How To Build A Free-Standing Indoor Home Climbing Wall
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- Wooden holds: check out wurft.com/ or @wurfttobias on Instagram. Please SUBSCRIBE to support the channel.
With this video, I want to share how I built my second home climbing wall and hopefully inspire a few climbers out there to build their own wall.
Music from the CZcams Audio Library:
- Lude Illa - Joe Bagale
- Interchange - Public Memory
- Moist - Mikos Da Gawd
- Palms - Text Me Records _ Bobby Renz
- Cutting It Close - DJ Freedem
- Castleshire - Chris Haugen
- BAP - Text Me Records
Filmed and edited by Tobias Wurft.
Thanks for all your support! - Sport
Many thanks. Your design has given me the confidence to build one for my son. I've just finished it and can now get on with the setting.
That's awesome. Thanks for sharing!
Looks great! Now that winter is approaching, I've been thinking about building an indoor wall to compliment my outdoor wall. That's an incredibly elegant design! Very well done!
Thanks Pete! Good luck with your indoor wall. :)
Looks amazing Tobias! Hope to see more soon
Such a great build! The symmetry was genius & I like that you make your own holds
Thanks Chris! ☺
10/10!Great job mate! Helpfull too. Cheers
This is epic! The best looking hand made wall i have ever seen! Whole process of making it was so enjoyable to watch. Good work man, keep it up!
I'm going to build one for me this week, can't wait to try it :D
Thanks man! ☺
Enjoy building your own wall.
Looks great! Hope to see more of your holds on there.
Thanks Erik! :)
Thank you so much for this vid I’m hoping to build my own climbing wall this year and this has been so helpful!
That's wonderful. Have fun building your own wall!
That's a great wall! Thank you for inspiring!
Thanks, you're welcome!
Honestly, this is amazing! I just got myself about 25 wooden holds and can’t wait to put them up!
Also, I’m heading off now to watch the video on how you make them because that sounds so much cooler!!!
Thanks Thomas! :)
Man this is awesome, I wish I had enough space to build my own climbing wall but I still live with my mom and in such a small flat that we can barely have our room
Amazing job. Im making my own variation on it. :)
Quality build and edit. Really like the notepad shots, I might have to incorporate that one :)
Thanks so much for your positive feedback Climber Dad, that means a lot to me! :)
That's a great design for the wall! makes me wish I had done mine that way. Guess I'll have to build another...
Thanks Tristan! :) What's the design of your wall?
Looks AWESOME, dude! I just built a woody out back and yours makes mine look like a ragtag amateur. Very cool, man! Enjoy!
Thanks dude! Enjoy climbing on your new wall! :)
I was looking for inspiration to build an indoor wall for my granddaughter. This provided plenty!
Use the backside for a book shelf, lol!
I use it to store surfboards, bags, and guest mattresses. :)
Beautiful wall
Cheers!
Man such a beautiful wall! Definitely an inspiration for my own project. Also, I just love the view you have from your living room!
Thank you Elias. I'm really pleased to hear that. Enjoy your project! :)
@@wurfttobias I got a question! Those large nails you hammered in, did you attach a nut on the other side of them?
Yes, those were bolts so I attached a nut on the other side.
@@wurfttobias I've got one question! I live in an apartment with people above, below and by both sides of me. I wonder if a wall would cause a lot of noise. The walls and roof/floors are pretty thin in the apartment. I'm mainly worried about if the wall causes a lot of noise when you climb on it (when it pushes down on the floor), more than the bumps from jumping down because if you have thick and soft enough padding, I think that can be evaded pretty well....? I guess in that case, the sturdier the better, as to not cause unneccessary movement (which causes noise I guess).
@@eliasholenhannouch807 Are you worried that the floor will make noise when you are climbing, or that the climbing wall is making noise?
I can just share my experience: a sturdy freestanding wall doesn't make any noise if the floor is sturdy as well. Climbing only gets noisy when you hit the wall with your shoes.
But I guess there could be some noise if the building you're living in has beams and boards that make noise when you just walk around... The small movements of the floor could probably also cause some torsion of the wall which could be noisy...
Does this answer your question?
