Building a workshop in a small space, need help.

[YARP 300]

Title says it all, I bought a house and want to turn half my basement into a dedicated gun workshop. Any suggestions on small safes, work bench setups, tools, reloading table setups are of interest to me. I'm also trying to make sure the safes are humidity and temperature controlled so again any suggestions? I'm not rich so realistic would be nice (no I don't have cash for a $10,000.00 safe unfortunatley! LOL!).

Thanks alot!

YARP

[KrisFox 69]

If you think you'll use half your basement you'll end up needing all of it.

 

I got a 64 gun Liberty Fat Boy safe. I thought a 32 gun safe would be enough but remembered how you should buy twice the save you think you need.

 

But now I might need ANOTHER Fat Boy.

[vbrtrmn 167]

INSURANCE! INSURANCE! INSURANCE!

 

Most home owners insurance only covers $500 worth of firearms! If you need a safe, you probably have more than $500 worth.

 

You can up your firearms coverage along with your home owners coverage.

If you're an NRA member, you can get discounted ArmsCare, basic membership provides $1000 worth. You can increase your coverage through ArmsCare if your collection is worth over $1000; I'm covered for about $20,000. http://www.nraendorsedinsurance.com/

 

Keep a record with full description of each of your guns off site. I keep my list on a web server, just in case my computers are stolen/burned/damaged/etc.

 

Per your workshop...

 

The nice thing about tools is that you only need to buy them once, unless you buy cheap Chinese hand tools, then you'll probably need to replace them after ever few uses.

 

You can get a lot of tools at: pawn shops, auctions (link below), estate sales, craigslist, garage sales, etc. My dad got a professional drill press and wood sanding table at an estate sale for $200 total. I got a 12-ton hydraulic press at an auction for $200.

 

Per tables, if you're going to have a lot of them and you're handy, you could probably just build your own, there's a link to a nice looking reloading bench, below. You can get stuff at Habitat ReStore, just be sure to show up early and have your measurements.

 

There are some nice sturdy and surprisingly inexpensive shelving units at Costco, unfortunately I can't find them on the web site, they're powder coated black and are pretty heavy duty.

 

You can get some stuff at Harbor Freight, though quality is kind of a crap-shoot, as a lot of their tools are just cheap Chinese crap.

 

Things I commonly use:

1. Drill Press
   I got the cheapest one from Harbor Freight, it has lasted about 10 years or so.. so far.
   
2. Bench Grinder
   Get one at a pawn shop or estate sale.
   
3. Hand Power Drill
   
4. Punch Set
   Avoid the cheap sets found at gun shows, I got these and had to throw them out after 2 uses, I use craftsman punches, now.
   
5. Hand Files
   Square, rectangle, round. You can find odd shaped ones at estate sales and auctions, I used a nice tear-drop shaped one on my last S12 conversion for modifying the handguard.
   
6. Hammers
   brass, plastic, rubber mallet, dead blow
   
7. Cold Chisels
   Again, don't get the cheap ones, unless you want to injure yourself.
   
8. Metal Bowls
   I have a couple metal bowls with magnets in them, so small parts like springs won't get away.
   
9. Hand Saws
   
10. Dental Picks
    You can usually find a set at the gun show.
    
11. Dremel
    
12. Screw Drivers (of course)
    
13. Wet/Dry Vac
    

 

Auction listings: http://www.auctionservices.com/

Building a Reloading Bench: http://www.rifleshootermag.com/ammunition/benchs_022607/

Habitat ReStore Locations: http://www.habitat.org/cd/env/restore.aspx

Edited December 15, 2009 by vbrtrmn

[PRISONSHANK 70]

14. a good vise

you could probably pick up a decent craftsman tool box on sale if you keep your eyes open.

[vbrtrmn 167]

Excellent point on the vise .. I forgot about what holds what I'm working on.

