Take down shooting bench plans or design

[Special T]

Im gona head to eastern OR to do some rat shooting and was contemplating making a somewhat mobil shooting bench. Has anyone ever made one of wood that works well that breaks down for easy transport?

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[DRobnsn]

TAG

[JDHasty]

Yes. 

The easy way is to use ply wood for a top, use one side of a folding table leg set for the front and a one inch galvanized pipe and screw in flange for the rear leg.  I have never seen a decent four legged bench. They can never be leveled so they don't wobble.  Three legs are the way to go.  Sit on a McDonalds pickle bucket for a stool, or if you have a blind chair that works well. 

The benches I have today are the accumulation of four decades of starting over, improving what I have, repeating the process and they are incredible.  But they are also pretty costly to make.  I use 1-1/2 - 2 inch plywood tops and bicycle tubing for legs and use bicycle seat post clamps to make the legs infinitely adjustable from ~ 18 inches for the kids to use up to ~ 60 inches in case I have to set one or two legs down into an irrigation ditch or in case I want to stand up and shoot over sage brush.     

[Special T]

I would love to see a pic if you can tonight.

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[JDHasty]

This cat that lives in Oregon published plans of this bench he built and sold plans for quite a while ago.  It makes a good bench.  I have shot off one and it is stable.  That is how the rear leg of the bench I mention above works, except using a store bought flange it is not splayed.  So that is not so good for stability.  15 - 18 degrees is just about the perfect splay for legs if you have a chop saw and can weld.   I will try to get over and shoot a couple pics of one of my benches.

This guy improved on the original design a bit.   

http://www.larrywillis.com/shootingbench.html

Rick Jameson used to be a gun writer. 

[CAMPMEAT]

I've got a BENCH MASTER. It folds up with a carrying handle. Very well made for around $400. Last you forever..all metal too.

[winshooter88]

I built basically the same bench that shows in JDHasty's link but instead of making welded flanges I cut wedges out of wood and glued and screwed tham to the bottom of the table than screwed the metal flanges onto them. It works just fine is very stable and does not require a welder.

[JDHasty]

I built basically the same bench that shows in JDHasty's link but instead of making welded flanges I cut wedges out of wood and glued and screwed tham to the bottom of the table than screwed the metal flanges onto them. It works just fine is very stable and does not require a welder.

There ya' go!

Building my current benches costs me about $350 just for the bicycle tubing and I am in pretty deep by the time I have one built and I have three or four of them.  This one shown works really well and when we were shooting off benches like that I just kept a mattock handy to dig down a bit and level it out.  I don't like any bench w/attached seat.  They just wobble too much for me.  YMMV, you may be OK w/attached seat.  I have met some who were. 

[Kurt_S]

I made mine out of a sheet of plywood and rugged buddy folding saw horse legs.  Cost me less then 50 bucks to make and it's solid and lightweight.

[Utah]

Here's my Larry Willis design from JD Hastys link.   I used 18* angle for the legs.  Legs are 38" long.  Padded stool 28" tall.  Works for me. Steady as a rock.  I use on old padded bar stool for a chair.  Depending on where I shoot it will even fit into the trunk of a car.


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[JDHasty]

Here's my Larry Willis design from JD Hastys link.   I used 18* angle for the legs.  Steady as a rock.  I use on old padded bar stool for a chair.  Depending on where I shoot it will even fit into the trunk of a car.


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Looks great.  Remember to take a small mattock w/you for leveling.  It works so much better than an entrenching tool or a small spade.  I also used the leveling wedge blocks and stackable blocks for travel trailers & RVs before I built the leg sets I have now. 

The one I have looks just like the one in this picture http://www.yourdictionary.com/mattock

That bench is going to serve you quite well.  One other thing is an old Turkish towel will keep your arm from being burned from a hot table top.  That or there are these: http://www.sinclairintl.com/shooting-rests-bipods/shooting-rests-tops/shooting-rest-accessories/benchtop-shooter-pads-prod34106.aspx

I am really serious.  I have suffered serious burns off a table top in central WA and Montana in the late spring & summer. 

[JDHasty]

Oh wow, you put IO carpet on the top.  Great thinking. 

[skeeter 20i]

  I need to make me one of those!

[JDHasty]

If you have kids, make a shorty size set of legs.  I take a bench sized for my kids to the range w/me and it makes all the difference in the world.  A shorty set of legs will not take much effort or cost much.  Actually what I do is use the legs for one of my stools on one of the bench tops and the kids bring their little three leg camp stools.  I purposely made my stools and benches so they use the same diameter leg.     

[kentrek]

Metal collapsing saw horses and a ply wood top with a one inch thick steel plate on top of that for weight works pretty well.....it's not fancy and is not shooting specific but it works

[JDHasty]

Metal collapsing saw horses and a ply wood top with a one inch thick steel plate on top of that for weight works pretty well.....it's not fancy and is not shooting specific but it works

Do you transport it about on a caisson?

[kentrek]

Metal collapsing saw horses and a ply wood top with a one inch thick steel plate on top of that for weight works pretty well.....it's not fancy and is not shooting specific but it works

Do you transport it about on a caisson?