Hey Tobias, thanks as always! How did you add the 2x4 on the back of the ply? Did you screw them in place from the front?
Hi! Yes, just screwed on from the front (with the help of one of my colleagues holding them in place).
Awesome build! Could you explain why rounding off the edges of the 2x4s prevents the studs from moving?
Thanks! I rounded the edges of the studs to reduce the risk of injury when climbing. The 2"×4"s at the bottom which are bolted to the studs as well as the plywood panel at the bottom prevent the studs from moving.
Strong and simple design 👍
Looks like a lot of work - are you drilling pilot holes for all those screws?
Thanks Kristian! No pilot holes for the frame, only for the top and bottom board to make sure that the wood doesn't crack at the ends.
Also no pilot holes when screwing on the plywood.
Great video! How did you decide or go about the pattern of the holds? Was it random or did you strategically place holds where they are?
Thanks! ☺
I tried to place the different hold types evenly (for example not having all crimps in one spot) and then have a variation in the orientation of the hold types... But at the begining, I started randomly and then I had more restrictions over time.
I really like this design, the symmetrical holds, and the cost. This seems right up my alley, I'm just not as solid a craftsman as you. Is it possible to message you for questions if I do go ahead with this?
No worries. Just flick me a message on Instagram (link is on my CZcams channel) or Facebook!
What do you do for work that allows you to do this? So great, you’re an inspiration
Thanks Benjamin. I'm a flight test engineer for autonomous aircraft and we're operating in a rural, remote area. I stay at work during the week which is why I built the small training wall there.
Great work, looks solid! Why did you buy Beastmaker holds while you can make better holds yourself? They look rather expensive on the BM website..?
Thanks! :)
I ordered Beastmaker holds and symmetrical wooden Moon holds (which arrived after I uploaded the video) because I wanted a little bit more variety and I thought I might learn something new from their shapes...
This wall is awesome! I'm looking into building one that would be 3 sheets of plywood instead of 2, at 35 degrees overhung. Do you think I could still get away with the 2x8" supports? I'd really like to avoid more supports in the climbing area.
Thanks Alan! From all the other walls I have seen out there, I am pretty sure you will get away with it. Keep in mind that the frame of the wall with the plywood is already quite sturdy (not much movement to the side) so the support studs have to mainly carry the weight (which they can) and not handle much side forces. But I'm also no certified builder and after some quick research it seems like in the 2 meters and longer span they often double up 2×8"s to prevent buckling: plasticinehouse.com/how-far-can-2x8-span-without-support/
I would just build it, see how sturdy it is, and in case I have doubts I would double them up.
@@wurfttobias ah good call. Thanks for the response!
Great video, thanks Tobias! Do you think it work to have longer pieces on the base, with more holes, so that you could remove the bolts and change the angle of the wall? I’m hoping one wall could be used by a range of abilities by changing the incline, thanks, Olly
Thanks Olly! I'm pretty sure such a design would work, but you should definitely consider that the wall is very heavy... There are plenty of different adjustable angle wall designs out there (e.g. www.megalithclimbing.com/pages/freestanding-adjustable-system-wall ) and because of the weight of the wall most use a pulley/winch design with some backup chains. The 'home climbing wall forum' on Facebook is also really helpful if you're planning such a wall. I hope this is any useful for you. Cheers, Tobi
@@wurfttobias Thanks! :)
here in nz our lumber is so ridiculously expensive, we're surrounded by trees, yet not allowed to build with them as it seems most are shipped off to china
Thanks for sharing the video and design, I am about to jump in on a build here in the next few days.
Do you feel like your stud spacing would be sufficient for a wall that is a bit steeper (37.5 degrees)? Standard stud spacing in US is 16" (~400mm), but that seems overkill with 2x8 lumber, I was thinking going something around 19.2" (~485mm) or 24" (610mm) on center.
You're welcome! You've got exciting times ahead of you. :)
On my first climbing wall, I had something around 485 mm spacing, which was plenty in combination with the 22 mm thick plywood. From what I've seen in commercial gyms, you can increase the spacing if you're using enough vertical struts.
@@wurfttobias thanks for the response, I am going to try 485mm spacing with 18mm plywood. I think given the length of the actual wall it wont move to much, but we shall see.. Very excited to finally have a wall at home to train on, BIG DAY.
