Light weight box blind

[Bill]

I posted this build when I did it on the old QDMA forums in 2010. Wasn't sure how it would hold up at the time. 7.5 years later it's still holding strong so I thought I'd put the idea out there again. I work alone much of the time and building a timber framed raised box just wasn't something I was comfortable with doing alone. Needed something light enough to manage by myself. The box frame was built with aluminum Chanel and square stock. I attached them together by cutting and drilling angle and simply riveting everything together.


The skin on the blind is plastic cardboard or coroplast. Home Depot now sells 4x8 sheets. It's held on with self taping screws and waterproof liquid nails.


I painted it with rattle can plastic paint to protect it from the sun.



Pre built at home and hauled to the farm. Once there I built a platform and reassembled the frame and added a tin roof



Put the plastic back on, picked it up with FEL and set it where it still is today. I added bracing once it was placed

 

[willy]

looks good Bill. The coroplast option has mind brain a thinking. Thanks

 

[Northbound]

Very nice, never realized that Coloplast was available in larger sizes than yard signs. Google says $189 for 5 sheets. That's comparable price to ag style metal roofing. Coroplast would be quieter and much easier to work with.

How about a picture of it after years in the field?

 

[Bill]

How about a picture of it after years in the field?

Headed to the farm tomorrow. I'll try and remember to snap a pic in the next few days.

Home Depot has a ship to store on 10 sheets for $200. And it comes in green. When I built this I had to buy from a sign guy for $20 a sheet.

It comes in 1/2" thick honeycomb also. Haven't looked into that in years but it would take much less frame bracing.

 

[Bill]

How about a picture of it after years in the fie

Here ya go, cloudy morning so not the brightest shots. One other thing, I used a tin roof with no plywood under it. Regret that, because when the local squirrel jumps on it I jump out of my skin!

 

[ToddG]

You did a great job.

 

[bueller]

Did you forget to brush the blind in

 

[Northbound]

I expected alot of flaking paint. Did you use any special etching primer along with that plastic paint that it's held up so well?

For the roof should you ever do another one, rather than plywood or osb sheeting under the metal. Try high density fiber board. Aka sound board. 4x8 sheets typically used under rubber roofing. Has little structural integrity but your metal would handle that. Really keeps things quiet and has a little r value to it as well if you'd heat the blind. Nice on the floor as well as long as you put another solid sheeting layer on top.

 

[Bill]

Did you forget to brush the blind in

All natural, I let a MFR bush and a Russian olive grow up under it. I've had them nip both while sitting in the box.

 

[Bill]

I expected alot of flaking paint. Did you use any special etching primer along with that plastic paint that it's held up so well?

No cheap rattle can plastic paint followed by rolling on some latex paint.

 

[H20fwler]

One of those is most definitely on my bucket lists of things to build!

 

[chickenlittle]

Looks nice.

 

[WTNUT]

Well I’ll be damn! Bill that is great. I am in a similar boat. I have people that work for me that would help. I have friends that hunt on me that help some. But, when it comes to stands and blinds I prefer to do it myself. Approximately how much $ do you have in one of those? Where did you get your aluminum?


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[Bill]

Well I’ll be damn! Bill that is great. I am in a similar boat. I have people that work for me that would help. I have friends that hunt on me that help some. But, when it comes to stands and blinds I prefer to do it myself. Approximately how much $ do you have in one of those? Where did you get your aluminum?


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Back when I built it I had about $700 in it. I'm lucky to have a big metal supplier close to home. They have so much stuff I'm always amazed to walk around and see what they carry. Anything from 4x8' sheets of steel to 1/2" angle aluminum. They charge by the pound on most stuff.

I had a door and the windows are casement sliding windows from home-depot. Wouldn't use those again. Noisy to open.

 

[WTNUT]

That is lucky! I would be scared to know how much I would have in the aluminum. Just yesterday, they were carrying out metal interior framing in one of my office buildings. A new tenant is moving in and they are doing a build out. I ALMOST stopped and told them to put them in a trailer for me but thought “what am I going to do with those”. As soon as I saw your thread I told my wife I am running back to that building to look in the dumpster to look for them. She said “great security is going to say there goes the owner dumpster diving again”. LOL. It was full of drywall today. I am going to check tomorrow because if they took out drywall today they are going to have more framing tomorrow. We will see.


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