UKC

Yep another question.
I've looked at previous posts and Beastmaker site.

My situation, very normal to every one.
Front and back rooms knocked through with steel beam, with bricks on top, the walls have been plasterboarded.
Thus there may be a 1cm gap between plasterboard and brickwall.

My question is mounting a Metolius Woodgrips. I've read about mounting it on a plywood to spread the load and have more screw placings onto the wall.

I like this guys solution http://outsideandstuff.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/how-to-mount-metolius-wood-gr...
However I am a little concerned of the potential gap between bricks and Fingerboard could allow it to bend on the screws and damage the wall??

Should I go with or without plywood?
If so how larger should I go with the plywood?

As i've managed to get it between the Kitchen and front room, the more minimal the better. Damaging the wall might result in it never going up again...

Thanks

In reply to Stuart Wildman:

You could consider this a different and very easy fingerboard mounting solution from Crusher Holds...

http://crusherholds.co.uk/fingerboard-mounting

You could upgrade to a Matrix at the same time

http://crusherholds.co.uk/fingerboards/matrix-climbing-fingerboard or
http://crusherholds.co.uk/fingerboards/matrix-and-mount-hangboard-fingerboa...

In reply to Paul Crusher R:

Crusherholds
"(Please check it will fit over your door frame & that the frame is of sound construction)"

I think panel pins and pink grip frame probably won't hold 12 stone bouncing on it

In reply to Stuart Wildman:
I drilled the steel beam in a similar situation, with two 10mm holes at 16" apart, then put a bit of 10mm stud in with a nut on each which I arc-welded to the beam (the nut not the stud). I could have equally drilled a 9mm hole and then cut a 10mm thread with a tap, but the biggest tap I had was 8mm and I couldn't be arsed to buy one. Then I made 2 plywood inserts to pick up the two flanges of the beam to avoid applying too great a bending moment to the 10mm stud. I made a sub-frame comprised of two 18" lengths of flooring joist, chamfered at 60£ at the business end and joined together with an 18mm Beastmaker-shaped piece of decent quality ply. I drilled a series of 10mm holes in the sections of flooring joist to enable me to adjust the height and fitted an extra sloper made of canted CLS (nice and smooth and has radiused corners) on the reverse of the sub-frame, between the two pieces of flooring joist. I bolted it all to the beam and screwed the Beastmaker to the ply.

Though it was obviously a lot of effort, the benefit is that my Beastmaker hangs beneath the opening at exactly the height I want and because I can get behind it, I can use it to do 'window-wipers' which are a core-strength exercise where you hang upside down and swish your legs from left to right. You may be able to see a picture of it here if Facebook will let you:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153350406942759&set=a.45830513275...

If you used bolts instead of studs, you could fix a simple backing board to the wall, recessing the bolt-heads in the board and then screw the hang board to the backing board - that would minimise the visual impact.

In reply to Stuart Wildman:

That guy says in his article he's mounted it like that for aesthetic reasons, which I can totally see, so it depends if the look is important for you first.

When you say 'potential gap' you mean the plaster between the bricks and board I assume. If so I wouldn't worry about the screws bending. I'm not an engineer but the impression I get is that the downward force is largely supported by the friction between the board and the wall, rather than the screws directly. The screws, if done up fairly tight, increase the friction by clamping the board tightly into the wall.

However there are advantages to a plywood backing too. Firstly you have more options of where to put the screws. When drilling you may hit cement rather than brick. With pre drilled holes on the fingerboard you have no options of where to drill once you've started. How many holes are there though, if there's enough this will be less of an issue. Secondly if you ever want to change the board for a different one or something else its really quick and easy to do. Thirdly a backing board might be useful for accessories, like mounting pulleys to reduce weight for instance.

You might also consider using straight timber rather than ply. I mounted mine on some 8 x 2 I fished out of s skip and its very solid.

In reply to Stuart Wildman:

Like the guy you reference, I went with screwing it straight into the wall (brick covered in plaster) with the screws provided - they were about 2 inches long I think.

Also like him I did it partly as it just looks nicer.

The only issue I had was that one of the drilled holes went into mortar instead of brick and so was useless. To get around this I drilled another hole in the fingerboard (inside one of the inset holds so you can't see it) and put a screw in there.

It's been in place for several years now with no problems.

In reply to Stuart Wildman:
Am I right in thinking you plan to fit your board to the plasterboard enclosed RSJ at ceiling level? Isn't it going to be too high? The RSJ presumably has some timber fitted into the spaces either side of the shear web to attach the plasterboard to. How secure is that timber, is it just wedged in?

Clamped up tight to the plasterboard the friction between fingerboard and wall will carry most of the load, screw bending shouldn't be a big problem. The problem you will have is clamping it up tight enough if there's a gap behind the dry lining.You could inject some plasterboard adhesive to fill the gap. I'd also wonder how well supported the plasterboard is, you could find it shifts/distorts the plasterboard as you tighten the screws or when you get onto the board and you're left with a bit of a cracked mess to deal with.

Unless you know exactly what the structure is under the plasterboard, what the screws are going into and where the loads will ultimately go I'd pick an easier location to mount it personally.

Ah, I may have misunderstood, do you have a double door knocked through rather than the whole wall removed so there's a fair bit of brickwork still retained above the RSJ?

jk

In reply to jkarran:


He knows there's a steel and he knows there's a cavity. Most people don't realise how easy it is to drill and tap steel - you just need to start with a pilot hole, drill at low speed, lubricate with oil and get progressively bigger. Cutting a thread is no big deal either, just remember to go back and forth with the tap to clear the dwarf, and again use oil - you only need 2 holes. As for filling the cavity, I'd user expanding foam via a gun, but do it with the mounting board in place to stop the foam pushing the plasterboard off and don't use too much.

In reply to Stuart Wildman:

I made one of these myself from left over ply. Works well and not very obvious either.
http://www.climbukshop.com//product.php/149/fingerboard-doorway-mounting-sy...

In reply to Andy Morley:


Just get the dwarf to tap it out

In reply to deacondeacon:


Lol - sounds like a euphemism for something very dodgy. My spellchecker evidently hasn't heard of 'swarf'.

In reply to Andy Morley:


Now that's some nasty kinky s**t

Drilling and tapping steel is easy with the right tools on a bench top. I have the right tools and I've cut a lot of threads but cutting threads in an installed RSJ behind plaster is not an option I'd relish. Squirty foam creeps when you tighten screws down on it, even the tough PU foam adhesives, you never get the screws properly tight, it's very annoying!
jk

In reply to jkarran:

The problem is all inside your head it seems to me
The answer is so easy if you take it logically
I'd like to help you in your struggle to be free
There must be fifty ways to mount a hang board

You know it really aint my habit to intrude
What's more, I hope my meaning won't be lost or misconstrued
But I'll repeat myself at risk of being rude
There must be fifty ways to mount a hang board

Just step on a crate, mate,
Or climb on a chair, square,
Just stand on a stool, fool
And set yourself free

Don't care if it's crude, dude,
Get hold of a tap, chap,
Just twist the thing in, sim,
Looks easy to me.