To hone your axe-throwing prowess, you may practice from the comfort of your own home. Why not set up a target in your yard? This post will reveal how to build an axe throwing target at home using only 2×10-inch wood and some ordinary everyday items.
You will know how easy it is to design your axe-throwing target in light of the rising growth of the sport. And what is better, it was a breeze to do it.
How To Build An Axe Throwing Target – What To Consider?
For the most part, the most critical aspect of establishing and building a target involves ensuring that it is in a safe and secure place. For example, the area should not have frequent visitors.
If proper measures aren’t adopted and followed, axe-throwing may be deadly. The only way to spoil a fun outdoor activity is for something disastrous to happen.
When making a target, the first thing to remember is to ensure that the material is sturdy and thick so that the axe doesn’t rebound when it hits the board.
There should be at least one and a half inches thickness when utilizing boards or panels of wood. Minimal penetration or durability will not make a good axe.
To avoid rebound of the axe, the board should be softer than oak, which is hard enough to produce a solid pitch to hit the target. Some woods you can use are pine, poplar, palm, or cottonwood.
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Choosing The Wood And Supplies
Rounded woodcuts are also fantastic target materials since they are a superb option, and soaking the wood helps the axes cling deeper.
The pores will close somewhat whenever you remove the axes if cottonwood is wet. It is an excellent characteristic of cottonwood.
The American Knife Throwers Alliance (AKTA) used rounded tree cuts with a diameter of 16 inches for targets.
When it comes to making a target, it’s a simple matter of stacking boards on top of each other upright and securing them with screws and nails.
The wood grain vertically runs because axes spin vertically too. It enables the board to open up for the axe’s cutting action.
Ideally, the target board should be three feet broad and reach at least ten inches from the ground.
You may use pine, but any softwood, including spruce, is possible. You don’t want axes flying off your target if you find a board with many knots, particularly in the middle.
When using an axe, be aware of thick and hard-to-stick bits of wood, such as deeper in color or heavier weight.
It is best to use boards 2×10 inches and four feet long for this project, typically available in lengths of eight feet or more.
You may need a few other things, such as paint markers with 15-millimeter points in black, red, blue, and green. You can also opt for permanent markers to build your axe throwing target.
Add a screw, 15-inch-long string, and a Soda can and drill to the mix.
Building The Base
Lay the two boards for the leg of the base with their edge-up and the rear brace edge-up. They must cover the gap between them and flat against either side.
Attach the leg of the base to the rear brace with two screws at each side. This piece will be the target’s base so that you can place it aside first.
Creating The Frame
Next, you should put the two boards with their sides facing up on a level surface with the front brace placed on either end. It must cover the gap between them.
To secure the front brace, insert two screws through each side of the vertical boards. This piece will now serve as the frame of the target board.
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Assembling The Board
Stack the five rear boards or backboards throughout the frame horizontally and even with the upright boards at one end. Then, attach a backboard to the frame with two screws each.
Attach a backboard to the frame with two screws at each side. Now you have five boards laid across the backboards horizontally with the frame’s top and backboard aligned with the target boards’ top.
You need to fasten each board from top to bottom with two screws. There should be no spaces on the front part of the board, so firmly align them.
Setting Up and Stabilizing
Place the target board upright with the frame on the front brace. Then, put it 12 inches away from the open part of the base in the middle of the leg boards.
Next, drill two screws on each board upright into each leg, then the front brace. You would need a total of four screws for this one.
To make your target more sturdy and stable, attach a diagonal support board. You may use two screws to put it from the inner side of each leg board to the rear brace on the base.
It should go through the outer part of the upright board within the frame.
Finding The Board’s Center
Take measurements of the board length from top to bottom across two feet in height using a tape measure.
Then, locate the central point in width roughly four and a half inches from left to right. Using your drill or any tool, insert the screw into the middle of the board.
Allow the screw to protrude approximately an inch or even more from the board. As long as you don’t get knots, you may shift the target around if necessary.
Placing The String
Using the string you prepared, you may start using it and the screw as a guide to place the bullseye and rings.
There is just one bullseye on a target board, but two bigger circles surround it.
The bullseye is 7 inches in diameter, making the radius 3.5 inches. The first ring is in red with 17 inches, while the second in blue is 27 inches in diameter.
You can divide the diameter into two and use the radius lengths as a reference.
Then, extend the string while including its loop then attach it around the ruler. At the end of the loop, measure out 3.5 inches for the bullseye, 8.5 inches for the inner ring, and 13.5 inches for the outer ring.
Use a pencil or a marker to mark them on your string.
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Marking The Targets
To start marking the targets, create a string loop around the screw. You start to swing the 3.5 inches marked string while holding a marker next to it.
All it is left is securing it in place around the screw. You now have a complete circle for the bullseye. Because you’re using one plank, you can only complete the ring in one go here.
Meanwhile, you have to draw two curved lines outside the bullseye for the inner ring in red. It is the one with an eight-and-a-half-inch radius.
You may do the same with the blue ring, which has a diameter of 13.5 inches.
Make a circle by swinging the rope in front of you with the mark as a compass. It is just a guide, so it does not have to be perfect.
Drawing The Clutch
You can draw the clutch using a soda can. That is why you saw it in the list of materials.
Put the base of the can at least 15 inches on top of the center of the bullseyes. The side must have 4.5 inches.
Now, start making a circle by tracing the base of the can and filling it in with green paint if you want.
If you are not an expert in drawing clutches, always use a guide such as a can. You can consider doing many clutches on the board to keep it longer.
Placing The Target
The bullseye target should be 63 inches above the ground. You can use nails or a drill to attach the board to a solid base if you prefer it hanging. You can also use the base you made.
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How To Build An Axe Throwing Target – Final Step
Choosing a safe area away from your neighbors or a crowd would be best before placing your finished target board.
The rear corner is the safest place to aim if the target is free-standing. It reduces the likelihood of someone hiding or passing behind it.