UKC

Just a quick update, as the question of sourcing hardwood climbing holds for home climbing, circuit and system boards comes up regularly. If anyone has anything to add to this list, that would be useful. I tend to use holds from a variety of sources just for variety, and there really is a lot out there.  Most of these are U.K. based, but it’s worth noting that the U.K. Pound exchange has been strengthening, so the Euro suppliers are getting more competitive again. 

Crusher Holds, Hardwood Holds, Beastmaker: all have a wide range and sell sets specially for symmetrical boards in addition to standard sets. All have their own campus rungs and other hang devices. Shout out for the Hardwood Holds footholds.

Moon: Sets a,b,c are symmetrical wooden sets

Metolius: available from U.K. climbing shop outlets, full set or random selections, not symmetrical.

Euroholds: a new one for me. Good range for standard training boards or symmetry. Interesting micro machined surface texture seems to aid grip. Beech wood, and prices are starting to drop. Just had some half domes and pinches delivered and they look good. They also have a huge range of polyurethane holds.

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:

Just make your own from the offcuts you get when you make your home wall...

In reply to gravy:

Most of the offcuts we use here in the UK are from pine. Pine isn't suitable for climbing walls due to the structure of the grain, a break on a hold is very likely. Beech is a very tight grain as it many of the timbers used in climbing holds. Tulip wood and other alternatives are available. I doubt many of us have offcuts from such timbers kicking about.

Whilst I don't make climbing holds I have been in the joinery business for nearly 30 years. I'm sure you meant well with your suggestion.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Hi there.

in fairness, the Holds in Sheffield cellars in the early ‘80s and particularly Andy Pollitt’s garage wall were off cuts, quite a lot of bannister rail and other hardwood details. Similar for the original School Room. However, everyone was on the dole in that group, and no manufactured holds were on the market.

Fast forward to now, to make at home a £7 half dome bolt on at a similar standard of finish just isn’t worth the effort.

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:

Hi

Beta Blox are also doing a range of wooden holds.

Love hardwood and beta bloc

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:

Silly Goat Holds.

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:

After seeing the conditions some of those climbers were living in, never mind the climbing holds it's not surprising.

In reply to Stegosaur:

I’ve had a good look, can’t seem to find an online store. Lots of Facebook etc stuff, but no outlet. Do you have a web address?

In reply to griffer boy:

Can’t see an online outlet for Bloc, do you have a web address?

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:

I think you have to contact him by Facebook/Instagram or email.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Most Joinery workshops will happily give away hardwood offcuts. Most of ours end up in the bonfire otherwise. Alternatively, go on ebay, there are dozens of hardwood offcuts for sale for 99p. Buy / borrow and belt sander. Clamp in upside down in a vice and you're good to go. More fun (other than sanding your finger tips) and a lot cheaper. 

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

I've been using off cuts on my wall for years, pine, various grades of ply, and bits of hardwood from the scrap bin.  Can't remember any of the pines one breaking provided they were big enough not to disintergrate on screwing in.  Cheap ply makes functional but crappy holds. Nice ply makes nice holds. But they all work.

There are three good reasons to buy wooden holds: you like the ascetics, you want a specific set or you are too lazy or not capable of making your own. "Home made ones don't work" is simply bollocks.

In reply to Munch:

That's worth knowing as my wife is trying to get me to make a beastmaker, hangboardy thingy above the kitchen doorway

In reply to gravy:

Does cannot be ar*ed/better things to do come under lazy? #askingforafriend 😁

In reply to gravy:

Or maybe you'd just rather pay someone else for their time, skills, and experience while also supporting a small and possibly local business.

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:

Comes under the category, "more money than sense"...

In reply to gravy:

Or maybe your time is worth more than it would cost to buy holds? 

Up to you, but personally I work enough and would rather spend my free time climbing than cutting/sanding holds for hours on end, and ultimately ending up with an inferior product than if I bought it someone who would make it professionally to a high standard and a good price. 