I just pick it up and pack it, maybe your a 1/4 inch guy    just kidding

[Ghost Hunter]

Not sure where you guys are buying your material for a $50 - $ 75 budget?  Just finished buying the material and build is in progress.  I have a start of partial material for two but pricing material for one.  Maybe my math is bad? 
1/2 sheet of 3/4" plywood - $18.00; Three 1/4x4x4" plates - $6.50; Three 34" x 1" black pipe ' $26.00; Three 1" couplings - $9.50; Twelve 1/4" x 2" carriage bolts, nuts, lock washers - $5.00;  Box of screws - $5.00; Quart spar finish - $18.00.  $90 in round figures and I drop a size on pipe legs and bolts.  That doesn't start the welding, cutting blades, etc.  I'm thinking $150 is a fair price if you had to buy it.   I'll be keeping this one more secure since my last one was stolen.

[JDHasty]

Not sure where you guys are buying your material for a $50 - $ 75 budget?  Just finished buying the material and build is in progress.  I have a start of partial material for two but pricing material for one.  Maybe my math is bad? 
1/2 sheet of 3/4" plywood - $18.00; Three 1/4x4x4" plates - $6.50; Three 34" x 1" black pipe ' $26.00; Three 1" couplings - $9.50; Twelve 1/4" x 2" carriage bolts, nuts, lock washers - $5.00;  Box of screws - $5.00; Quart spar finish - $18.00.  $90 in round figures and I drop a size on pipe legs and bolts.  That doesn't start the welding, cutting blades, etc.  I'm thinking $150 is a fair price if you had to buy it.   I'll be keeping this one more secure since my last one was stolen.

You just nailed it, partner. 

But I have never seen a bench for sale that was worth a hoot for south of a buck fifty and only barely adequate until you are in three bills.  You can build perfectly usable and rock solid bench for something like a hundred, although you have to dig around a bit and use trailer leveling blocks and ramps to level them up.  Materials, welding, hardware etc for mine run ~ $350 and I get my plywood free of charge.     

[87Ford]

Finally finished mine after deciding on the Larry Willis plans and looking at this thread..

[Rainier10]

Tag I am going to build one of these.

[87Ford]

Tag I am going to build one of these.

Here's another link that might help you.  I sorta followed it..

http://www.portercalls.com/portable_shooting_bench.htm

[Boss .300 winmag]

Hmmmmmmmmmm nice.

[DRobnsn]

Hmmmmm indeed, that looks great 87ford! Thanks for the link and pics! 

[JDHasty]

Great looking benches guys. 

I am working on a lighter weight bench design that will be packable, yet solid & stable.  As it develops it I will post on it.  I want something that gives me more than Harris Bi-pods that we can pack in a half mile and set up. 

I haven't set up my benches yet this year.  I have been shooting the Hornets, 22 & 17, off Harris S Type Bi-pods and have done pretty well so far as far as the count goes.  The colonies I have visited offer longer range, like 350 - 500 yard shooting, have been so meager that I haven't shot them so far this year.  Not that I have suffered any though, I have shot close to two-hundred chucks already this year.  I have a trip up north planned and that colony is thriving so I will finally shooting the 22-250s & 243s a bit. 

   

[Magnum_Willys]

More Shooting Bench info......

Knocked out this bench this evening - credit plans from "stiffneck" on predatormasters. 

[dontgetcrabs]

Tag

[724wd]

More Shooting Bench info......

Knocked out this bench this evening - credit plans from "stiffneck" on predatormasters.

no lefty friends, eh?   

[Rainier10]

More Shooting Bench info......

Knocked out this bench this evening - credit plans from "stiffneck" on predatormasters.

no lefty friends, eh?   

I know you were joking but on a serious note.  You could in theory undo the 12 bolts holding the legs and flip it over for lefty use, correct?

[JDHasty]

More Shooting Bench info......

Knocked out this bench this evening - credit plans from "stiffneck" on predatormasters.

no lefty friends, eh?   

I know you were joking but on a serious note.  You could in theory undo the 12 bolts holding the legs and flip it over for lefty use, correct?

On ours: Bridget is left eye dominant, so she is using the first bench I built.  It is ambidextrous, I think that using stove bolts the sockets could be swapped to the other side of our other three benches, but I will purpose build her a LH bench.  They are more stable if not ambidextrous.

[Magnum_Willys]

Modified my Bench, added a third layer of 3/4" plywood ( screwed and glued to bottom ).  Moved left side leg back closer to the middle.  Tack Welded the legs to the screw in mounts.  Made mistake of using electrical conduit pipe with non-taper threads for ease of use but they wobbled.  Should of used pipe threads.

Bench isn't light now but it is solid as a rock.  Also knocked end caps off legs and just left bare pipe ends which bite into the ground better. 

[JDHasty]

Modified my Bench, added a third layer of 3/4" plywood ( screwed and glued to bottom ).  Moved left side leg back closer to the middle.  Tack Welded the legs to the screw in mounts.  Made mistake of using electrical conduit pipe with non-taper threads for ease of use but they wobbled.  Should of used pipe threads.

Bench isn't light now but it is solid as a rock.  Also knocked end caps off legs and just left bare pipe ends which bite into the ground better.

I laminated mine up to about two and a half inches of total thickness and it made a huge difference over my earlier iterations.  What I have today is rock solid and infinitely adjustable from ~ 30 inches for the kids up to over five feet high so I can have one or two legs in a ditch and still level it or so that I can stand up and shoot heavy recoiling rifles and slug guns.