target stand diy how to illustration
Step 4: Hang the target.. Illustration by Pete Sucheski
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Tired of your bag targets rotting from the ground up and becoming an eyesore in the yard? Then build a more attractive covered stand that will hold the target off the ground, shield it from rain and snow, and allow it to more easily absorb the repeated pounding of your practice arrows. That’s what I did. Here’s everything you need, plus step-by-step instructions.

What You’ll Need:

Materials:

  • 10´ 4×4
  • Two 10´ 2x4s
  • Half sheet of plywood
  • Quikrete
  • Nails or deck screws
  • Shingles
  • Roofing nails
  • 2 eyebolts
  • Wood or deck stain

Tools:

  • Miter saw, skill saw, or handsaw
  • Posthole digger or shovel
  • Carpenter’s level
  • Length of string
  • Hammer or cordless drill
  • Stain brush

Step 1: Set the support posts.

target stand diy how to illustration
Step 1: Set the support posts. Illustration by Pete Sucheski

Cut the 10-foot 4×4 in half. Determine where you want your stand, and use a posthole digger to make two 1- to 2-foot-deep holes 38 inches apart on center. Add concrete to the holes, then set each 4×4 up vertically. As you backfill, lay a string flat on the face of both posts to make sure they are square to each other, and use a carpenter’s level to make sure they are perfectly vertical.

Step 2: make the roof trusses.

target stand diy how to illustration
Step 2: Make the roof trusses. Illustration by Pete Sucheski

Once the concrete dries, center a 28-inch-long 2×4 to the very top outside edge of each 4×4. Nail or screw in place. Make 45-degree miter cuts at both ends of two 16-inch 2x4s. Fasten them together at the top and to one of the 28-inch bases to create a small truss. Repeat on the other side.

Step 3: Sheath and shingle the roof

target stand diy how to illustration
Step 3: Sheath and shingle the roof. Illustration by Pete Sucheski

Use two 40-inch-long 2x4s to connect the two trusses at the base, fore and aft. Make the roof by sheathing the framework with two sheets of plywood, cut to fit. Then lay and nail down the shingles. You may, as I did, have enough lying around the garage or basement to get this small job done. If not, home-repair stores often have already-opened packs of shingles they’ll sell for $5 to $6.

Step 4: Hang the target.

target stand diy how to illustration
Step 4: Hang the target. Illustration by Pete Sucheski

Step 4: Finally, screw two eyebolts high enough on the 4x4s to allow your bag target (attached with rope via its grommet holes) to swing freely off the ground. Put a coat or two of stain on all of the wood to guard against the elements, and your work is complete. All that’s left to do is grab your bow and a quiver full of arrows and shoot to your heart’s content.

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