hillbillyhunter1

I've been so busy at work I haven't had time to think it about much, so does anybody have any tried and true building plan for a platform/elevated box stand.

doesn't have to be too high...but I want it stable and strong enough to support a couple adults...and safe enough that I can take my two toddlers up there this summer and just watch the deer.

I didn't know if there were any websites or just general plans floatin around that I could study...

thanks for any help
hb

WM Greening

hillbillyhunter1: Here's 3 sites I found last year. I bulit the one from deer-stand.net; it me about $300.

www.fredeerstandpla.com
www.deer-stand.net
www.nwtf.org/tv_magazines/images/GITG-box-blind.pdf

Hope this helps

WM Greening

hbh1; I used 1/2" osb boards and ripped 2x4's to 2"for the frame. Used old corrauated tin for roof (be sure use nails or wood screws with rudder gaskets to prevent leaks , learned the hard way. My base was bulit three feet high, all was painted before assleny, need another person to put together. Took three weeks to cut, paint, working on it after work. 5 hrs to put it togeher on site. It is very confortable for one person it may a little cramped with two adluts.

fastetti

I'm thinking of doing the same. I've been told in the long run purchasing the prebuilt ones will be cheaper but the problem is the tallest prebuilt one for a decent price has a roof that is 6'2" and I'm 6'7". Someone posted on a website to buy one of these kits for $50 and it will really save some effort. It seems like you don't have to worry about angle cuts so it would save some time and effort.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_572_572

Mojotex

I build my own elevated box blinds. In the past 4 seasons my hunting buddies and I have put up 16 of these. They are either 4'x4' or 4' x 5' - 6'6" inside height. The 4'x5' design is substantially expensive mainly because I have yet to figured out how to avoid rather substantial waste. I put them on either an 8' or 10' platform using 4x4's fr the leg posts. I tried 4x6's, but did not notice any substantial increase in stiffness. All framing lumber I use is treated pine. Sides are 4-ply 17/32 deck grade plywood. The roof is tin. I use deck screws rather than nails. I paint the inside with the cheapest exterior deck stain I can fine, and the darkest near black that I can get. On the outside, I use good quality, flat latex exterior paint in cammo colors.

I just built 2 - 4x5's, 10' platform. My design is stout. These ran me $325 +/- each. The 4x4 runs about $260 each.

My hunting buddy has bought two pre-made woodframe box blinds .... similar to my 4x4 design. It is adequate, but much cheaper made and not painted. Sits about 5' off the ground. He paid $350 ea.

I have tried OSB in the past, but decking plywood outlasts it by leaps and bounds as long as you keep it painted ... about an every 5 year task.

Any one want more details or a plan "sketch", just let me know. I'll be glad to share.

A.D.D. BOY

Field and stream had an article not to long ago in there magazine for one. Dont know what month but I dont think it was to long ago.

mbecnel

Built a 4X6 last year for me and my son. Use 2X6 framing for deck w/ 1/2 plywood. Attached 4X4X10' legs using the stand elevators (about 80.00) but made it real stable and easy to attach legs. We then flipped it upright using 4 wheeler. Used 2- 2X4 (screwed in L shape) for each wall corner, then attached 2X4 around for roof and for cover material.

nodog

Had to build a grape arbor/trellis once to replace an old one. When I removed the old one I was surprised to see just how much of it wasn't even attached to anything any more. After researching the kind of load I'd have to carry I found out that the vines hold themselves and the structure up.

Planting some grape vines around a permanent structure will eventually make it very stable.

hillbillyhunter1

thanks for all the replies guys. hopefully I'll get to study on them soon

Topgun 3006

Here are a couple pictures of one I just built from scratch from some leftover 1/2" OSB from a building project I had laying around for ten years at my cabin up in northern MI. along with a few 2"x2"s I bought. It has 3 drop down glass windows my Dad handmade that are from a 25 year old blind that finally bit the dust. The floor was made from a few 2"x8" boards I had laying around and I bought two 4"x4" treated posts and cut them in half to sit it on because the water table is so high up there I hit water in the first 18" when I was going to put it on those posts a foot or so in the air. To have put it up in the air like you guys are wanting to do would have been fairly simple just by attaching 8' (or longer with proper supports) corner posts inside the 2"x8" floor corners and raise it with a quad or a comealong. I also scrounged a few pieces of steel that were left from a 40'x120' pole building that just went up near me before they went into a dumpster and will use them to cover the whole outside. Several cans of spray paint to camo it when they get put on the next time I go up next month and it should literally last forever. I used screws for the whole project and that's really the best way to go when putting anything like this together.