UKC

Another pressie I am making

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 Richard Wilson 02 Dec 2012
My youngest is really into climbing. She competes quite a lot & we take her to the "local" walls as often as we can (once or twice a week). As with most things to get really good you need to do it 3 or 4 times per week. We just cant afford that (she gets in to the walls free its the travel costs that hurt) so I have started to make her a small home training set up.

This is the first phase.

http://www.itcreation.co.uk/imade/fingerboard1s.jpg

It is made of Oak & will be fitted above a door way. Will also be making a few other training bits as well.

Just need to remember not to oil finish it lol.

Before anyone comments:-

I know that youngsters should not be feet off campusing as it damages their fingers. A strict usage policy will be in force & this gift will be very closely monitored (its going next to the TV).



 Elrond 02 Dec 2012
In reply to Richard Wilson:

How did you make that? Looks seriously good!!
In reply to Shadowmaster:

Well first you catch your tree...

In my case that is almost true. It was made from an Oak tree that was growing on our land. Luckily I know someone that has a bandsaw mill so they planked it all up for me about 3 years ago. Its been drying ever since. After that it is a simple job to cut to rough size, whack it through the planner/thicknesser & then chain drill the slots, trim with a chisel & neaten with a router. Then round over the edges with the router & sand to the level of smoothness you want. All in about a days work as it was a one off. If making a few all the same I would make a jig for the router to speed it all up.
If it ends up no use as a board it could be used as a weight for weight training as it is seriously heavy.
 Elrond 02 Dec 2012
In reply to Richard Wilson:

That sounds like a lot of work but seriously awesome nonetheless!! I've been trying to make a fingerboard type thing but haven't found a way to make the slots in it. Thanks for ideas!

Cheers
In reply to Shadowmaster:

Take a look at 3d drill bits. You will need a pillar drill to control it for neat slots.

Or forstner bits as they give a nice flat bottomed hole. Would still need the holes linking up. You could even use a mortising drill bit in a pillar drill.
 Murd 02 Dec 2012
In reply to Shadowmaster:
A afternoon spent with a £5 chunk of wood and a Aldi router.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.php?id=155697
In reply to Murd:


Nice. Did you free hand them or use a jig of some sort?

Had I bought the bit of wood I used it would have cost £20 as Oak is about £35 per cubic foot in the rough.
 Murd 02 Dec 2012
In reply to Richard Wilson: Just used a straight edge clamped on, free handed the corners, should have used a hole saw for them...would have made them neater. The lump of wood was off cut from a timber merchant
Looking for other things to make for them now.

Will be doing a wrist roller which is dead easy to make as its just a length of cord fixed to a pole with a weight on the end.

So what suggestions do you all have?
 Elrond 06 Dec 2012
In reply to Richard Wilson:

Rock ring style things that they can take away with them? I made a pair although, if I'm honest, they weren't great!
In reply to Shadowmaster:

I did think about those but they would be better for when they are a few years older & off to college / uni or just moving away from home.
 jkarran 07 Dec 2012
In reply to Shadowmaster:

> That sounds like a lot of work but seriously awesome nonetheless!! I've been trying to make a fingerboard type thing but haven't found a way to make the slots in it. Thanks for ideas!

If it's a training board you're after and you're not dead set on a particular aesthetic then don't bother machining slots. Plane batons to the profile you desire then glue and screw them to a backboard giving you edges and slots of differing depths. You only need very basic hand tools and elbowgrease once the backboard is cut to size.

Or just put up a fat and a thin rail, positive toward the center, slopier toward the ends.

jk
 jkarran 07 Dec 2012
In reply to Richard Wilson:

> Looking for other things to make for them now.
> So what suggestions do you all have?

A weight assistance system to get them started training safely and measuring progress. A weighted seesaw with movable pivot is simple, controllable and doesn't involve barbell weights swinging around your shins. Might not be needed if they're quite strong already.

Pinchable wooden balls on cord? The balls are available cheap online though I forget where.

jk
 Paul Crusher R 08 Dec 2012
In reply to Richard Wilson:
> My youngest is really into climbing. She competes quite a lot & we take her to the "local" walls as often as we can (once or twice a week). As with most things to get really good you need to do it 3 or 4 times per week. We just cant afford that (she gets in to the walls free its the travel costs that hurt) so I have started to make her a small home training set up.
>
> This is the first phase.
>
> http://www.itcreation.co.uk/imade/fingerboard1s.jpg
>
> It is made of Oak & will be fitted above a door way. Will also be making a few other training bits as well.
>
> Just need to remember not to oil finish it lol.
>
> Before anyone comments:-
>
> I know that youngsters should not be feet off campusing as it damages their fingers. A strict usage policy will be in force & this gift will be very closely monitored (its going next to the TV).

I somewhat like your style Richard...
http://crusherholds.co.uk/matrix

Just out of interest and enquiry really, you've gone straight into making it from the tree without seasoning the wood? It could cause some problems as the timber matures.. twisting, spliting etc. do you think?
 Paul Crusher R 08 Dec 2012
In reply to Paul R: Ill read the posts properly next time.. I see you seasoned it for 3 years...
In reply to Paul R:

Lol, yeh been drying for quite a while.

This bit was really low grade with sapwood & faults. However with the right planning it adds rustic style to the piece.

Having said that for this I would be quite confident that with the right bit of wood you could make it in the green & it come out ok.
I do quite a lot of green Oak work so reading the timber is something I do often.
 Joss 13 Dec 2012
In reply to Richard Wilson:

Spot on, brilliant!
 joeldering 14 Dec 2012
In reply to Richard Wilson:

Looks superb! Am very jealous!
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