Lovely work as always!
Maybe I will post my wall soon as well haha it is very similar in dimensions but adjustable.
It is good to see that there are walls which are built even stronger than mine too. I thought I had over done mine but I think it might be just right now.
Thanks mate!
Yes, strong frame for a small indoor wall... :)
Looking forward to seeing your wall!
Sweet wall. May I suggest a sheet of Lexan between the wall & the window? (To save a flagging leg from going thru it?) I'm sure you'll be careful to not go thru it, but having friends over for a session...
Thanks for your input, that's a good point! I have some really large, 2 meter long, 1 meter wide, and 250 mm thick foam offcuts left over... Will put them between the window and the right stud of the wall while I'm climbing. Should make it safer! :)
@@wurfttobias that’s a cheaper fix! As Lexan can be pricey, I paid $100 for a sheet to hang in front of my 55” flat screen when my kids were younger. It saved me from having to buy 3 replacement TV’s and cleaning crayon off of it. I suggested it because it would still let the light in, but I like your cheaper alternate
A very well put together board and video. It's super!
I want to build exactly this and living in Queenstown NZ. I got a few questions as to how I can do this but maybe a bit cheaper. I'm thinking of using 2x4 instead to build the frame.
Where did you buy your T-nuts and bolts from? And overall cost for all nuts and bolts?
And any advice or tips and tricks you learnt after building this that aren't already in the video?
Thanks so much!!
Ok, this is gonna be a longer one... :)
2×4 are an option but I would at least use 2×6. (A flexing homeboard isn't really fun)
To give you an overview on the cost side of things: I spent
190 NZD for plywood
130 NZD for screws and T-nuts
110 NZD for bolts (not for the holds), plates, nylon washers, laminated 2×4 and laminated 2×6
500 NZD for the 2×8
--> just under 1000 NZD.
You will probably spend at least as much for holds so for me it doesn't make much sense to reduce the total costs by 10-15% by using 2×4.
I helped building the new Uprising in Christchurch and I buy Würth screws and Würth T-nuts via my contacts there. :) --> advice: ask at your local gym, they should have T-nuts.
And I buy bolts at a local engineering supply. Don't know if that's really cheap (0.50 - 2.00 NZD per bolt depeding on the length).
Learnings:
- could have made the hangboard stick out another 100 mm
- would have used 22 mm plywood (better quality)
- general advice: make it as big as possible. This wall is an awesome training tool and I love it. But my old homeboard was bigger and thus required less dedication/motivation
And one more thing Jamie: you can let me know when you finished your board (via instagram?). Would love to check it out at some point when I'm in Queenstown again :)
@@wurfttobias you bloody legend! Thank you so much for giving me everything! Just two more questions.
Is there a reason you didn't buy the treated plywood in the first place?
And with your T nuts did you put a dab of glue on the back to prevent them spinning?
Of course I will send you pictures and your more than welcome to join me on it when I get this puppy up and running
Awesome Jamie!!! Looking forward to the pictures! :)
They didn't have the untreated 22 mm in stock (treated is expensive and not required for indoor).
Glue is also not required if you have access to the back of your wall!
Cheers, Tobi
Hey Tobias, I'm looking at making a very similar build but for the moonboard so 12'x8'.
Given the extra height is there anything about the structure of the frame I would need to change?
Hey, I'm not a pro so please make sure to double-check. I think I looked this up a while ago and a builder would double up the two 2"×8" studs which support the whole wall if they are longer than roughly 2 meters (don't know if its actually necessary in this case). I would also make the studs stick further out than the top lip of the wall (in my design it's only 30 cm) so your larger/higher wall can't tip over.
Enjoy building and climbing!
@Tobias Wurft this is a really epic design. Do you have a cad drawing or list of all the required materials? If you do are you willing to share it?
Absolutely epic;)
Unfortunately not... All the plans were drawn by hand in an old notepad. So there are tons of comments and changes and that's why it's not worth sharing.
Any chance you have your design notes available for purchase? Would love to replicate this in the build I'm currently planning.
