nysmoker

ohhh i read your entire post .. as i said it was my opinion.... good for you to be wealthy and lucky enough to beat the odds.Your right my guess on the odds of danger was just that a guess ... im just a sucker for safety , want to be around long enough to take my grandsons hunting .

halfbakedi420

the ones we build are not ore dangerous, they have more area than that of a manufacturer stand and is way sturdy-er in my opinion.

my metal one is slippery, and the wooden one has more traction when wet from mornin dew

i wouldnt use more than 1 tree as sum1 has said, it destroyed itself in less than a month and these were 2 of the biggest pines on the farm , prolly 2 men around hand to hand. i think i drew u a crappy picture on here and this design allows the tree to grow and sway without messin it up. the blind is in no way attached to the tree, simply built with a lil grow room. kinda like a sleeve. and i use a rachet strap to hold er still, just like most tree hangers

i have been in it when winds were 25 mph and ir moves with the tree just fine,

huntrfishr

Snipe,
I have used wooden SKIDS as platform for tree stands and they are very strong.
You just have to nail two proper lengths of 2x6 to the side of 2 good size trees and set the Skids in between. You can also cut them in half dividing the bottom and upper side to make 2 platforms.
Next is making a ladder that you can take on and off the stand so people won't just use it when you are not there.

iSnipe

I haven't beat the odds yet nysmoker. Haven't even started the stand yet. LOL! We'll see. If I'm around come January 15, then we know I made it. LOL! I understand though. It's always good to be safe. If you knew me and how I operate, you'd be comforted to know I do err on the side of safety.

And about wealthy... true wealth to me is like a pie with several slices. The money part of wealth is only a piece of the pie. Having friends, family, health, "grandsons" are other slices of that pie! I'm poor to moderate in some slices, while others are huge.

=========================

Thanks for the additional replies gentleman. I read them all. I have most all the material and when it comes time, I'll be building...and that's coming soon. I'll have pics too, so keep an eye out!

Take care,

iSnipe

UncleNorby

I've built more than a few permanent stands, and I liked to put them in red maples, usually a triple off the same stump. I started by attaching a 2x4 between 2 of the trunks (trunk 1 and trunk 2 - the ones oriented toward where I wanted to be looking most) at the height I want the stand to be. Get this piece level. It can be left in, or later removed. I used it to make sure the ends of the floor supports that rest upon it are also level. Then install 2, 2x4's or 2x6's that are the floor supports. One end of each rests upon the first 2x4, nail them to trunk 1 and 2. Then nail the other ends to trunk 3, making sure they are level with each other. Now you have the 2 floor supports that run between trunk 1 and 3, and trunk 2 and 3 installed and level. Add your floor. I always liked 2x6, spaced about a half-inch apart. Your seat can be any number of things, but I liked a strap-on tree seat. That way I could attach it to any of the 3 trunks. Add a 2x4 rail if you like. To get into the stand you can use screw-in or tie-on tree steps, or an old aluminum ladder.

I always used spikes to attach to the tree (can't recall the size) and 16d nails to attach the floor to the floor supports. Never had a problem. I never added sides or a roof. If possible, I put these near a hemlock tree or other evergreen that would offer some cover, but they did work out in the open too. Once installed, I sometimes used a spray can of grey or brown auto primer to dull the new wood.