Since I can't get the GB photo album to take up my drawing, I'll just have to give you a description. This is a 12' wooden ladder stand that is my old standby. It is not truly portable, in the sense that it is too heavy to carry a long way, and it doesn't fold up to fit in the trunk of a car. But it is light enough to carry a few hundred yards, strap down on a luggage rack, or allow to stick out the back window of an SUV from the luggage compartment. The cost is about $100 for the finished product, and it is equivalent to commercial stands costing twice that much.
The basic materials are: a swiveled boat seat of your choice of styles mounted on a 16" pedestal (sold at your nearest boating outfitter), seven 12' long treated 2x4s, and 1# 3" deck screws. If you want the stand to be free-standing instead of leaning against a tree, you can add 2 more 12' long 2x4s.
The basic parts are: a 27" x 27" 2x4 deck with two vertical 27" end joist 2x4s upon which the pedestal boat seat is mounted in 2" from center toward the ladder edge, a 12' long 2' wide wooden ladder with 2x4 rungs spaced 1' apart, and two 6' long braces that connect the back corners of the deck to the midsection of the ladder for support.
The basic construction is: Build the 27"x27" deck, then the 12' ladder with deck screws and 2x4 lumber, using two 12' rails for the ladder, ten 2' lengths for the rungs, and ten 27" lengths for the deck support rails and platform. Connect the ladder to the front edge of the deck at a desired angle (I like 110 degrees) with deck screws. Then connect the unsupported corners of the deck to the ladder rails using two 6' 2x4s with deck screws to produce a solid structure. If a free-standing stand is desired, then screw the two 12' 2x4 supports to the INSIDE of the deck support rails and the brace supports at angles that provide optimum support for the deck. The 12' ladder will then need to be shortened to level the deck with the support rails in place.
This stand can easily be carried by two people or one strong person balancing the stand on your shoulders near the top of the ladder portion. The leaning stand can be attached to a tree by nylon straps or angle braces to provide a secure connection. I have used this type stand for years with much success. It provides a comfortable, mobile, but secure platform from which you can hunt in any direction.
