[Tgo]

DIY: Rock Climbing Wall for Kids

Birthdays of kids are usually days when the household amasses numerous toys which either get passed on or end up in a pile of non-essential / broken / boring plastic destined to the dumpster. On one such birthday of a close friend's 3 year old, I decided to gift their kid a functional wall climbing panel.

What was to be ordering and installing the climbing holds onto a suitable wall, ended up becoming a DIY project spanning over many weekends.

So lets get on...

[Tgo]

Design & Decisions

Problem - 1: Vertical / Inclined

source

I had initially thought of mounting the holds directly on a plastered brick wall. I later realized that a vertical climb would be too much for a 3 year old to negotiate. So the next option was to build a panel which could be leaned against a wall.


Problem - 2: Mounting the holds

Since the decision of mounting the holds onto a panel had been finalized, out went the anchor bolts. These nuts dig into the wooden board and clamp down the holds and the board when the bolt is driven through. Was sure of not getting them at the local hardware shop, even of not being able to explain what I wanted. I spoke to the holds vendor to send me the T-nuts.


Problem - 3: Wood frame fabrication

The simplest idea I had in mind was to get the timber of the required length and screw it into place to make a box frame. The thick ply-board panel when screwed on top of the frame would stiffen the box frame. I had some wood work going on at my home-town and had the carpenters re-purpose some old timber from a partition wall into pieces of required length. I was lucky enough to have the dimensions (6'x4') right in my sketch. They, coincidentally matched the standard size for a wooden ply-board.


Problem - 4: Transporting the timber

Zip-ties to the rescue. The longer (6ft) pieces were put on the roof of the car with suitable padding so as to not scuff the paint on the roof or the rails. It was an inconspicuous setup for the 425 km long journey to the town I live in for work.


Problem -5: Final Installation

Had thought of multiple ideas for this, some complicated, some with a fixed angle, some allowing one to vary the angle. Finally, arrived at a solution on-the-fly using wall hooks, screws and washers. I just needed something to hold the top edge of the panel so that it is fixed. The weight would keep the lower edge steady on the ground.

[Tgo]

Preparation & Assembly

Materials List and Cost:

• 6' x 3 No. Timber - Free (Repurposed)
• 4' x 3 No. Timber - Free (Repurposed)
• 18mm Wooden Ply-Board - INR 1800/-
• Ply-Board Transport - INR 150/-
• 750 ml Wood Primer - INR 200/-
• 750 ml Enamel Paint - INR 280/-
• 2" Paint Brush - INR 60/-
• 4" paint Brush - INR 100/-
• 1L Paint Thinner - INR 120/-
• 16 No. L-brackets, screws, hooks & washers - INR 350 /- (approx)
• 16 No. Assorted Climbing Holds - INR 3500/- (+ Shipping INR 500/-)

Step-1: Box Frame Assembly

• Laid out the pieces on the floor.
• Picked a corner and started marking, drilling and installing the L-brackets with screws.
• Moved onto the next corner, then the next and so on.
• Completed the outer frame and then joined the inner pieces.

Step-2: Preparing the board
I needed to make sure that the board was covering the frame completely and that the screws driven through the board would land in the middle of the width of the pieces making the frame.

• Did a tracing of the frame on the back of the board and drilled pilot holes for the screws. Took some time to make them equally spaced.
• Did a shallow counter-sink on these holes so that the screw-heads sit flush or sunk into the surface.

Second important set of markings were for the array where the holds would be mounted. A usual standard is 18" between 2 holds.

• I changed the spacing to 10" (horizontal) and 12" (vertical).
• I had to make sure that one of these holes does not overlap the sections of the frame as the bolt would foul with them, Hence I staggered the rows a bit.
• Ended up with a 4 x 6 array for the 16 holds leaving some scope for shifting the holds to increase / decrease the difficulty.
• Marked the points with a shallow holes using a drill so that they are visible even after painting.

Step-3: Paint

• Mixed the primer with the thinner to change the consistency a bit.
• Started with a light base coat, followed by a second coat.
• Let the frame and the board dry out completely in the sun for 2 days.
• Followed up with two coats of paint. Followed by a day of drying.

