Targets

[MicroFanatic]

What are some well made targets for knife throwing? Are there any specifically made targets out there for the sport or should I visit the local lumberyard? If wood, what type works best?

 

[TimmyTheTalkingToilet]

well one of the good ways to get a few targets is to find some people cutting down trees that are in the way of phone/electrical lines, and with a 6 pack of beer and a good attitude, you could get a couple 6 to 8 inch thick targets (i suggest cottenwood or a soft pine).

or you could get some of those dense foam targets for archery.

it just depends on what you throw.

 

[Bobby Branton]

Timmy is right. Logs made from pine are the best. Redwood and spruce are great choices too.
I do not like targets that are made by clamping 2x4's together, because after you start grouping your knives together in a small area the 2x4's will start to splinter and the knife will go through the target.

Bobby Branton

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AKTI member #1000
President SCAK
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www.brantonknives.com

 

[Jeff Clark]

A beginner working at close range is in significant danger from bounce-back when working with a wooden target. I like to flatten cardboard boxes and laminate them into a 4" thick stack to use as a target. I use a little Dupont 77 spray adhesive to do the laminating.

I like to hang them from the top edge so that the target can swing. I hang some old carpet behind to soft stop my misses.


[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 03-12-2000).]

 

[Patte Gauche]

Currently I am using a 4 ft. by 5 ft. target made of 6 inch lengths of 2x4s and 2x10s glued into replaceable blocks mounted edge grain to taget face. I get the lumber from building sites etc. gratis. Just use liquid nails to build the blocks and mount in a frame. Replacing only the destroyed blocks makes the target face ever-renewable. My current setup is due for replacements after 15 months of knives, shovels and hawks.

This is a great setup for maximum throwing practice but I suggest spending 2-4 weeks adjusting to a log section target before competing. The open space and smallness of the log target can and does play tricks with the mind when switching abruptly between large and small targets.

 

[Fall]

For years I've used a target made of 4x4's. To build it lay 8 to ten 4ft. 4x4's together and a treated 8ft. 4x4 on each side of these with all the ends lined up at the top. Nail a 2x4 across all the 4x4's near the top and bottom of the target face. This will be the back side. Now dig two 2ft. deep holes and set the legs in ground. This gives you a target face 6ft. tall and 2ft. from the ground. I aim all over the target face to avoid tearing up one spot. The 4x4's are easily replaced. Just knock out the bad ones and nail in new. Round log ends can also be attached to the target face.