How to Build a Rock Wall

Building a climbing wall is a serious endeavor. If it isn't made right, you will pull holds, it could collapse or just plain out suck. Plan, think about what kind of climbing you do or want to do, vertical, slab, face, crack, over hangs, etc. Make sure to incorporate this into your design, or you just wasted a bunch of time.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wood- 1/2 in. plywood 2x4's and 4x4's
• Tee nuts
• Screws
• Climbing holds
• Hold screws
• Circular hand saw
• Drill
• 7" bolts w/ nuts
• 1" metal corner brackets
• Hammer
• pen and paper

1. Sit down at your kitchen table or just somewhere. Think about what you want your wall to look like. Think about what you want to take from having a wall at home. It's your wall, make the best one you can. Its not going to help your climbing any to have a wooden tower in your back yard.

2. 
   paint program, sorry its all I got.

   The wall that I built had four sides, 20' 4x4s, 4 feet apart with 2x4s going from the ground to the top, five feet apart. This is your support structure. If you own your home, it is best to dig four, five foot hole's in the ground. Cut your 4x4's 25' instead of 20', and cement that bad boy down. Otherwise put a piece of wood on the bottom so you can through some sand bags in the middle. You have to do one of these or it will tip over!

3. 
   I know its bad, work with me

   Now your typical piece of plywood is 4'x8', so your going to want to cut four inches off each side of the 2x4s, you don't want to see the support. The best way to attach the 2x4s to the 4x4s. Is to, drill a hole threw the 4x4. A hole in the end of the 2x4 and finally with a hole bit, drill half way threw the 2x4.

4. Take your corner brackets and screw them behind the 2x4s, to the 2x4 and 4x4. One on each side of the 2x4s. I had six screws going threw each bracket three into the 2x4 and three into the 4x4.

5. After you have built your support, you will need to drill the holes in the plywood for climbing holds. You can put as many as you want but, the closer the holes, the more of a chance you have of the wood braking, so, not to many. You'll need two and a half sheets to cover one side.

6. After the holes are drilled, simply screw the sheets of plywood onto the support structure. Some of your holes will line up with the 2x4s, drill threw them.

7. Hammer t-nuts into the holes on the backside of the walls. This is for the hold screws. It makes it's also so you don't need nuts on the back and adds reinforcement to the holes.

8. With mine I put a swinging door on one side so that I could get in to it. Simply cut out a square in the plywood and attach hinges to one side. No nob, just a small latch and a climbing hold. It is also smart to put a piece of plywood on top of the structure so the elements cant get inside.

9. If you think you want to put a rope up so you can tie in, use a thick piece of pvc pipe. I didn't do this so I'm not to sure on the best way to install it. But pvc wont rust and its nice and smooth so it wont hurt your rope. Just make sure its thick.

Tips & Warnings

• make sure there is a least one climbing hold connected to each 2x4. You don't need to screw the plywood to them if you do this, otherwise...
• It is hard to explaine this, so use your head and build smart, think ahead.
• Rock climbing is a potentially dangerous sport. I do not take any responsibility for your actions. It is up to you to know you limits and experience, in everything you do.

Resources

• Eldorado walls
• Nicros climbing
• Cheapholds.com

[PABechko]

on 1/7/2009 Fascinating, I'm not a climber, but your instructions are very clear and a climbing wall is an interesting idea.