Tower deer stand project

The glue should really cut down on the squeeking and groaning. It makes a big difference when we build staircases at work.

 

That's sweet man! Love the roof, that should hold up really well for a long time to come. Nice fake-out at beginning of thread :P

 

I’ve moved the stand deck out to the back patio because I need the room to build the larger parts of the stand. I leveled it up because when I poured the back patio I used a lot of slope for good drainage. Eventually I will bring all the walls out here as well and give them a test run before shipping the stand to its permanent home. I would rather discover surprises in the shop than out in the woods.



I painted the exposed edges even though the door threshold will cover this area and the OSB on the door will protect it. I just figured it was better safe than sorry with melting snow.



Then I framed up both of the sides of the base and marked the pieces and disassembled them.



If you go all the way back to the beginning of this project you will see I had intended to use a ladder to get into the stand. Since this stand will be used by hunters in their 80’s as well as little kids. I went back to the drawing board (literally) and designed a very easy to climb set of stairs. The cost and time went up a bit but will make for a better and safer climb. While the plan does not show it I will be adding more vert railing on both the hand rail and the deck rail.



I don’t know what it is about treated lumber but finding 2, 12 foot long 2 x 8’s meant sorting through a lot of warped and twisted junk to get two that were usable.



It was a fun rainy Sunday project. Its going to take more than a couple guys to raise and position this staircase. Its pretty heavy.







Now I need to get back to making all the sliding plexiglass windows for the rest of the blind.

 

RC, looks great. I want to see the pics on your property when you raise that baby. There might just be a crane needed for that one. I like that you are doing it CORRECTLY the first time, though.

 

This is all very modular. The roof, walls, door, stair case, etc. are all single items that will be installed once the base is up, leveled and anchored. I wont be standing it up with the walls and roof attached.

 

The stand has been on hold for several days as a family member has had some medical issues I have had to deal with on their behalf. I did have an opportunity to redesign the windows and how they will be constructed to simplify making them. Its a simple lap joint ans a slot for the plexiglass. Soon I will be back to work on the stand but sometimes life gets in the way.

 

Window construction Is under way. Waiting for coats of paint to dry is taking too much time in the chilly weather.





In the meantime, I decided to add a little pitch to the roof to make sure the rain and snow are pitched away from the side with the stairs and the door. I ripped a couple wedges that fade from 1 ½ thick to zero thick. Then I cut some ports in between the bays to act as air vents. Then I covered them with aluminum mesh sheet to keep bats and wasps out. I will put a inlet air vent in the bottom of one of the walls. This way, when the stand is sealed up over the summer and its 100+ degrees outside, the stand will be able to breath a bit.









While waiting for the windows to dry I am making the tracks that they will run in.

 

Once you have it all ready to be put up and assembled I can probably come by to help. Don't think your to far from me.

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The stand will be just East of Stevens Point WI near rosholt.

 

Well keep me posted. When its ready if you need help and I'm available I might be up for a road trip!

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All the windows are made and painted and the tracks installed. Time to start insulating and covering the inside walls with 1/4 inch OSB. I think I will paint the entire inside flat black. I also need to make the window counterweight system so no matter what position I want to lift the windows, they will stay up.

 

I started insulating the walls with ridged foam that 1.5 thick. I have some leftovers from the last meat smoker project so I didn’t need to purchase much additional foam.



After the insulation, I covered the wall with ¼ inch OSB.



Then gave the interior a spray coat of flat black.



For the bottom sections, I did the same except I had to create a smaller and uninsulated area for the window counter balance weights.



The ¼ thick OSB panel that covers the counter weight has to be removable should I need to service the weight. The other portions that never need to be removed are nailed in place.



I made a short video of the windows and the counterweight. The windows will stay open in any position without needing to prop them open. They slide well and are not too noisy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFziILaMUFk&feature=youtu.be

Because I have air vents at the top of the stand to vent off the hot air when the stand is sealed up during the off season, I needed an air inlet. I added a stainless steel mesh screen wrapped in an aluminum frame and then put a little rain guard above it. I placed it as close to the floor as I could. I think I have all the venting I need and hopefully the stand will have enough air flow to avoid getting moldy inside.



With the walls done I added a flip up shelf on the long wall and covered it with the same indoor/outdoor carpet I plan to use on the floor of the stand. Its hinged and can be lowered to lay flat against the wall when its not needed.





Lifting it and swinging the angle support down lowers the shelf.

 

Man thats gonna be nice, I bet your lookin forward to season.

 

That just keeps getting sweeter all the time Rancid!! Excellent job. I really like the idea of that shelf. It's a great idea to have it so you can get it out of the way for certain situations. I can't imagine what the shipping would be on something like that, but I bet you could sell quite a few of those if you were ever of a mind to

 

Really looking great! Can't wait to see the finished product!

 

Nice stand

 

After some dry weather and a forecast for a nice weekend I reserved a U-Haul trailer to get the stand up north to where it will be erected. Friday afternoon I was loaded and ready to go.



I enlisted the help of 2 of my brothers and a nephew. Was started at 8:00 on Sat morning. Building the stand didn’t leave a lot of time of picture taking but I did my best.



We flipped the stand over and set it on cement pads and leveled it.





Than anchored it in 4 locations with 3/16 cable and steel posts driven deep into the ground.





The pre-made stair case was the next addition.



Then it was time to attach the walls.





Putting up the last wall and the roof was a chore and I forgot to stop for pictures. It wasn’t until I finished the stair railing that I remembered to take more pictures. Here is the finished stand.









Here it is with the windows open and shutters down.



Here is the view looking North from the porch. There is a river that became a pond a few years ago when beavers dammed it up. You can see all the trees that died from being under water. The beaver problem is gone but the damage remains.



The view looking West. you can see 440 yards.



Looking North you can 1,000 yards to the farm.



Looking East to the river. I need to cut some shooting lanes.



When the stand was finished I attended a first communion celebration for my niece. Then I came back with my father to show him the completed stand. He liked it and it was easy to climb the staircase with his 77 year old knees.





I started the design of this stand back in Dec of last year (2011). It took 5 months to complete working on and off as time and weather would allow. It was a fun project that several people will be able to enjoy for years to come.

 

very nice. Do you know what the total cost to build was?

 

About $550.

 

I don't know, I think you need to put a little more thought into it

Great job. Mind if I knock it off for myself?