Step-4: Mounting the holds

• You can really over-think this step if you want to due to the variation in sizes and the kind of hand / foot grip required for each hold.
• Easiest is to fix the T-nuts from the back of the board by hammering them into place for all the holes (even the spare ones).
• Arrange the holds randomly on the face (other side) and bolt them down lightly.

Step-5: Joining the board and the frame

• Place the board on top of the frame so that it covers it completely.
• Align it correctly as there is no going back once you start driving in the screws.
• Drive the screws into the pilot holes previously drilled onto it.
• I did the corners first.
• Stand on the board to press it down against the frame as the screw is driven in.
• Place some washers in the holes which are oversized for the screw-head (owing to poor quality ply-board which was hollow in some places)

Step-6: Final Install against the wall

• Adjust the lean to a suitable angle for the kid.
• Mark the walls as close to the frame (on the sides) where the hooks have to be driven-in.
• Install the hooks into the wall
• Place the frame in between the hooks. (Tap them inwards to make the frame fit snugly between them)
• Bend the end of the hook into and eye-bolt.
• Drive a screw through the eye into the frame with appropriate washers.

[Tgo]

Wrap-up

Sourcing the holds:

I searched on amazon for the first time and found the prices to be very high. They seemed more so due to the inadequate description of the listings and inaccurate details of the fasteners being shipped along with the holds.

Second step was to find sellers on indiamart. I found 2 which had their contact details easily available. One even had its own separate website with a WhatsApp based enquiry system. I ordered them from the first guy who replied to my enquiry. Here's my experience with both:

Step-in Adventure:
They seem to be based in MH. They replied via e-mail. but a little too late.

Adventure Rocks:
They are based in Delhi/UP. Visited their website after a google search for their name after picking it up from indiamart. Dropped in a message on their WhatsApp based enquiry system. Got a reply within a few hours. Followed on and placed an order directly to them. Holds were shipped from Delhi. Payment was done to their bank account via UPI. Person dealing was knowledgeable and accommodated my request for both type of fasteners. Even advised about installation a bit.

What could be improved:

• A wood frame with proper joinery techniques.
• 8' should be the minimum panel height to aim for or installing the panel 1 ft off the ground. The lowest holds will become useless soon.
• I need to install a rope for smaller kids to hold on to while climbing.
• I could have been more careful while hammering in the t-nuts as I ended up chipping the paint finish and ended up opening some plies of the board.
• I could have arranged for the correct sized drill bit for the t-nuts, my largest bit was 2 mm smaller than the required diameter.
• Could have ordered some extra t-nuts to place in the spare holes making shifting the holds to the spare positions quicker.
• There needs to be a mattress or a mat on the floor below to cushion the fall if it so happens.
• If this would have lead to a tree top platform or would have been a part of a outdoor toy castle, it would have been more meaningful for the kid (just thinking, in terms of a sense of achievement when scaling the wall to reach a platform)

Some pictures of the kid enjoying

He was initially scared of being asked to cling onto the wall due to the height. A bit of healthy competition from the kids next door helped him overcome the fear. The kids from the neighborhood also get a go at it when they visit. Hopefully. it develops into a hobby that the kid is eager to pursue when he's older.

Here he is scaling the wall, on his own.


Quite eager to show me how its done.


Posing happily in front of his new possession.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[vishwasvr]

Another idea is to have a large-ish barrel to achieve virtually unlimited climbing. Of course, you'll have to ensure it doesn't spin easily. It has to have a little resistance. But this will be a bit of a complicated build. I wanted to get one done at home, but don't find the time to build one at all. But this post is inspiring!

Hope the little one has a lot of fun!

[TrackDay]

Looks fun and definitely a skill building gift for both parties.

Just to be on the safe side do put some mattress or foam like base on the bottom. Since a harness is not present, any loss of grip may cause an impact onto the hard floor. Another measure could be to wear protective gear.

[RT13]

Nice one on the whole. I’d personally be nervous with that kind of setup for an adult but should be fine for a little child.

Buy a crash pad from Gipfel. There’s a sale going on so it’s ridiculously inexpensive at the moment. Best investment you can make.

https://www.gipfelclimbing.com/produ...ing/crashpads/

And if your kid likes it, considering heading outdoors. It’s a wonderful climbing world out there.

Send it!

[Red Liner]

Do we have a climbing thread on teambhp? Can someone point me to it please?