last time I spoke with him, he hasn't won any major 3-D shoots yet, but he'll get there. I saw him shoot 6/6 lifesavers at 45 yards measured with a laser range finder.

I had some limited sponsorship at one time and I still work on a lot of bows. My dad taught me to hunt with a rifle and I turned to the stick early on. Now that I've gotten older, I have returned to the rifle. An injury added to the cause as well.

How bout you?

I know Burley very well also, and you're right he is a very good man, helped him move when he left High Country and went back to Indiana. I shot for High Country from 94-01 in the semi-pro class, had to retire in 01, back problems.

I really miss the competetion and the friends I made while shooting ASA, Cabelas, and some IBO.

I remember Rod White, and saw him and the Olympic team male and female USA shoot at the World ASA in 96.

I'm sure I probably have seen you at one time or the other on the circuit.

How's Storm Archery coming along? I haven't heard much from them in a while.

The last time I shot was at alocal tournament in Edmonson County, KY a couple years ago. Man, the competition has sure tightened up since I shot. These guys are shooting much better than they used too or they are awfully good with the pencil!

I'm not sure how much room you have or how much you're willing to spend.

I just completed building a new house with a dedicated gun/ reloading room. I went to a large cabinet distributor who keeps "seconds", returns, and project overruns in a warehouse and gets $40 per cabinet, whether large or small. From their stock, I put together both "lower" and upper cabinets in the following manner:

Lowers: 42 inch-tall "upper" cabinets (12" deep) set on the floor and attached to the wall for the bench base. I added a top made of a layer of 24" wide MDF and a layer of oak veneer 3/4 inch plywood on top of that, both glued together and glued and screwed to the tops of the "bottom" cabinets. Under the front (protruding) 12" portion of the top, I placed a third layer of MDF, which makes the total front thinkness of the bench top where you mount the tools a total of 2.25" thick. Twenty-four inch deep end panels are made of the remainder of the oak plywood sheet.

This creates a bench top that is about 43" tall in working height, 24" deep by 2.25" thick by as long as the cabinet bases (I made mine come out at about 7' in length, but this depends on how much room you have and how much bench top you want. The cabinets underneath the top both support the bench top and serve as storage. Actually, there are two 42" tall cabinets on each end, and a 30" tall cabinet in the middle, so that the cabinet doors can open without striking the underhanging portion of your metallic press(es).

I chose to place the same seven foot span in 30" tall upper cabinets above the bench (placed them about 18" off of the bench top) for additional storage.

The six cabinet units cost me $240, and the oak plywood and MDF cost about another $50. A can of "one coat" wood finish for about $5 made the oak cabinet top and ends almost perfectly match the pre-finished cabinets. Oh yes, I did run a 1x3 oak board across the front face of the bench and the same across the back of the top where the top joins the wall, kinda like a baseboard. This gives it a finished look and adds a little bend-resistance. However, the three plys of 3/4" material is mucho strong for any reloading tool application.

By the way, most of the cabinets had some little mark or defect (one had some dry wall speckles). Only one cabinet "side" (end) showed in my installation, so I was able to turn any defects toward one-another so that none showed; and just a little cleaning/touch-up was required on the cabinet finishes. I would have been satisfied with less, but this installation turned out to look first class (would have looked fine in my wife's granite kitchen), it cost less than $300 total, and didn't require any real building skills.

I both stand at my bench to work and use a 32" swiviling bar stool to sit at it. If you wanted a lower bench to use with a regular height chair, just use 30" tall cabinets for your lower base and you'll come out with a bench top at about 32" high.

Sounds great! I just bought a sheet of 3/4" MDF yesterday to make some tops with. The biggest problem I have is that I enjoy woodworking too (something I'm not very good at). So, everytime I getit finished, I just want to start over again. I enjoy the process of anything not the finished product. So, I have several incomplete projects lying around the "Wood shop" side of my basement.

I bid on some display cabinets that a Lowe's store sold when they built a new store across the street. They sold the demos instead of moving them. I installed the upper cabinets in a laundry room. I used the bottoms in my loading room. They are of course really nice since they were displays. I still have a painted set that I haven't the room for. I paid $25 each set!!!! They were taking sealed bids. My mom and I bid $25 on every set. We got all 8. I sold the others using a local radio call in show.

Stonecreek

How about a picture? Bet it looks nice.

I clicked on both of them; got something from ImageStation telling me I had to register to use the site or I would suffer an unspeakable punishment. Yessir, I got out of there fast!

You guys are way too neat......



the other side is worse..... ......DJ

Thats more like it. I always thought the aluminum foil on your lamp complements the Lee loading equipment so well..... .....DJ

DJ, is that a Tormek grinder in the lower left of that photo? I've wondered if it is worth getting one for knife sharpening. If it's not a Tormek, or similar--would you share what it is and what it does?

