Do you have a Bat Cave? Mine is a corner of the unfinished basement. Lots of shelves, workspace, a desk, cartidge reloading bench, gun safe, and fishing, hunting and camping gear hanging everywhere from the joists above. By this time of year it is usually in disarray (translate, a mess!). Time to put a bunch of stuff away, and settle in for some fly tying, reel cleanup, and maybe rebuild an old tobacco glass rod.

Tell us about your Bat Cave!

wacokid54

I have a 14X20 wood shop out back and claimed an upstairs bedroom for my rod building/fly tieing/hunting stuff room. The shop is starting to get cold and very unorganized. Everytime I get it straightened out I either add or change out a piece of equipment, messes up the layout. Gonna have to redo it again so I can start planing cane pretty soon. Kinda excited.

Mike

Corlay, Thelonius Monk is good for building. I also like Bluegrassy/Folky/Old School Country and Cash/Nelson. Good music can really get the creative juices flowing. I love having a go-to spot to work, but sometimes I also set-up in front of the T.V.-Thom

I am very excited about my new bat cave. I recently moved and my new house is a ranch which means big basement. My basement now is bigger than my entire old house.
I am just now getting all my stuff setup down there. I now have the space to start reloading and building arrows again.

Anyway, I want to see pictures of everyones bat caves.

Corlay, great comment about the accumulation of old project "remnants" at the workbench. I know just what you mean!

Cameron, I feel your pain. I once built a double barrel muzzleloader shotgun from a kit while living in a one bedroom apartment. No workspace! If you keep making babies, you might need a bigger castle. You know what causes that baby thing, right?

Ribs, congratulations on the new digs. I knew someone would suggest pix, rightly so. I will post mine, but only after a cleanup session. Do you shoot a recurve, or a compound?

Jeff, that radio is just too cool; how old is that puppy?

Thom ... holy crap! Building a boat? Now there is a project. If you do that, a photo essay of the project would make a great post. I bet a lot of folks on the forum would like to watch that as it develops.

Keep the Bat Cave reports coming. If nothing else, taking a picture for the forum is a great excuse to pick up. I can think of some rod builders out there that have me curious about where they work their magic.

Thanks, and I don't think it is too early to say Merry Christmas from da Waco Kid!

The radio is a 1954 SABA (West German brand) Bodensee WIII which was second from the top of the line in table sets in SABAs line that year. The woofer is huge for a table set and the bass it pumps out rattles the cave . But its not my daily driver set as it has not been completely overhauled yet. Needs some more updating. But I pull it off the shelf occassionally and really enjoy its sound. Takes about a half hour for that set until its warmed up but well worth the wait.

A full picture without the power on-


This is what the daily driver looks like-

Our house is populated by 10 year old and 13 year old daughters and a lovely wife. Both the dogs are girls, as well as the rabbit. Lots of tasteful floral patterns and, in the girls rooms, pink. In this maelstrom of estrogen I founded Manville. It originally consisted of a card table, battery powered am/fm radio and folding chair under a bare lightbulb in the basement. A flytying vise sat on the table. A nearby shelf held some fly-tying materials. It represented a state of mind, more than a location.

I have, over the years, added amenities. A second hand oak teachers desk, rescued from curbside pick-up. A beat up second hand XM radio, from someone who was going to pitch it after they upgraded. A bookshelf (bought new, but filled with second hand books) and a nice heavy wooden kitchen chair, extra beat-up. I got an indoor/outdoor lamp that is shaped like a coconut tree last year for my birthday, it now lights up the desk. The set-up remains in the basement, where it should be. A couple of years ago we got a new TV so the 16+ years old one drifted downstairs to a new home. This has made it a more popular to visit for the kids. While tying flies Sponge Bob or Hannah Montana is as likely to be watched as any sporting event While all are welcome, regardless of age or gender, the things there are Dad's. He is willing to share, he just wants to be asked and he just wants you to take care of it. The vise and rod roller reside in Manville, and so do I, but only once in awhile, when occasion calls for it.

Heres my little slice of heaven , as I'm new to the addiction I'm sure I will be tying flys here soon.

hey duff,
that's a great rod holder. did you make it or buy it somewhere? currently my rods are leaning in a couple of corners. i hate pulling one out and having the others clank around.
-mike

I live alone, and can attest that with a little care (ore really, without any), an entire house can become the man cave. Right now, there's some piece of fishing or camping gear in every room.

Bob

Clearly Howard and wife are a match made in heaven! My corner of the basement gets very little traffic from anyone except me. Drives my lovely first wife Jeanie berserk when she looks in there, so she hardly ever looks.

wacokid54

Here it is. Fly tying on one side, fabrication on the other.

Great "Bat Caves" everyone. Someday I'll have a space of my own ...