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chizelz
Oct 14, 2004, 5:19 PM
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Has anyone out there made one? A small outdoor structure suitable for bouldering, high enough to safely top out on. I do mean home-made, plywood, wood, (or steel) structure, protected from the elements. I have seen quite a few "manufactured" boulders in gyms, and got to thinkin' "boy it sure would be great to have one of these things in your back yard" and not being able to afford a "manufactured" one, I thought hell, why not build your own. I have been scouring the internet looking at pictures of existing installations (none made of plywood) trying to come up with some fun shapes/ideas. Does anyone have any examples, suggestions, pictures of installations?
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lossinsantafe
Oct 14, 2004, 5:30 PM
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I recently built a freestanding boulder for my daughter's preschool.
The frame was made of 4-4x4's, buried 3 feet down into cement tubes filled with sand, then joined together using 2x6's. The surface was all 3/4" ply, supported by 2x4's on all the joins.
Even on a small scale, it ended up costing around 400$ in wood, and I spent a good week just cutting supports and triangles.
The greatest overhang was 2 1/2 feet out from the frame, and it could take my full weight yanking without budging. I would wager on a larger scale you could get some sick angles going.
Have fun with it.
Max
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overlord
Oct 14, 2004, 6:06 PM
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it shouldnt be too hard to make, if you have the time, some basic wood/steel framig skills and offcourse the materials needed. basicly its a frestanding woodie with more sides and a platform on top. but the more interesting features you want the harder its going to get.
maybe it would be a good idea to make plans in 3dcad program (like autocad). its a relatively simple structure (even i was able to make a chess set a few years ago when i was goofing around with the thing) so drawing wouldnt be hard (even for a newb) and you can measure things with it so youll have a good blueprint (amd in this case that really simplifies things).
another thing is, its easier to work with triangles. normally people think rectangular, but if you have 4 points in the corners of where you want the plywood to be, chances are theyre not on the same plane (it becomes hard to attach the plywood at this point, believe me, ive been there), but the corners of a triangle are always on the same plane.
i also reccomend anhcoring the thing into the ground. yes, big scale ones can be really stable on their own, but you really DONT want this thing to roll over you.
another good idea would be to make the inside accessible so you can replace blown tnuts (plus it makes a nice storeage area for crashpads and stuff).
ugh, i have to go now. ill post again if i think of something else.
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mazzystr
Oct 14, 2004, 6:24 PM
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The above picture is the Cary Boulders in North Cary Park, Cary, North Carolina. It costed the park system something like 40gran to build. Its a beautiful climbing device.
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dynosore
Oct 14, 2004, 6:30 PM
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I was going to build one exactly like lostinsantafe describes, this coming spring. When I drew it up, I realized that withthe 8-9 sheets of plywood it would take to build a 11-12ft boulder, I could build a 16-20 ft. 2 or 3 sided wall. Operation Backyard Eyesore commences in March, or whenever the ground unthaws. And to think my wife objected about it being in the basement, she might wish it was there when I get done :P
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chizelz
Oct 14, 2004, 6:35 PM
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In reply to: you mean like this? |
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mazzystr
Oct 14, 2004, 7:24 PM
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they used a special polymer to mimic real life rock...
i say use a 2dollar bag of cement from home depot. then youll have real rock!
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leinosaur
Oct 14, 2004, 7:49 PM
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In reply to: they used a special polymer to mimic real life rock... i say use a 2dollar bag of cement from home depot. then youll have real rock!
This is what I hoped this thread was about - our local Zoo has lots of man-made rock formations, with artfully added texture, cracks, etc - it looks fun but I don't want to risk being mauled by a lion checking it out .. .
but is anybody pouring their own boulders? If so I'd love some beta thereupon
tnx
leinosaur
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soulsurfer
Oct 14, 2004, 8:40 PM
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I have a free standing boulder in my back yard. One side is 8' wide, the back side is 12' wide and the front is maybe 12' tying it together. It all overhands with different angles on all 3 sides. It is about 11' tall and about 13' of climbing. I will post a few pics when I get home tonight ok. I really like it as a free standing boulder. It cost me around $3K for all the wood and holds. living in San Diego lets me climb on it year round since we don't get much rain and the weather is 40's at coldest in winter and high 80's in summer. But living about a mile from the coast can mean foggy nights in june.
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mazzystr
Oct 14, 2004, 8:58 PM
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souldsurfer,
what kind of impact does that boulder have on your property value? how about your neighbors'??? :lol:
i look fwd to seeing pictures! :)
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glowering
Oct 14, 2004, 9:12 PM
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I was at a gym last week and saw a portable boulder they had (stays put now because their insurance co won't let them have it non permanent now).