Unfortunately I don't have any design notes available. All the plans are hand written in a sketch pad and probably hard to read... :)
Really nice!!!! But, is possible to build the same structure in a situation where the top of the structure doesn't touch the ceiling? Thanks
Thanks! Sure, that's possible. It's a free standing wall. The structure isn't touching the ceiling, there is a 2 mm gap... 😁
Ideally, you want to make your climbing wall as high as possible as long as your ceiling height isn't above 3.5 - 4 meters.
@@wurfttobias Thanks... you think that I can use a beam 9cm x 9cm to use for build the structure? (I have this kind of beam at home)
@@simonekresevic6016 It will be less sturdy than when using 140 mm x 45 mm boards while at the same time being heavier... It will probably work, but I'm not an expert so please ask someone else for professional advice.
Awesome wall! May I ask what type of wood you used for the 2x8 frame? I see you used pine for the plywood but might have missed if you said the wood type for the framing lumber. Where I’m located most of the 2x6s come in either douglas fir or pine so just checking which you would recommend or another type. Thanks!
Thanks! I'm using pine for the frame.
@@wurfttobias sweet! Was it all pre-treated wood? The frame and ply? I read somewhere you can either buy untreated wood and paint it immediately after build to seal it or buy treated which u have to wait 4-6 months to paint. This will be my first big woodworking project, I’ve only done small scale stuff to this point, so just looking for some pointers to get it right the first time haha
@@stephenlopez3553 the frame wood was already pre-treated. Why do you want to paint it? Is it for an outdoors wall? That's a good first big project! :)
Cheers
@@wurfttobias oh okay good to know! It’s gonna be indoors in a garage but we live in a relatively high humid area so i wasnt sure if i needed to seal the wood to prevent splitting/cracking over time so thats the only reason I was considering paint. But i prefer the natural wood look!
Is the wall size enough to consistently have fun and train? I am about to start a similar build and I am wondering :)
It looks so cool!
Very good question!! It's definitely less fun than my old 42 degrees, 3 m × 3.5 m board. I can't get the rewarding feeling of finally climbing a 10 moves boulder after months... But I still use it consistently because:
- the angle (less steep) is better to train more often
- all wooden holds is better for my skin
- because there are only wooden holds on the board my contact strength has definitely increased
- the symmetry is so much fun to explore your strengths and weaknesses
If you're into training anyway, the size is perfect but I would make it as big as possible (maybe just wider)
@@wurfttobias Thank you for your answer! I will try to add 1 or 2 feet in width!
What size holes do I need to make? Do I just need a drill and the right size bit? (never built anything before haha)
Hehe :) I'm using M10 T-nuts which have an outer diameter of 12 mm (just measured it) and I use a 11 mm drill bit only. Because the T-nuts have tapered edges, I don't have issues getting them in and they will sit tight because of the smaller hole diameter.
Have fun building something for the first time! :)
Yooo this is great! How much did this cost roughly if you dont mind me asking?
Thanks! Without holds and crash pads about 500 - 600 USD. But timber is quite expensive here in New Zealand, I guess the costs will be lower in most other countries.
Hi, I am looking to build my own wall, I was wondering why did you drill holes on three plywood in the beginning and I only see two segment (and one small piece at the bottom) when you were mounting it on the frame. Where did the third one go? Or am I missing something? Btw, it's such a cool wall, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Nurrin!
The third sheet was cut into smaller pieces: one small segment at the bottom, the largest segment is on the floor between the two studs to prevent them from moving sideways (doesn't need holes, but it was just quicker doing it this way) and the remaining offcuts were used for the hangboard setup.
@@wurfttobias Thanks for the clarification Tobias, yeah that explains it well. I see that you are based in Canterbury, that's so cool as I am building my wall in a rural dairy farm in Canterbury too as the climbing gyms are so far from where I live, how are the odds haha.
@@ajmalanuwarful Hahaha, so cool! Shoot me a message in case you need some wooden climbing holds
Very informative, thank you! I want to built something similar. Very simple without a kickboard. Btw are you originally from Germany? Your name sounds german.
Yep, bin aus Deutschland. :)
@@wurfttobias Hab auch gedacht, daß man einen leichten Akzent hört. Habe gerade noch dein Video mit den selbstgemachten Holzgriffen geschaut. Saugut!
