How to build a woodie

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PDF link here from the link FOAM posted on the campus topic.

http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/HowtoBuildaHomeBoulderingWall.pdf
 
thats a pretty good article loads of good info.

I know we dont like rockfax, but they did do a good article on building a wall in your garage, quite usfull as most of us have garages and most garages are the same size, so dont think you could go far wrong with there article
 
every woody is different, mainly due to how you are going to fix it to your building, and how you do this pretty much dictates how difficulty it will be the build.

Typical cellar:

most victorian terraces have cellars under the living room floor. the living room floor will be held up with massive (oak?) beams with will probably be about 20" appart. this is an adequate seperation for the main beams (i.e. the ones your ply is screwed to).

woodyplan.jpg


get 2x4s, and whatever your desired angle of wall is, take half that angle and make your end cut so you can reverse the bit you cut off giving you a short kickboard support peice at the right angle of wall - hold these together by screwing in ply scraps either side for a totally rock solid joint. bolt these main beams into your ceiling with a big (10mm?) coach bolt, then you've got a bombproof construction that will never fall down. if you make the bottom of the main beams sit tight in against the wall then you only need attach the woody to the house via the coach bolts into the beams, no fixing into maisonry needed - this also allows you to totally insulate the wood from masonry with plastic to prevent dry rot. also you may need to sit the beams on little bit of ply to top the wood splitting and carving up the plastic on the floor. Most victorian terraces stopped being square years ago (theres not a right angle in my cellar) so be flexible with the design and cut and fix 1 peice of wood at a time. when you fit the ply try fitting it in segments into the gaps between the ceiling beams - this can give you up to a foot of extra height - a lot when your ceiling hight may only be 6foot between floor and bottom of beams.

keep the kickboard as small as possible, and not put many footholds on and keep then poor - otherwise your first 3 moves will be piss cos your feet will just stay on the good low holds.
 
dave's right - it depends almost completely on how you are to affix it.

The better boards are metal framed, although these are harder to work with and more permanent (generally). The School is all suspended from a single roof joist, then the 2x4 supports are bolted to anything thats nearby, whether load bearing or otherwise. Clearly this approach is not going to please health and safety inspectors but it works.

The old Foundry Office board had a big slat running along the top of the roof where the up beams leant out against it, and other boards I have worked on have had these beams screwed sideways into a floor support.

There's also certain schools of thought that say that you can frame off your ply and hang it out on a chain - widely called 'wobble boards'.

The question really is - how much room do you have?
 
theres also those free-standing "furniature boards" for rented cribs etc. Dave Scuffle might be able to shed some light on these, cos i seem to remember he had one.
 
I built my freestanding woodie in about 2 days.

Basically I made 2 right angle triangles and joined them with several wooden rungs. It felt a little bit wobbly untill I bolted the plywood onto it. It was pretty cheap wood wise, but I spent an absolute fortune on bolts.

I learnt a lot doing this, and would do things a lot different if I rebuilt one.

Firstly, don't use a wooden frame. Scaffolding is actually pretty cheap and I reckon by the time you have bought a load of bolts the prices would be comparable. You would have a strong frame that would be easy to restyle or connect other bits on to.

Secondly - if your woodie is going to be made of wood, most important is use hard wood, as soft would expands and contracts meaning a constant tightening of nuts is required.


And if your going to use electrical planers and sanders inside be carefull of the carpet and make sure you own a Dyson :) .
 
so i'm looking at building a freestanding woodie in my back garden. had thought about hanging it of a large tree (somehow). any suggestions, tips, sage wisdom before i waste my time and money?
 
I've got one in my garden. Built a frame (two sturdy wooden posts sunk into the ground, connected by another horizontal joist). Reinforced the frame by sinking another post in front of each of the vertical ones, and bolting them together. Attached the wall by chains, so the angle is adjustable, and anchored the frame to attachments in some paving with nylon rope, just in case.

Reckon if you want to use a tree, it'll be difficult to keep it stable, unless you actually screw it into the tree, which can't be a good thing. Though I guess it also depends on the size of the wall and the tree.
 
does it not get wet and become unusable for six months a year?

Well, I have yet to find out...

Over summer it stayed dry whenever it rained because
a) it's overhanging
b) it's under a tree.

But now that the leaves have gone from the tree, I'm not sure. I haven't looked at it for a couple of months cos I'm waiting for my tendon injury to heal... but we'll see.
 
dave said:
fucking hell, that looks so flimsy! what have they used for the main beams, 1x1s?

and it is! the flex if someone over 10.5 stone gets on is quite alarming. As part of the entry exam they weigh you though, so it should be allright. :wink:
 
Bloody hell, is that where I think it is - a famous sheffield haunt for the strong? I wouldn't walk under that let alone climb on it. There must be more to it than a couple of vertical matchsticks attatched with drawing pins? Is that a rope hooked at the back? Good back up plan I like it.
 


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