How to Make a Homemade Plate Rack for Shooting

There are many kinds of targets for shooting. You can shoot at everything from clay pigeons to body outlines. A commonly used item for target practice is plates. These can be actual dishes, metal plates or wooden plates. Plates are generally held by a plate rack. Some racks make the plates retract when hit, but racks like these can be costly to buy or build. You can make a cost-effective homemade plate rack that can be mounted on nearly anything, or simply weighted down.

Things You'll Need

  • 1 1-by-4-inch board, 4 feet long
  • 1 2-by-6-inch board, 4 feet long
  • Table saw
  • Drill with bit for pilot holes
  • 1 ¼-inch Phillips head screws
  • Phillips head bit
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Instructions

    • 1

      Adjust the blade of your table saw to cut an angle roughly 75 to 80 degrees. Your angle does not need to be exact, nor does your board need to be cut exactly in half. You can use a protractor if you wish; simple online versions are also available.

    • 2

      Adjust the fence of your saw to cut your 1-by-4-inch board in half lengthwise, creating a bevel on one side of each half of the board. Then cut the board.

    • 3

      Drill four pilot holes for the screws down the length of each half of the 1-by-4-inch board.

    • 4

      Place the two halves of the 1-by-4-in board on top of the 2-by-6-inch board so that they run parallel, and so the bevel edges you cut on your 1-by-4-inch board are about 3/8 to ½ inch apart. If your plates are thinner, make the distance less.

    • 5

      Screw the boards together using the screws, drill and Phillips head bit.

    • 6

      Place your plates between the two 1-by-4-inch board halves.