Put two screws into each upright board going into each leg board and two screws into each leg board going into the front brace. Stand the target and frame up on its front brace and place it 12” from the open end of the base, between the two leg boards.Make sure that the target boards are tightly aligned with each other so that there are no gaps across the front of your target. Secure them with two screws each at the top and bottom of each board. Lay the five target boards, vertically, across the horizontal back boards, lining them up flush with the top of the frame and top backboard.Put two screws in each end of a back board, securing them to the frame. Begin laying the five back boards, across the frame, horizontally, flush from the top of the upright boards on the open end of the frame.Put two screws into each end of the front brace, down into the upright boards. Place the two upright boards down with the edge side up and place the front brace with each end lying flat and flush on the end of an upright board, so that it’s spanning the distance between them.This is the target’s base, put to the side. Put two screws in each end, connecting the leg boards with the back brace. Place the two leg boards down with the edge side up and place the back brace with the edge side up, spanning the distance between them, flush against each end.10 treated pine 2x10’s cut to 3 3/4' (five back boards and five target boards).2 treated pine 2x4’s cut to 3 3/4' (back brace and front brace).2 treated pine 2x4’s cut to 6’ (leg boards).4 treated pine 2x4’s cut to 7’ (two upright and two support boards).
The plank target should be at the very least 3’ wide and extend from the ground to about 10” above eye level. Keep in mind, since axes spin vertically, it’s important that the grain of the wood should also run vertically because this allows the wood to “open up” for the axe. One of the easiest targets to build is just constructed out of planks lined up, vertically, next to each other and tied securely together across the back with more planks and screws. The American Knife Throwers Alliance (AKTA) uses log rounds that are 16” in diameter.
A great property of cottonwood is that when it soaks in moisture, the holes will seal up a little bit when the axes are pulled out. Round tree slices also make good target materials, fir being the best choice, and letting the wood get soaked allows the axes to stick better. Some good choices are cottonwood, pine, palm, spruce and poplar. The wood used needs to be softer because harder wood like oak can cause bounce back rather than a solid stick into the target. Anything less doesn’t give enough penetration room or stability. When using planks or sheets of wood, they must be a minimum of 1 1/2” thick. The first key to safety in building a target is that thick enough material is used and sturdily supported, so that the target won’t act as a springboard where the axe bounces back instead of sticking. There’s no better way to ruin a friendly backyard hobby than by having a serious mishap take place.
Axe-throwing is inherently dangerous if strict precautions are not taken and followed. The most important thing about building and setting up a target is that it is unquestionably sturdy and secure and that it is in a location away from human traffic. And guess what? It was ridiculously quick and easy! Have fun! With the popularity of axe-throwing on the rise, we wanted to see just how easy it would be to build our own axe-throwing target.