Diy End Grain Axe Throwing Target
How To Make A Homemade Axe Throwing Target
Diy End Grain Axe Throwing Target Plans
Diy End Grain Axe Throwing Target Dimensions

If you follow me on Instagram you’re probably aware that I enjoy throwing knives in my shop every once in a while. However, I’ve never purchased or made a target to throw at so when I throw knives I just throw them into the bathroom door which only gives me about 3′ max standing distance away from it. Not only does this limit me from ever stepping back farther and testing different distances but it also is going to chew up the shop door eventually. So this week I decided to take the time and make myself a target on a french cleat so I could hang it anywhere in the shop I want.

Digital PDF Plans This is an easy to follow set of plans on how to build an end grain throwing knife target. Included in these plans: Materials List Cut List Step by step directions and dimensions To support the building process I have a video tutorial HERE. Join ITS today as Bryan walks through the creation of your own DIY Knife Throwing Target and some techniques to learn how to throw knives in the house (just. I recently built a vertical grain target- my thoughts being that it'd be a great beginner knife throwing project as many beginners start off knife throwing. The target should be 63 inches (5′3 ″) from the ground. Use a drill or nail to attach the target to a tree or other base (this requires more work, but some launchers can fix the target). Be sure to drop it in a safe place. Your neighbors don’t want your ax to take their grandmother’s hat off!

Diy End Grain Axe Throwing Target

If you are interested in building your own I do have a set of plans available to download.

Before jumping into the tutorial here is a video showing an overview of the build process:

When I was looking around at how other people were building their targets I noticed that most cut and glued all their inside pieces together so that the center is one big board at the end. Also, most targets have a back attached to the back to provide support. I wanted to try something different with my target because the thing about throwing knives is it eats up a target pretty quickly and I didn’t want to be locked into replacing the entire center if only the center section was in bad shape. So instead of gluing all my pieces together I instead drilled holes in the center of all my center pieces then threaded them onto a dowel rod which is then inserted and held into place by the frame. This will drastically cut down on time when needing to replace the inside pieces but is a longer process up front. If you want to build a quicker target to start with then check out this tutorial here. It’s put together like a traditional end grain cutting board.

Note: When making a target you only want to be throwing into the end grain of the wood. So on this target I will be able to use the front of the target, then flip it around and also use the back before having to replace the pieces.

Things I Used In This Project:

Cross Dowels
SuperJaws

Drill
Clamps

Throwing Knives
Mitersaw

Start off by making the frame. You can make your target any size you prefer so if you want to vary from the size I made mine, now is the time to do that. You can simplify the project by using two screws to attach the frame together. The only reason I didn’t use screws is because over time, after taking screws out and putting them back in, they will eventually turn the wood to mush and new pieces will need to be cut. To get around this I decided to use some knockdown hardware called Cross Dowels. You see these in furniture pieces such as bed frames that are put together and taken apart.

Before cutting up the inside pieces, I would suggest running both edges through a table saw to square them off and take off the rounded edge. This will allow the 2×4 pieces, once cut, to sit snugger against each other. After squaring them off, set up a stop block on the miter saw and cut all your inside pieces. Once all the pieces are cut I did a dry fit just to make sure things fit nicely.

To make drilling a center hole on all the inside pieces easier I made a simple jig for the drill press from scraps laying on my floor. Basically you just need to attach two boards to act as two fences so you can take a 2×4 inside piece and set it in the same place every single time. To line up the first block I set a piece in the jig then lined up the center with my paddle bit. Once in place, I clamped down the jig to the drill press table so it wouldn’t move. Next I drilled all the center holes. Note: since all the inside pieces are square it doesn’t matter which way the pieces are placed in the jig.

How To Make A Homemade Axe Throwing Target

Next, cut your dowels to length and thread the inside pieces on.

Now grab the sides frame 2x4s and drill the holes for the dowels to attach to. I only counterbored mine but to make things easier you could make these a through hole.

Fit the inside rows into the side frame boards then tighten the frame down

My method for hanging the target is attaching a french cleat on the back. This allows me to attach another cleat to any wall in my shop and start throwing. Or I could build a stand alone stand with a cleat on it then be able to move the target from the wall to the stand outside without much of a hassle.

Want to work on your axe throwing skills from home? Why not make your own backyard target to practice! Check out this video where Greg from Revolution Axe in Boston, MA will show you how to make your own axe throwing target from a single 2x10 inch board and a few household supplies.

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1. Choosing The Wood You Will Use

We work with pine, but you can use any soft wood, including spruce. It’s really important to look for boards that don’t have too many knots, especially in the center - you don’t want axes bouncing off your bullseye. Also, keep an eye out for darker or heavier pieces of wood that might be denser and harder to stick with your axe. The board should be a 2x10 inch board, 4 feet in length. (Usually sold in lengths of 8 feet or longer).

2. Gathering The Other Supplies You’ll Need

You only need a few more supplies to make your axe throwing target:

Paint markers or Sharpies - We use paint markers with 15 millimeter tips in red, blue, black, and green, but at home you can use permanent markers.
Drill and one screw
Piece of string at least 15 inches in length
Soda or beer can

3. Find the center of the board

Using a tape measure, measure out 2 feet from the length of the board from top to bottom (the height). Next find the center from left to right (the width), which should be about just over 4.5 inches in. Place your screw in the center, and screw it in so it sticks out but doesn’t move, about an inch or so in.

4. Preparing Your String

Your piece of string is the guide to placing your bullseye and rings in the correct space from the screw on your target. An axe throwing board has one bullseye and 2 larger rings around it. The diameters and radii for the rings are as follows:

Bullseye: 7 inches in diameter, 3.5 inch radius

First ring (red): 17 inches in diameter, 8.5 inch radius

Second ring (blue): 27 inches in diameter, 13.5 inch radius

We will use the radius lengths as a guide. Tie a small loop at the top of your string and stretch the length of the string (including the loop) along a ruler. Mark out on your string where 3.5 inches is for the bullseye, 8.5 inches is for the red ring, and 13.5 inches is for the blue ring, all from the end of the loop.

5. Drawing the bullseye and rings

Put your loop of string around