[Bvamp 604]

build a cinder block 10x10 room in a corner, install a high rating metal firedoor so that it opens OUTWARD, bolt the living helll out of it into the block, and use two thick metal bars and mover's locks (the kind that dont leave the lock bar exposed) to secure the door. install 3" wide steel angle iron around inside of door frame to prevent kick-in. fill all the block solid with cement/mortar. run electric into the cubical for a small heater and dehumidifier and keep it 75 degrees (I think thats what the big gun museums set theirs to, can find that out easily enough)

 

 

for benches, in limited space, you should go with something other than your main bench that is on lockable caster wheels, and fabricate folding ears (kinda like dining room tables) with fold down legs for extra bench area, and fill the sucker with drawers.

 

make multiple bolt-down locations for the different tools and vices you will be using so that you can move crap around as you need to.

 

pegboard (i hate pegboard too, but its damn useful in a shop) the walls stood off on 2x4's from the foundation, and add as many shelves as you can

 

dont forget a welder or welder's on carts, an anvil, acedeline torch and some magnets to pull metal filings out of nooks and crannies and off the floor

 

 

 

remember that you will have all the nessecary tools to get into any vault or safe that isnt like what CGW has (Tom owns a former federal bank), so you should also get that part of the house on its own alarm system and dont screw around with cheap security plans, get something that is LOUD and the company will call you IMMEDIATELY to deactivate it with a password if its tripped, or call the cops withint a minute if you dont deactivate the alarm in time.

[Racer 27 37]

Title says it all, I bought a house and want to turn half my basement into a dedicated gun workshop. Any suggestions on small safes, work bench setups, tools, reloading table setups are of interest to me. I'm also trying to make sure the safes are humidity and temperature controlled so again any suggestions? I'm not rich so realistic would be nice (no I don't have cash for a $10,000.00 safe unfortunatley! LOL!).

Thanks alot!

YARP

 

Just get a dehumidifier and put it in the workshop. The house should keep the temp good enough but they make something called a golden rod (I think thats the name).

 

One thing that you could look into do is getting a safe door and putting steel on the ceiling and walls to make a safe room. Might be cheaper then buying several safes and your tools would also be protected.

[DogMan 2,343]

Put in a good ventilation fan taking fumes, dust and whatever else directly outside. A hole can usually be cut at the top of a basement wall or modify a basement window.

[Paulyski 2,227]

Looks like nearly everything is already covered.

Like Bvamp said, make sure you have heat.

 

As you said, this will be in a basement. Due to the cold in basements, you may find issues with the cold causing condensation on the firearms if you do not. At least put one of those hydrosorbant scilica gel dehumidifier setups in your safe. It's a cheap way to go... Silica is in the little packets that come with everything (including beef jerky) that say "do not eat" on them. It absorbs moisture from the air. If you haven't herd of the product, this should explain a bit:

http://www.dehumidify.com/page.php?PageID=2162&PageName=Protect+Your+Guns

http://www.dehumidify.com/accounts/94/homepage/

 

Maybe Steel on the ceiling to avoid accidental discharges from entering the living room or kitchen may be something to think about too?... If you don't want the wife to make you stop the first time you screw up.

 

As for re-loading, I have been looking into this myself ever since the shortage.

I have come to the conclution that I should save up & get a good (probably used) Dillon carosel settup as opposed to working my way up.

I think if I got a cheap setup, I would want the good one right after I started.

 

May I suggest buying a stockpile pf primers while there available just in case we get there again?

 

That's the only reason I don't already have a setup. I coundn't find primers. They were rarer than ammo.

 

Oh yeah, a big old oven would be cool for some of the higher quality coatings that require baking. & of course a 240 volt outlet for the oven & a T.I.G. welder.

 

If you can't afford a huge safe, multiple safes would take longer to crack anyhow. At least you wouldn't get cleaned out... Secrecy, however would be the best security.

 

Also, since it is in a basement, you may think of pouring a concrete pad to put the safe(s) on, just in case you find that you have a bit of floor leakage/seepage or a water line burst. Just to keep them out of it.

