Quick question. I donít have a stand yet, and I am mounting my first deer. Do any of you have any suggestions on how I can make it a little stable without attaching it to my living room wall? Thanks for any info. I am really glad I found this forum. I have learned a lot just by reading all the different advice and tips you give. Sometimes Iíve learned too much!
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If you have a wooden chair, put a nail through the back and hang the form from it, then run a screw through the back and into the form. Of course, this would need to be an old chair, not one of grammas finest! The chair is easy to walk around while working. Putting a backing board into a vice and hanging the form is OK, too, but the vise, being on a table, restricts the way you walk around the mount. Yeah, I spelled "vise" 2 ways. I wasnt sure which I liked better. Im going with vise...OK? Good luck, hope this helps a bit.
Try this-
Cut 2 pieces of plywood(recommend at least 1/2"), 1 @ 12" x 16"
for your base; and 16" x 5 1/2" for your upright.
Center upright on base at back(on 12" side",use screws to
attach; you can use a srap piece of 2x4 or 2x2 on the inside
of the corner for extra strength.Add 2 45 degree braces from
the upright down to the base(don't let the braces extend over
1/2 way up the upright).
Now cut a piece of 2x6 51/2" long and attach it to the top of
the upright, on the base side, with a screw in each corner.
Drill a 3/16" hole through the center of the 2x6 and upright
and another one 1/2" from the edge of the 2x6(doesn't matter where).
To use stand you can clamp to bench with a c-clamp when mounting
for extra stability, to work on back just turn around and
reclamp at the corner.
Center your form over the 2x6 spacer, on the inside of the stand,
and run a 3 1/2" drywall screw through the center hole into the
backboard, run a second screw through the other hole to keep
the form from twisting on the upright.
This does not allow quite the access a stand does, but it is
workable and stable.
To be able to turn mount upside down, attach form on the outside
of the stand and clamp at table edge, remove outer screw and turn
over; re-tighten outer screw.
Hope you can understand all this;
Good Luck!
If you have a Black&Decker Workmate, a short 2x4 in the center of it works great. I used one for years before I bought a stand. I bolted a circular piece of 1/2 plywood to the 2x4 so I could attach the manniken by several screws. Then I ran a bolt through the back of the 2/4 so I could turn the form when I needed to.
I got an old wheel rim and welded a 3 ft. peice of 1 1/2 pipe that was threaded on one end, and welded it to the center of the rim and then I got a T and had a 6 inch plate welded to the T and then drilled some holes in the plate ,for the screws that hold the form on. With this stand you can work around the head and put it in the corner untill the head dries. Also you can get a 2 ft. lenth of pipe to add to the 3 ft. for those 1/2 bears this gets them at eye level. Hope this helps.