I am building a campus board and want to make the structure similar to your wall. What is the angle you cut your front supports? Is it a mirror of the back support/legs holding up the frame?
The front supports are 30 cm further out compared to the top of the wall. Don't know the exact angle because I attached them not at the highest point of the frame. But in case of building a campus board I would definitely increase the angle a bit because the center of gravity (with climber) will be at a more unfavourable point (common angle of a campus boad is 15 degrees I guess, so its less steep compared to my wall and if you build it with kicker board the center of gravity of the board itself will even come more forward).
How wide will it be?
If it's free standing, I would definitely build it wide enough (or add some support legs) so that it won't be able to tip to the side.
Hope this was helpful? :)
@@wurfttobiasas you're an engineer (and I am not) if I made this wall 2.7m high with the same dimensions (as described in the video) with it still be able to be free standing?
Hi@@shanehoubart9832 this design has enough margin to increase the height of the wall by 30 cm. Just make sure that the legs/studs of the wall still stick out compared to the top of the wall (maybe 35 - 40 cm instead of 30 cm as in my design, if I remember it correctly) so the wall cannot rock over.
Not sure if I missed it, but what angle is your wall? and do you remember what angle you put the Mitre saw at when cutting the studs to get that angle?
aw i see it. set at 26 degrees.
I can't remember the angle of the studs, but as far as I remember I chose an angle so that the bottom of the studs are about 30 cm further out compared to the top of the climbing wall.
Hi im debating in having my wall ti be 3 sheets or 2 sheets high, whats you recomend ir you believe there Is no diferencie
Definitely 3 sheets! The extra height will make the wall so much more useful and more fun. You will gain 100 % more climable wall area (because the first sheet is only used for feet and low starts) by adding 50 % more to the total surface area.
The wall in the video is just not that high because of the ceiling height.
can I not include horizontal wood on the back panel? will it make the plywood flex when climbing?
Hi Harris, if you don't use any horizontal framing on your wall the plywood will flex and the whole structure will be a bit dodgy. But for a small wall, you can get away with having horizontal frame at the top and bottom only and then add more later if it flexes too much.
@@wurfttobias thank you for the idea.
Would this same concept hold a wall that is 10-12 feet (3.04-3.65 meters)?
Disclaimer: I'm not a builder!
The frame, together with the plywood wouldn't need a change at all. But when you look up how to use 2"×8" studs, builders would double up the free standing studs when they are longer than approximately 2 meters. I've also seen designs where they used two separate pairs of studs, one pair shorter and attached roughly at the center of the frame. What I would do: build it, see if it is dodgy when "loaded with climbers", and in doubt: attach extra 2"×8" boards with bolts to the two studs that support the wall.
@@wurfttobias thanks brotha 👍🏻
hey..same build for the 42 degree wall? thanks
Hey, different design. Was attached to the roof structure / beams of our old garage. Don't have footage of the built but some footage when taking it down.
Please comment if someone is interested in the footage.
How deep is your base from front to back?
Backside of the frame to front end of the studs is 1.66 meters.
Do you have a PDF of your build anywhere?
Sorry, no.
Wow! do you have a project to share?
Thanks Federico! Do you mean a new project that I'm going to upload?
Damn. That’s a lot of wood. The half would be enough 😅
Hehe. Yeah, there are pros and cons for making a climbing wall sturdy.
Cons: more expensive (but not much compared to the costs of holds) and it takes longer to build the wall
Pros: wall doesn't flex which is more fun when climbing and you also reduce the risk of finger injuries (especially on dynamic moves)
I guess it's a personal preference and I wanted the wall to be as sturdy as in a commercial gym. :)
How much was all of it minus the holds?
About 800 NZD (~500 USD) without crash pads and without holds. But timber is quite expensive here in New Zealand...
Thanks
How’s the wall been going?
I sold it to a friend before we moved back to Germany. My friend is using the wall on a almost daily basis.
Wich type of wood?
Pine and pine plywood
How much did this cost you?
About 800 NZD (500 USD) without pads and without holds.
Nope, way over engineered
There's nothing complicated going on here. You might wanna look up the definition of "overengineered";)