Started on the stand for the new tower blind this week... went with 2"x2"x3/16" angle iron for the legs, supports and ladder... 3/8" rebar for the cross supports. The legs are 10' tall, and the 4'x8' box blind should fit just fine on top. I also added a little 2' porch with some expanded metal. Let me know what y'all think!

Started with the base..


then the legs..


then some supports..


the ladder..


and the finished product!



also made an anchor to set in concrete, so she won't be going anywhere!


-Drew

Looks good. The only thing I would add would be a railing around the porch area. Would hate to step off from that height.

Looks like a great start If there is a safe way to make your blind a little wider than 4' you will enjoy the extra room

In my experience, rebar fails when used for anything but holding concrete together. It doesn't weld well, it breaks after bending fairly quickly, and it lacks any real strength. Using it for diagonal bracing only takes into consideration the outward pull of the framing. The rebar isn't capable of withstanding any compressive forces.

I would use eye bolts for your anchors. You can add to them in a variety of ways to increase their depth for additional holding power. For my zip line, I drilled a 12 inch hole into the ground 3 feet and used a 3/4" eye bolt with a four foot piece of flat steel bent in half with a hole in the middle that was held in place by 2 nuts at the end of the eye bolt. That gave me 3 feet of metal going all the way into the hole.

Having said that, you might be alright. Just depends on the weather and how much weight you put up there.

Eddie

I built my blinds 4' wide and really wish now they were 5' wide. You can build a 5'x8' box to go on top of the 4'x8' base you have and you will like that little extra space. I have done it several times. I would get a trailer house anchor to screw in the ground also as it will hold better. The tower looks great and well built.

Used rebar for our bracing and it worked well. You have to put an x(cross) not just a diagonal, but it works well.

Our last stand was a 4x8 and it feels huge to me, but our biggest blind before that was a 4x4 so that might have something to do with it.

looks good! What was the cost of building it?

nice

Nice stand.. I think I would also go with the 5x8, it never hurts to have a little extra room.

Thanks for all the advice guys! In my past experience, the cross pieces made out for rebar have worked just fine for me, it simply takes out the wobble.. I've been considering the 5'x8' route for the base, but the other 2 blinds I just bought are 5'x8'x7' tall they're old wooden storage containers. So the 4'x8' should be just fine for this one. Thanks again!

Finally got some downtime from work to get moving again on this blind build. I got the stand primed with Ospho, and then painted up.







Today, knocked out the majority of the framing/construction of the actual box blind for the top of the stand.







Hopefully I'll get done soon, then it'll be onto the ranch. Until next time..

-Drew

Nice job on the tower. Are the stand legs 2" x 1/8" angle iron?

nice job.

Very nice. Really like that rebar hand holds on the ladder. Excellent work.

texas2 that is correct. it's incredibly sturdy!

x2 Rails on the deck/porch, we have one just like that and when icy or wet its dangerous. However I'd make them removeable, because I've been know to bow hunt sitting there.

Looks great. After all that work, I would put a tin or metal skin on your box or you will wish you did after a couple years in the elements.

I was thinkin' the same thing. Nice blind

Great job; i'd like to see something like that on our land!