ramripper

nothing wrong with building your own, I understand what the other guys are saying about just buying one, but hey, whatever makes you happy and whatever you gotta do to get the most bang for your buck

Jenks

Grandpa Dave--That is a great stand. On second thought, I will build one of them. I really don't care if it is heavy, I will use treated wood and leave it all season and put it in the barn when deer season is over. Many thanks.

MZS

If you build from wood, use treated wood. Also, construct so that there are two methods of support where weight is supported. For example, the back is fastened to a tree but also is supported by diagonal braces. If you use deck screws, also use a few galvanized nails since screws are more likely to shear where as nails will bend. check your stands annually. These type of stands can hold up if built right and reinforced as needed. I hunt off a stand I built 15 years ago. It was made of treated wood and I have replaced wood or reinforced as needed a few times. The advantage of a wood stand is you can build a larger platform and use a swivel seat that rotates 360 degrees. You can use pipe and flanges to easily build this type of seat.

BIG TUNA

I prefer a platform over a purchased chair. It is much more comfortable being able to move around.

Step one, and the most critical. Run beams between the trees as the base of the platform. Let me know if you need ideas for 3 or 4 tree plans. Get them all level with a buddy and them nail them onto the trees temporarily. With an extra long wood bit from home depot, drill through the boards and tree. 1/2 bit for 1/2 inch all-tread is enough. Feed the all-tread through, add washers and nuts, then tighten down. I use one 6 foot peice then hack saw off the excess to use on the next hole. Continue to the next tree until the base beams are bolted to the trees.

Step 2. Lay the platform. If not treated wood, then leave larger gaps between floor boards.

Step 3. Build ladder, figure it out.

Step 4. Rails so you or sa guest don't accidently fall off. Also done at a height for a gun rest.

Step 5. Figure out a seat.

If you can decide on the main beams for to support the platform, the rest you sould be able to figure out. The trick of doing it enough times is figuring out the best way for inbetween 2 trees, 3 trees, 4 trees or 5 trees.

Every year I build atleast one stand.

salukipv1

I'm currently making one.

I could take some pics when complete, may be a week or so though.

I have what I think will be a very good design.

Part of me feels like on this subject is if you cannot design/build a quality stand on your own, you probably should just be buying a stand in the first place. But perhaps some people are mechanically inclined and just not creative.

I'm using 2x4x16' treated for the ladder section, ladder is 18" wide I believe.

It will have a guard rail and flip up seat.
Seat is untreated 2x12"
Platform decking is going to be treated 2x8" in part because I had a 2x8x16 treated already. Otherwise I'd probably go with a 2x6" treated as my decking/platform material.

While I am building one, I do realize it may be the only one I ever build, I figure it'll cost me perhaps $60 or even a bit more in materials, when for $150 I can buy a very quality steel stand. and I'm of course not including my labor costs... this thing will also weigh a significant amount, although I always have another guy to help me put up my ladder stands.

Feel free to PM me or I'll at least try to check back in a week or so with pics etc...

Valentine

....isn't the plan but the fact that nailing wood into a live tree is the problem. Left exposed to year round weather weakens the hold of the nails.
The problem is wanting year round, exposed to the weather, tree stands.

OpticsCamp

Part of me agrees that you should just check out an aluminum ladder stand, but if you're dead set on building one, this:

... seems like your best bet.

Although for all the trouble involved, you may just want to build an elevated blind with pressure treated wood and shingled roof. That way you'll have something to keep you out of the weather, and won't be as prone to rot as something nailed to a tree.

ramripper

That's not a half bad idea for this scenario. I like it.