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I built 2 this season. Used 2x4 for the ladders, platforms roughly 3 ft square. I angled the ladders out a bit to make climbing a little easier. Used strapping (1x3) for the rungs. Ran x-shaped braces across back of ladders and angle braces between ladders and the platform. Mine are 16 and 18 ft high. I pu a bench style seat on one, and use a strap on tree- seat on the other.
I know mine are stout, but your luck may vary, depending on your skill and the materials you use.
I know that the cost savings can be attractive ,
but stick with a solidly built manufactured ladder stand . Homemade ones have to be inspected and/or repaired frequently , and you save nothing if you're spending money for a hospital or mortuary . You can find very inexpensive ones here: Sportsman's Guide , or your local Wal-Mart . Don't risk your life .
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Kevin Haendiges
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I agree 100% with Kevin. A well made aluminun ladder stand is lighter, easier to move, will last longer and is by far more safer. Besides that you can get one for about the same money that you will have in the wood and other materials.
Location: land of the Lilliputians, In the state of insanity
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RE: Building a ladder stand
If you have a welder, its easy to make them out of square tubing. I usually dont worry with the ladder type, but make a tree mount kind out of 1 inch square tubing. I buy the cheap screw in pegs to climb to my stands. I can make two stands for around 16 bucks. They work as well as any store bought fixed tree stand and I can put up more on my land for the same amount of money.
Kevin is right, it is cheaper in the long run to buy a cheap latter stand than to make a wooden one. My brother has a aluminum welder and he makes his out of square aluminum tubing. Still not much cheaper, but he makes them just the way he likes them.
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kaafir mushrik
Unintended consequences and God have one thing in common: Liberals don’t believe in either of them.
If your going to use wood use salt treated lumber. However it will stink for about a year. Forget the nails! - use screws to attach rungs and any x braces. I use "Tap N Seal" 10 x 2 post frame screws. Screw has a head flange and rubber seal - perfect for this kind of project! I stick screw into a carpenters wax before tapping into wood. This makes going in alot easier and prevents squeaks. Every couple years you need to tighten screws a bit but if properly built will last for years and years.
Having said all that, I've seen many guys put together some crappy wooden stands on real nice hunting farms. Then they tell you to go ahead and hunt that stand. Not Me - I would rather stay home with all my bones,head and spine in one piece than climb into a wooden ladder stand that was thrown together or neglected.
i made two this year out of old tv towers and rectangular tubing and some expanded metal,nice large platforms they are sweet . very little cost and if someone wants too steal it they better eat some wheaties first cause it is a stand you won't move around to often
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Good friends are like butt cheeks some crap might come between them ,but they will always come back together
I'll give you one piece of advice - make it with minimal material as possible. I had the same ideas as you one year and I actually ran with the idea. Once my stand was done I realized I needed a crane to get that thing in the woods.
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With God - all things are possible!
Homemade ones have to be inspected and/or repaired frequently ,
not really i have about 20 homemade ladderstands made fromtreated 2x4 and all screwed together they have been in the timber almost 10 years and they are as solid as the first day i built them no creack sqeeks or cracks however i do inspect them on my scouting s never replaced anything on them yet but then agian i dont have to move them at all if i had to move from place to place i have a couple metel ladders aswell
One of our crew has a welder, so he made my stand for me. The ladder is u-channel steel, and the stand is 1" square tubing with a 3/4" plywood floor. I also has plywood walls and a plywood roof. A chain holds the whole unit to the tree. I actually inherited the stand when I started hunting the lease. All of the materials were bought cheap, but this would certainly be a pricy stand if all materials had to be purchased at normal cost. We also build our own aluminum ladder stands for archery and ML season. Easy to move those around.
Building a ladder stand