Most people are really good at one or two things and pretty rubbish at everything else. The nice thing about society is we can just be good at those things for each other in exchange for money. 

That's not lazy, it's sensible. 

In reply to MischaHY:

If you can be arsed to make your own wall you can be arsed to make your own wooden holds.

 I mean this is the scenario we're talking about isn't it? If don't have your own wall you probably don't need to buy or make any holds.  If you do have your own wall you probably made it yourself*, in which case you have the kit, the know how, the time and the offcuts to make your own holds.

* I don't think I've ever met anyone with a home wall that they hadn't made themselves but I can't exclude the possibility that there is a burgeoning market for professionally built home walls and that everyone here in favour of not making their own holds has already paid a professional to make their wall for them in which case I'll accept that they don't have the little is takes to make your own wooden holds...

In reply to gravy:

I have neither the tools, the materials, the time nor the energy to make a decent number of good holds.

To build the wall required some 2x4, a few sheets of ply, some screws, some bolts, a drill, a screw driver, an allen key, a tape measure and a couple of clamps. All tools that I had.

 I do not have: a circular saw that is adjustable to the desired angle of the hold, a power sander, a Dremel, a countersink or any suitable spare wood etc etc.

The point of having a board at home is to enable me to train effectively even when I'm limited in free time. I've made between 5 and 10 holds for my board. The ones I have made turned out well eventually but each one has taken the best part of an evening to make, put up, take down, tweak, put back up etc etc. Due to not having the ideal tools for the job, it's tiring work meaning I'm tired after and can't train well that day.

Or, I could go to someone like Silly Goat, Beastmaker, Hardwood Holds etc etc. I can tell them what my board set up is, exactly what hold types I require, how hard to make them and a few days later, they arrive. They feel great, they look better than my attempts, they are right first time, I have supported a small local business, and I can get on with training, which was the whole point all along! And all for a fraction of the money that it would cost to buy the tools I would need to do the job properly.

I did decide to source the materials to make my own footholds because I could get them cheaper myself. In hindsight, I should have spent the very small amount of extra money and had 4 extra evenings of training.

If you enjoy making your own holds and have all the right tools and materials, then great. But a lot of people would have to value their time pretty low for making their own holds to make sense financially. And the climbing hold companies are really good at what they do. They've already put countless hours in to improving their products and seeing what works well and what doesn't so their customers don't have to.

In reply to SDM:

Hi all,

New problem - everything is out of stock!! 

Tried a number of sites, Crusher, Hardwood, etc. All out.

Seems there's a run on wooden holds at the moment - what a shocker.

Thanks to whoever suggested buying hardwood offcuts from Ebay - that's a great tip.

FYI we're planning to copy, eh, pay homage to the Tension Climbing holds as they are the most accessible and have good pictures of what they are meant to look like.

https://www.tensionclimbing.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Tension-Installa...

Looks like most could probably be made from 2in x4in hardwood battens using an angle grinder with wood shaper attachment and a sanding wheel.

I bought a Rotarex R2/115 Plus shaping disc from eBay and it's working great.

Dave

In reply to drconline: my kids have been making holds from hardwood off cuts thAt normally go on our stove  , with a belt sander and some imagination . I'll order one of those rotrex shaping discs and have a go with that . I normally have a dumpy bag outside the house full of all sorts of hardwood off cuts that either  go on the pizza oven or wood burner . if I can get more soon I'll post on here and you cAn have some . 

In reply to drconline:

It was amazing yesterday seeing the sold out banners go across all the stock.
Even the plastic holds at Holdz are pretty well all out of stock. Looks like everyone has a home wall now

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:

Beta Blox was making some new ones this morning and I have about 100 of his left but they are small, would work well on a 20degree board or if you are a beast 40.......

Facebook seems best, say griffer sent you

In reply to paul_in_cumbria:

Yep complete carnage for the last 2 weeks. Hopefully if everyone stays healthy we will be restocking once the backlog is cleared. I've heard similar reports from everywhere else. One thing to come out once were on the other side of this, is there might be a few stronger folk about!