BIG TUNA

I am not getting very long life out of the trees I use for the sides of the wooden ladders on my stands. Even oak is lasting only a few years. They keep cracking half way up. I have a good variety of hard and soft woods on our property.

Which type of tree would last longest? Should I keep bark on or off?

I use free 2x4's for the runs, which have been problem free. I have over a dozen stands, the only usable ones are the two with metal ladders which were found for free.

May just start angling ladder almost vertical.

SecondChance

Thats why I use steel ones and I don't have to worry about that problem. I learned long ago to stay away from wood for stands the hard way.

smokepole70

SecondChance really seems experience probally on a near miss in a wooden stand of some sort. I, myself would definately not want to trust a wooden ladder very long and feel like do it right the first time and you have then a more permanent structure, go with aluminum cheaper, lighter, and can get them in stores in alot of good heights.

smokepole70

Forgot to mention one thing though. If I was to pick a good tree it would be cypress.

schickster

I used wooden stands for years, but only lasted about 4-5 yrs. If you want to use wood make the complete thing out of treated 2 x 4 and use a good deck screw to hold them together. I have switched to store bought ladder stands and they are more useful in regards to setting up and moving them if needed. The cost for store bought ladder stand if you buy them on sale is cheaper.

MZS

Better yet, use both deck screws and galvanized nails. The deck screws hold tight, but are more brittle. The nails tend to give, but tend not to shear off. Treated is a must, and there must be regular inspections and replacement and reinforcement of components as needed. Always build wood stands with "backup components" - i.e. if one member/fastener should fail, another will carry the load.

SecondChance

I was up about 7 steps when the 2x4 wood step rung split where it was screwed into the tree. Letting me fall about 10 feet onto my back.
Thank god there was a good leaf floor covering and my gear was on a pull up rope not on my back like many others on here choose to do.

WNYhunter

Locus would be my first choice and cedar my second. Better yet, check craigs list, go to yards sales ect. ect. and find some good used aluminum ladders for sale. They work great and you can get 2 stands out of 1 extention ladder. paint them up and you are good to go.

Kanati

Well I can kinda paint a mental image with what your saying but still need to see a picture to tell you EXACTLY what you need.

The only natural Wood the that would last the longest would be Cedar(based on type of wood in the Appalachian region I'm from), I'd find a way to keep it off the ground so it wouldn't rot from the bottom up. Generally this would mean high enough that water doesn't splash on it from below. I'd use fasteners to concrete blocks or rocks, and to be honest, remove the bark, and stain it with two coats a finish, and it will last you forever with yearly up keep.

For Checks in the wood to keep the log from rotting that way caulk it every time you stain it. (small splits that over time ruin the log through rotting by letting water to the middle core of the log)

Tack the 2x4's (Hopefully pressure treated but you can stain/finish non pressure treated to try and care for them) then screw em with some good deck screws and like I said with regular maintenance of staining, checking and keeping up with growth of tree you should be good to go for a lifetime.

Mojotex

I used pressure treated pine for the wooden ladder stands I have made. Some of these have been out since the early 1980's. Still in safe shape. I have them chained to the tree using a turn buckle. I loosen them after each season and inspect them before each season. Ladder is 16' - 2x4. Ladder rungs and frame lumber are 2x4's. Seat is 14' off the ground. Seat and foot platforms are pressure treated 3/4" deck board. I used SS screws to put them together. Until the pressure treat dries out, these are heavier than heck !! The only issues I have had has been the occasional loose steps and framing as the wood dries, and dilapidated platforms.

As of late, because of the weight issue of the wooden ladder stand design I used, and the fact that I am not as strong as I was 15-20 years ago, I have switched to HD 15'-16' steel ladder stands. I inspect them prior to every season and usually repaint every 3rd. year.