It had 4 panels about 6'WX8'H on 2X6 or maybe even 2X8 framing. The panels are arranged side to side (to form a box) and then bolted together with big L brackets.
So you could take it apart and move it pretty easy. You'd have to add a top to it if you wanted to top out.
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soulsurfer
Oct 14, 2004, 9:32 PM
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soulsurfer,
what kind of impact does that boulder have on your property value? how about your neighbors'???
I guess no impact on my property value. I bought the house for $319K a little over 2 yrs ago and it is presently in esscrow for $555K. I am actually going to disassemble it and take it to the new house. It is a sic wall so I can't part with with leaving it.
My neighbors are cool with it since I don't boulder past 10pm max.
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soulsurfer
Oct 15, 2004, 12:14 AM
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I can't seem to add or paste my bouldering wall pics. Any ideas anyone?
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mazzystr
Oct 15, 2004, 11:55 AM
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In reply to: I guess no impact on my property value. I bought the house for $319K a little over 2 yrs ago and it is presently in esscrow for $555K. I am actually going to disassemble it and take it to the new house. It is a sic wall so I can't part with with leaving it. My neighbors are cool with it since I don't boulder past 10pm max.
heres what my imagination is tellin me...
9pm...two guys are outside hangin in the garage drinking PBR's... talking guy shit... one guy says oh look! old man surfer is at it again! they both observe him sending a v2 on a homemade 8foot x 12foot x 12foot boulder located in his backyard! hilarious! i'm totally picturing King of the Hill!
:lol:
Soulsurfer,
did you use cement or mortor as a surface or is it just plain plywood / particle board?
-C
[edited to correct dims]
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chizelz
Oct 15, 2004, 12:10 PM
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In reply to: I have a free standing boulder in my back yard. One side is 8' wide, the back side is 12' wide and the front is maybe 12' tying it together. It all overhands with different angles on all 3 sides. It is about 11' tall and about 13' of climbing. I will post a few pics when I get home tonight ok. I really like it as a free standing boulder. It cost me around $3K for all the wood and holds. living in San Diego lets me climb on it year round since we don't get much rain and the weather is 40's at coldest in winter and high 80's in summer. But living about a mile from the coast can mean foggy nights in june.
Sounds like a great lil' boulder, looking forward to seeing some pics!!! Wow, 3K.... :shock: thats a lot for a 8x12x12 boulder. What materials did you use? What drove the cost so high?
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soulsurfer
Oct 16, 2004, 4:13 AM
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My 2 photos are still waiting for approval but I posted 1 in my profile and also in my photos. To see them search users and type in soulsurfer. I hope this helps :)
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ctardi
Oct 16, 2004, 4:29 PM
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wow! that is a awesome home-made bouldering wall! :shock: Good job, dude!!
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mazzystr
Oct 18, 2004, 11:32 AM
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:shock: that boulder is amazing!!!
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no_grain
Oct 18, 2004, 12:47 PM
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That is a nice boulder!
If I could afford one, it would be pretty rad to have a overhanging/steep side that changes into a slab for a few feet to provide the transition and possible mantling opportunities.
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overlord
Oct 18, 2004, 1:09 PM
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:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
thats some boulder.
i was thinking along those lines in my innitial post.
can you top it off??? as in mantel????
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chizelz
Oct 18, 2004, 2:13 PM
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:shock: great job on the boulder!!!!! that is exactly the type of boulder that I was hoping to build. Well done!!!
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aarong
Nov 3, 2004, 6:14 PM
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I am also going to build a boulder in my backyard. I have plenty of wood (plywood, 2x4s, etc.) Ideally I would like the frame to be steel but I already have lumber so if I can, I will make it out of wood. I want it at least 12 feet tall. The base will be approx. 5' x 5' on a concrete slab. I want it to look like rock - not box-like in any way. I've researched the various methods of making faux rock and the most economical solution I can find for the result I want is a wood frame with plywood covered in wire mesh and textured. I can't afford to buy EPS foam, steel, and all the coating material to make a Spot Gym-like boulder - though I would love to and I know how.
So my questions are - and please, only answer if you have done this -
1) What kind of wire mesh is preferred? Is the mesh secured using industrial staples, nails, or what?
2) Are the t-nut holes drilled after the wire mesh and texture (exterior) is applied or are the holes drilled first and then plugged with dow rods or something and then textured?
3) Is it difficult to drill through the wire mesh? Do you usually drill from the front of the back (I'm assuming the front but thought it might push the wire mesh into the t-nut hole)?
If you work for one of the big wall companies and work with fiberglass reinforced concrete style walls I would love to hear from you.
Thanks.
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