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Don2 wrote:

Seabear wrote:

texasmusic wrote:I can see wood on the table = bench is too clean and neat!

What I call a bench is a stool seated in front of a large pile of things... table is somewhere underneath it all.

Then you would love mine. LOL What "covers" it depends on the last 3 projects I have done or the stuff my wife wants out of the house. She piles it on my little work space knowing I have to move it to work.

WoW...Sounds kinda like my bench's..!!!
I have a commercial meat slicer that I am rebuilding for HER, plus a surface planer I am replacing the knives on, plus a computer I am working on...Dang meat slicer is all METRIC...That sucks..!!!!

And YES...I have a pile also of stuff that was in the house she "Asked" me to do something with, which is code for putting it in my shop..!!!

I'm having fun !!!
Don2

I'm in the same boat. It doesn't matter what I want to do in the shop I have to move at least 16 things just to get started.
When I used to work for a living I had a sign in my office that said, "A neat desk is the sign of a sick mind." Some people clapped, some threw money but most just said, "WOW".

Gerry

If there is ONE thing I have learned in my life, that is you can never have enough space..!!!
No matter how much space you have for storage or bench space...you always find a way to use it and need MORE..!!!!!



Don2

I had my phone in the shop earlier, so I took some shots. I have been reloading for 51 years so I have lots of stuff in boxes and chests. I have set up a new area out in the Machine Shop--it is well lit, AC & heat and plenty of power. The bench is an all metal work bench, a locaL shop threw out and I welded the joints to reduce movement and added HK shelf at bottom. The drawers on top are library card catalog drawers that my daughter's school threw out and they hold tons of "stuff". The RCBS press is at least 30 years old and the Lyman turret on the left is temporarily mounted to check it out. I got it in a multi--stuff purchase. Shelves and storage above hold manuals, scales and more "stuff". Screw lid plastic buckets underneath hold brass and media.

The second picture shows old cheap kitchen cabinets that I took down in a house I was remodeling years ago. They hold bullets, clean brass, primers, powder, plastic ammo boxes and other reloading stuff that is not needed right at hand. There is a large workbench on the opposite wall with window and 5" Wilton vice and room to work on guns. Of course, since this is a machine shop there is a couple lathes, mill, drill press, hydraulic press, and some other tools. I make parts for the antique engines and tractors that I also play with. I keep this shop at a temperature of 62 degrees year around unless I am working in there and this helps keep moisture condensation down.

If you can not tell, I like to take something someone else threw away and make something of it. All of the material in this shop was saved/left over from other construction work that was part of my work for years. Lights, electrical, metal sheets, steel for the structure and trusses were saved back. I tend to never throw away much that might be usable. The house I live in now was built much in the same way--We (me, wife, kids, friends) built it with materials we had saved back and out of our back pocket and it never had any morgage. Old benches and cabinets may not look as good, but sometimes function trumps "pretty".

Could only post one picture on the previous post, so I added one of the storage cabinets.

I took another picture of a rolling storage cabinet that is an interesting take on junk. This is a storage cabinet on casters that uses as a frame, a telephone equipment cabinet that was being thrown out of an IBM facility I was doing some work in. I used standard full length ball bearing drawer sllides, made shallow drawers to store "stuff" and it holds lots of "things." I did use cheap laminate to surface the bottom of these with as it was a bargain from Habitat for Humanity store. I could have purchases tool company roll cabinets and top chests, but this cost very little and it works. You may see that there are 2 machinist chests on top of the homemade cabinet that were bought used at a song. Several in my shops.

I need to get a box out and take pictures of a bunch of reloading stuff I inherited from my friend Gus's estate. He started reloading in 1951 and there are Herter's press, scales, several die sets. There are other makers represented
and most of them have the original cardboard/paper boxes. Gus was a great friend, gun nut, and today he is sharing his ballistic knowledge and tall tales with every angel that will set down to listen. He also sharpens all the knives in heaven

Before... After...

Bear67 wrote:I had my phone in the shop earlier, so I took some shots. I have been reloading for 51 years so I have lots of stuff in boxes and chests. I have set up a new area out in the Machine Shop--it is well lit, AC & heat and plenty of power. The bench is an all metal work bench, a locaL shop threw out and I welded the joints to reduce movement and added HK shelf at bottom. The drawers on top are library card catalog drawers that my daughter's school threw out and they hold tons of "stuff". The RCBS press is at least 30 years old and the Lyman turret on the left is temporarily mounted to check it out. I got it in a multi--stuff purchase. Shelves and storage above hold manuals, scales and more "stuff". Screw lid plastic buckets underneath hold brass and media.