Edited December 17, 2009 by Paulyski

[6500rpm 670]

It all depends on what you want to do. I keep my large tool box, welding equipment (mig,tig, spot), air compressor, sand blaster, and spray equipment in the garage (with a decent size workbench and vice that's bolted to the wall on a piano hinge so it can fold down if I want the space. My basement work area consists of a combination of work bench/shelve units with a peg board backs and open floor space. I have a decent sized Matco top box with the tools I need in that area, bench top lathe and mill. A press and a large drill press stand on the floor, and several belt sanders, grinders, press fixtures, and dremel tools stored on shelves with a dedicated area to use them on. I do my best to keep grit away from the area I assemble in and make sure the whole thing is VERY well lighted. I have a air line from the compressor in the garage to the shop in the basement-PVC will work if you don't want to use copper. The last bit of advice I can give is buy the largest equipment you can afford, with the space you have to use. I over finished my basement for living area, if I had to do it again I would have given myself more shop room as I enjoy tinkering. Three tools I would have gone larger on would have been the blast cabinet, lathe, and last mill. If you like to tinker with things other than guns, it all comes in handy at some point. The lathe paid for itself the first time I used it to fabricate a part for a car repair-the rest is all cake (or pie if you like).

[longhorn 81]

I found a bench that has a white laminated counter top. It's tough as nails and cleans up GREAT. I installed a make shift gun rack to hold my guns for cleaning and maintenance, plus a vice. Sometimes, at Home Depot or Lowe's, you can find laminated counter tops for 1/10 of the cost in the return section. They are usually modified a little but they can be a great addition to your project and save big $.

Edited December 17, 2009 by waite

[YARP 300]

I decided I should get working on my safe/work area before the end of 2010 so I thought I'd give an update. Christmas was very good this year tools wise, santa must have swung by harbor freight and picked out half my list! The one thing that santa didn't get was a damn camera, luckily my buddy is coming over tonight to take before and after pictures.

The underside of the stairwell is getting turned into the "safe", since it already has some structure to it and will be easy to bulk up. I'm going to wall off the inside first with some OSB sheeting which I'm going to lay carpet over after I'm finished. After I place outside sheeting I will be pouring expandable foam in to the walls for the much needed insulation that a controlled environment needs. I also ordered my dehumidifier for inside the safe to keep things dry. This should give me plenty of space for my guns as well as the ammo that I have finished reloading. I figure the slant that the stairwell stringers give the "safe" may turn into its own little space for just ammo, with the taller area being turned into a place to either put a rack or just wall hang my rifles/shotguns.

I will post pictures of the build process for those that have there own stairwell and would like to use it for something other than collecting dust

As far as the work bench goes I have a ton of 2x4, 4x4 and 4x6 to make a decent sized table. I will be building part of it as a roll out since I'm already trying to conserve space (still need room for Poker tables, a bar, a beer pong table and....well you get the idea, 10lbs of shit in a 2lb bag) and I won't need too much space for woodworking tools since I'm trying not to turn it into sawdust haven. I got a bunch of sheet metal punches, presses, sheet metal bender, etc... that will be on one work bench.

my reloading setup (which I've always kept very basic) will be setup on its own dedicated bench with controlled environment storage for powder, brass, etc...

I will make/post a materials list when I'm finished, as well as basic dimensions.

 

Oh real quick, for those of you saying "Oh my God! this stupid F'er isn't going to buy a safe instead?!?! WHAT IS HE THINKING!!!", with the sheeting that I'm using plus the in wall insulation, the rating for fire would be a little over 2 hours (same as most expensive safes). If you walked into the basement if you were robbing my house (doubt you'd make it past the dog, alarm, security cameras), first you'd have to figure out that the wall your staring at contains something, and then you'd have to work through a lot of stuff to get there. So all in all it's better than the POS wallyworld safe that I currently have. My buddy has the same one, he forgot his combination grabbed his drill and sawz-all and we were in the safe in about 3 minutes.....

[cscharlie 107]

Put in a good ventilation fan taking fumes, dust and whatever else directly outside. A hole can usually be cut at the top of a basement wall or modify a basement window.

 

This is a good one that gets overlooked sometimes, especially when it's inside the house.