Regards--Don

Yes it is a Tormek. I added the optional King 4000grit waterstone and the micro adjust rail.
I've tried Arkansas Stones, 6 or 7 different diamond stones, the Lansky system, a dozen or so different flat water stones, several different ceramic stones, the spyderco sharp maker, differing grades and types of sandpaper and just about every type of sharpening system for knives and woodworking tools that I can get may hands on. The Tormek is by far the best.
You have to use a little finesse in setting up a knife so that as you go around the curve you don't change the grind angle on a knife but on anything but a radical swept blade the guide system makes sharpening a knife far easier. I grind with the 4000grit stone, it cuts fast enough that is doesn't take all that long even on really hard blades. You then flip the micro-adjust guide, turn in the adjust disk 5 1/2 turns and polish the edge on the leather wheel. This usually gets a knife sharper than anyone has ever seen one. I like to do a final polish with a stop loaded with Herb's yellowstone. I tried a bunch of different stop compounds and for most steel it gives the cleanest edge.
A buddy of mine bought a very nice set of waterstones and never could get the hang of really sharpening a knife. He bought the Tormek system and with just a little coaching he can now sharpen a knife to where it will shave the letters off of newprint without going all the way through.
The Tormek IMO is just fantastic. Of course it's biggest disadvantage is that it is also quite expensive. I helped justify it purchase by using it with my woodworking tools etc.. If you ever plan to buy one PM me and we can talk about which acessories to buy or not buy........DJ

quote:

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Originally posted by Andre Mertens:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/Othello041990/Loadingbench.jpg

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Andre, that is alovely looking bench! Did it not cut your heart when you had to drill holes for the presses??

How far from the floor to the upper surface of the bench (where presses are mounted)??

- mike

It was built to be a loading bench, so drilling holes was part of the project. The table top is 76 cm from the floor and the shelve is at eye level when I sit. It's 90 kg wood and fixed in the wall, hence very stable. I remember that when I had it newly assembled, the hardest part was waiting for the varnish coats to dry before putting it to use...

Thanks for that Andre. That is just a swell looking setup you have there. I'm trying to get my girlfriend to agree to my setting up a loading bench in her cellar (for me to use when I look after our son - and naturally to introduce son #1 to reloading ). Your setup is going to be a model, even though I won't be able to achieve such perfection!
- mike

See: http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-1/607302/WIHFT-bench1.jpg

Easy to make any size & heighth.

quote:

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Originally posted by djpaintles:
Thats more like it. I always thought the aluminum foil on your lamp complements the Lee loading equipment so well..... .....DJ

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What lamp? Isn't that a hat rack?

I'll take some pics of mine over the weekend, then Clark can poke fun at me.

How easy is the tormek to set up for certain angles...22 degrees then change to 17 then move back to 22.....
I use the edge pro for a while, but find my hands getting tired while holding the knife in a fixed position while i sharpen. I'm now using the lansky diamond and have had great success with it until I come to a long flexible kitchen knife. With either the edge pro or the lansky I can obtain a real razor sharp knife, but if the tormek is better then the lansky, I'd sure like to hear the opinions of people who have used the tormek over the lansky.
Where do you get the tormek?

Who has the best price on Tormek grinders?

I bought my Tormek from the local Woodcraft store when they had a 10% off sale. It included the microadjust fence.
If you buy one I would think that the micro-adjust fence is a must buy, it makes it much easier to go from the grinding to polishing wheels.
If most of what you plan to sharpen is knives the King 4000grit wheel is expensive but worth every penny. It cuts at a much more controllable speed on knifes and leaves a much finer edge. I use a combination carborundum stone that I bought at a tool wholesaler for $1 to clean and square up the stone. It works much better on the waterstone that the far more expensive tomek version. The Tormek stone grader is a must buy if you use the std stone.
The machine comes with an angle guide that will tell you exactly what angle you are grinding at but it's a little hard to use with knives.
I like to use a sharpie marker to blacken the edge of the blade and then gently turn the wheel while in the knife grinding guide. You can then adjust the guide in or out to very easily and precisely change the grind angle.
Kinda hard to explain all of it without the tool in front of you but if you get one PM me or we can make a thread to go over some of the instructions........DJ

Clark, is that a magnifying lamp on your bench? I've had a difficult time finding one I like.

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert M Boren Sr:
http://www.hunt101.com/img/053041.jpg

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is that the reloading bench produced by the set of plans that are avalible from the internet?

Nate,

Are you on about the plans from the NRA???

From what I can see it looks very much like it might be; perhaps Robert can fill us in further..

Regards,

Pete

quote:

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Originally posted by Pete E:
Nate,

Are you on about the plans from the NRA???

From what I can see it looks very much like it might be; perhaps Robert can fill us in further..

Regards,

Pete

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Yes, those are the folk with the plans, I could not think of the name of the people who produced the plans, so my post came off sounding like a mentally slow person wrote it. Sorry about that. I have a PDF with those plans, and was thinking about making myself and a friend one of those benchs for our homes. They seem to be about the smallest you can go for a good working space, and well thought out. It is that fold down center drawer that makes me beleive they are the NRA plans.

It is from the NRMA plans, here is a link and a photo is on the page:

http://www.reload-nrma.com/intro-reload.html

I built mine from these plans as well, there is an Acrobat file somewhere on the internet of these plans as well. Great bench.

If anyone needs the PDF, I can email it to you. Let me know!

some of you guys keep your stuff pretty neat and orderly. mine looks like a bomb went off.

Some of you guys got way to much time on your hands

Or maybe I'm just a slob, which is probably the case