The second picture shows old cheap kitchen cabinets that I took down in a house I was remodeling years ago. They hold bullets, clean brass, primers, powder, plastic ammo boxes and other reloading stuff that is not needed right at hand. There is a large workbench on the opposite wall with window and 5" Wilton vice and room to work on guns. Of course, since this is a machine shop there is a couple lathes, mill, drill press, hydraulic press, and some other tools. I make parts for the antique engines and tractors that I also play with. I keep this shop at a temperature of 62 degrees year around unless I am working in there and this helps keep moisture condensation down.

If you can not tell, I like to take something someone else threw away and make something of it. All of the material in this shop was saved/left over from other construction work that was part of my work for years. Lights, electrical, metal sheets, steel for the structure and trusses were saved back. I tend to never throw away much that might be usable. The house I live in now was built much in the same way--We (me, wife, kids, friends) built it with materials we had saved back and out of our back pocket and it never had any morgage. Old benches and cabinets may not look as good, but sometimes function trumps "pretty".

Wow, looks like a fine work area to me...even have a nice lathe....Thats what I want to add to my shop. But they are NOT cheap.
Oh well.....

I have got a lot of "Things" of value to me that companies have thrown out.
You mentioned a cabinet from IBM, makes me think of a company I use to work for in the electronics industry made test equipment for IBM and all the others. One was scraped and I took it home. It was for large power supplies to run pc boards in a test cabinet, It was 6.5' long x 2.5' wide and 30" tall all steel tubing and made a fine bench after a few mods.
I recently rebuilt my shop too, added a bunch of insulation and inside walls, now I'm still working out the details, but mostly finished. I'm still setting up some stuff and have not been reloading much in a long time. I'm ready to get back to it full swing soon.

I'll post some pics when things are ready...may be a few months more though???
Have fun
Don2

Definitely agree with the "you can never have too much space" mindset.

I started off with a nice 12' x 24' insulated, air-conditioned shop with cable TV and a phone line and wondering if I'd ever possibly need any more room. Fourteen years later, I'd really like to double the size of the shop but that's not feasible in any way, no matter how I look at it. So, I just have to try and become better "organized."

Overview of the casting table, a storage area and shelves and the reloading area--



Where I lube the cast bullets and partial brass organization and storage behind the lube table--



Casting equipment, some molds, supplies, etc--



And the bench--



Reloading and casting and gun-cleaning . . . Calgon time.

JD

jdkinman wrote:Definitely agree with the "you can never have too much space" mindset.

I started off with a nice 12' x 24' insulated, air-conditioned shop with cable TV and a phone line and wondering if I'd ever possibly need any more room. Fourteen years later, I'd really like to double the size of the shop but that's not feasible in any way, no matter how I look at it. So, I just have to try and become better "organized."

WOW...Nice! I hijackedd a little corner of the family room. I plan to enclose part of the barn..someday...

jdkinman wrote:Definitely agree with the "you can never have too much space" mindset.

I started off with a nice 12' x 24' insulated, air-conditioned shop with cable TV and a phone line and wondering if I'd ever possibly need any more room. Fourteen years later, I'd really like to double the size of the shop but that's not feasible in any way, no matter how I look at it. So, I just have to try and become better "organized."

Overview of the casting table, a storage area and shelves and the reloading area--

Where I lube the cast bullets and partial brass organization and storage behind the lube table--

Casting equipment, some molds, supplies, etc--

And the bench--

Reloading and casting and gun-cleaning . . . Calgon time.

JD

I really like what you did to your shop, like I said...One can never have too much room.
My shop is inside a 35' x 50' building. I have only been using 12 x 12' area inside it which is on a slab.
About 3 years ago, I decided I needed more room and I wanted it insulated VERY WELL..Been in TEXAS all my life and never have got used to the heat and humidity...!!!!
But I stumble through it.

So about 3 years ago I set out to expand the inside shop to 12' x 30', its been a LONG time working. I kinda got a bum back so gotta go a little slower.

I'm setting it up with several "work" areas. one for metallic reloading, one for shot shell reloading, one for casting and all that goes with it, and a cleaning/fixing area plus a general bench for everything else. Plus a bunch of storage.
Got a vent hood setup to vent exhaust outside with a in wall fan to keep positive pressure in the shop when casting. Just enough to keep the air exchanging some.
I have given this a whole lot of thought over the years and am about finished...a few more months left...I HOPE.

