I want to make myself some home made tree stand. What I really need is some Ideas on materials to use. I have access to a Mig welder But I do not have to parts & gas to weld aluminum (to bad). I want to build something fairly light. I don't want to make something that folds or comes apart as all the stands will be on places about 2 minutes from home. Does anyone have any Blue prints or anything of the sort? Any Ideas are welcome!

(i know I could just buy some at Cabelas but I want to build something fairly inexpensive.)

are you talking permanent or portable?

Well I wouldn't hang/remove it every time I go hunting. So I guess permanent.

I admire your desire for self sufficiency but...

With the current price of steel, it is impossible to make something for less than you can buy it.

Here's an acceptablealuminum hang-on for less than $40. It will be lighter, safer and more proven:

http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=450120

unless you have access to free scrap metal it isn't worth it in the long run. cheaper and safer to just buy one

I would strongly recommend not making your own stands... I work in proto-type and design and have helped with some treestand related development.. When you buy a stand at the store you are buying a stand that has been tested. They test them with computers and they actually destroy stands to find out exactly how much weight and shock weight they can take. Trust me they generally find flaws in the 1st proto-types ans have to tweak the design until the stands are safe enough for sale... Also, god forbid you do somehow get hurt, your covered by the stand manufactures insurance policy. Most are covered up to 2 million dollars.
You can buy a stand for around $40... As mentioned above. You will pay $15 to $20 per stand in material, and thats if you bulk buy from a steel distributor.... My suggestion would be BUY A STAND OR TWO...

I dont have a pattern per say for one but we used to make our own. The only problem is it didn't have a seat on it. The up side to it is that the platform is a wood platform and most of the framing is farely simple to manufacturer with no actual welding required.

I've made my own for years and will keep doing so. I can't stand the stands they make, way to bulky and not nearly as solid enough as what I'm use to. Like a few have said though you have got to keep a very close eye on your welds, bolts, chains, etc on your home made stuff. But then again I've seen store boughten stands with weld cracks in them as well.

I don't have no blue prints either on my stands.

I've designed alot of treestands over the years. My opinion on this is to buy something that is required to be strong and safe. You can get stands pretty cheap. If it's a project you're looking for - you can build all kinds of other stuff that doesn't carry the risk!

Hey Schultzy, can you at least post a pic of one of your stands?
My brother is a welder and can get the metal for nothing where he works. He just doesn't hunt much, so he doesn't know much about how to make a good stand.

For you guys that are buying the cheap stands, D*ck's usually has a sale a couple times a year where they put the basic comfort zone stand on sale for 29.99. I have bought about 6 so far.