Unusual project advice

[duncanh]

A friend has approached me to ask about making one of these climbing board trainers

Looking at the website they appear to make their stuff out of alder (apparently because of it's fine grain, strength and lightness).
The friend suggests that holds would be from 0.3 to 3 inches deep and the board is maybe 4" deep.

I have a router that I think will go that deep (in small steps of course).

Does anyone have any suggestions before undertaking this project?

Is there anywhere in the UK that might sell 4" think alder? If not what would you suggest as an alternative and what is the cost likely to be?
I've seen the smaller one of these for sale in the UK for £60 and the friend would obviously like to be able to make one for less than that.

Duncan

 

[paulm]

How about laminating from thinner material, easier to source and easier to make too I would think ?

Cheers, Paul.

 

[Corset]

As a climber the fingerboard as it is called is a particuarly difficult thing to make. The prime consideration are:
1. The wood must be dense as it will be brushed to remove chalk. If made of softwood will become pitted and knacker your skin.
2. The radius of the finger grips must be gentle or it will damge tendons. Getting the angle just right is very difficult.
3. The holds must be perfectly level or the board will favour one side of the body.
4. The wood is best left with a minimal coating or else the wood lacks friction.
5. The holds must be angled correctly from the top down to prevent the lower hold impingeing on the upper holds.

I would think it would be better to use a flat board and screw and glue holds to it. Its a tried and tested method and is very effective.
Finger boards are best used for dead hanging and is a fairly base method of traning so simple is best.
Owen

 

[duncanh]

I suggested laminating plywood to him but I'm not sure how well it would route. I'm a turner and the router doesn't get much use, let alone routing ply. I don't do much non-turning work and my shed isn't brilliantly equipped.

Whether in ply or not - I did wonder about routing out some of wood behind to make it lighter but this would probably decrease the strength somewhat.

 

[lugo35]

hi at the prices on that site would look at buying one and shipping it over.
by the time you buy timber and time making it wont be alot in it???

 

[duncanh]

Owen - thanks for the reply. This friend is an experienced climber so will know about the usual method of attaching holds to a board.
Perhaps he prefers the look of these wooden training boards, but I suspect it may just be that he wants a new toy to play with (it is xmas after all! ) !

 

[mr]

Re cost, it's not just the cost of the board but also the cost of the grips that you fix to the board. Prices are on that site. From memory a complete set of grips is another $100. They also say on that site that they use alder for the boards and grips.

Cheers Mike

 

[Corset]

You can't attach holds to it.It is as is so to speak. I know someone who has one and it gets really greasy and not that good. I don't want to be a cynic but....
I just can't see how you will make something as good as that without alot of investment in time as the pockets are really hard to do. I know, making my own climbing wall was got me first into woodworking. Pockest are a nightmare to get the angle right.
I know this isn't in the spirit of the forum.
I think the only way to do it would be laminating two thicks planks together and making the pockets with a router and then sanding and rasping. I just thinbk 60 quid is very good value for that.
Owen

 

[Alan Smith]

Duncan, I can help you with the alder, I have some air dried alder in storage now and I think there is some 5"x5" in there. I am in West Sussex however, a bit far to collect!! I also have a suspicion (don't know this as fact) that what the Americans call Alder is not the same as our Alnus glutinosa. The American alder I suspect will be a superior timber for this application as the properties of the stuff I'm using at the moment would'nt make me want to hang off of it!! I would also concur with the opinions above, that it would cost more to make then buy especially if you had to buy in a large ball mill and rounding over bit of exactly the correct profile.