Getting an A/C unit soon, just have fans now but with all the insulating its not that bad.
I sure hope to get some pictures in a few months put up...Its been a long road.
But its a labor of love for my hobby

Keep up the good work....And be safe
Don2

Well it's not my reloading area yet but I am working towards it. I have my workbench setup and now I need to mount and setup all of my equipment. Finally after 2 years in the new house!!!

Syntyr wrote:Well it's not my reloading area yet but I am working towards it. I have my workbench setup and now I need to mount and setup all of my equipment. Finally after 2 years in the new house!!!

Great...Looks like your getting it all worked out.
New house, new reload area...that sounds great to me.....
Now if you got any money left over...you can make it where you don't sweat to death in the coming months.
( I KNOW what I'm talking about. Was born in Houston and lived there until 14 years ago !! )
I'm sure its still very muggy there in the summer

The 3/4" foam 4x8 insulation panels at HomeDepot work very well. I added them to my walls in my shop here and helped a lot.

Have fun
Don2

Don2 wrote:

Syntyr wrote:Well it's not my reloading area yet but I am working towards it. I have my workbench setup and now I need to mount and setup all of my equipment. Finally after 2 years in the new house!!!

Now if you got any money left over...you can make it where you don't sweat to death in the coming months.
( I KNOW what I'm talking about. Was born in Houston and lived there until 14 years ago !! )
I'm sure its still very muggy there in the summer

The 3/4" foam 4x8 insulation panels at HomeDepot work very well. I added them to my walls in my shop here and helped a lot.

Have fun
Don2

Fiberglass insulation in rolls for the walls also works wonderfully well and if you put 4" of it in the walls and celing a small 6400 BTU window air conditioner will keep the garage in the mid 70's all summer long. At least mine does. Best of all it stops anything in the garage from rusting and down here in Seabrook that's important!!

Gerry

Gyrogearhead wrote:

Don2 wrote:

Syntyr wrote:Well it's not my reloading area yet but I am working towards it. I have my workbench setup and now I need to mount and setup all of my equipment. Finally after 2 years in the new house!!!

Now if you got any money left over...you can make it where you don't sweat to death in the coming months.
( I KNOW what I'm talking about. Was born in Houston and lived there until 14 years ago !! )
I'm sure its still very muggy there in the summer

The 3/4" foam 4x8 insulation panels at HomeDepot work very well. I added them to my walls in my shop here and helped a lot.

Have fun
Don2

Fiberglass insulation in rolls for the walls also works wonderfully well and if you put 4" of it in the walls and celing a small 6400 BTU window air conditioner will keep the garage in the mid 70's all summer long. At least mine does. Best of all it stops anything in the garage from rusting and down here in Seabrook that's important!!

Gerry

Rust was a BIG item for me too...Not as bad as you have it close to the water. I even had dies rust in the plastic box..!
I found myself cleaning and oiling items in my shop all the time. The shop use to be just a framed in building with no inside walls. Like most garages are.
I went through a phase of looking for the perfect metal protection to keep stuff from rusting.
The best thing I found that worked great was EEZOX.

My walls now are 7 1/2" thick all over. I wanted it to where I could light a candle to keep it warm in the winter, and use ice cubes in the summer to cool it off.....Its not quite that good..but close, plus its very sound proof.

Thats why I mentioned it...its very important to protect your investment of tools and mics. stuff...!!

It just takes time and money, I have one but not so much the other


Don2

Rust was a BIG item for me too...Not as bad as you have it close to the water. I even had dies rust in the plastic box..!
I found myself cleaning and oiling items in my shop all the time. The shop use to be just a framed in building with no inside walls. Like most garages are.
I went through a phase of looking for the perfect metal protection to keep stuff from rusting.
The best thing I found that worked great was EEZOX.

My walls now are 7 1/2" thick all over. I wanted it to where I could light a candle to keep it warm in the winter, and use ice cubes in the summer to cool it off.....Its not quite that good..but close, plus its very sound proof.

Thats why I mentioned it...its very important to protect your investment of tools and mics. stuff...!!

Don2

The rust is a continual fight. Thankfully for the last 17 years I have worked as an IT admin for a company that does a LOT of print production work. All of our toner replacements for the printers come with decent sized dessicant packs in them. I have been collecting them for years

Next up on the list is the insulation... Its a three car garage and the wife said I could have the third bay for my area!!! So it may be a while until I can get all of the insulation. I have two really big fans that I crank up when doing wood working but I dont think it would be so good to have those running when I am dealing with powder or those really small primers