Fun with Climbing Hangboard

This hangboard is designed to transfer the vertical load of pull-up into compression force into the wall, thereby supporting the weight of the climber with friction. This allows for the climbing hold to be used without any permanent fixturing to the walls (useful when living in rented homes!) By creating a design that is minimally sized and lightweight, the hangboard could be used easily and stored away when not in use.

My design started with quick all-wood prototypes. After proving the design and then donating the prototypes to friends, I turned to using Aluminum extrusions for the ease of manufacturing, and relative strength-to-weight ratio. The dimensions were chosen to minimize the compression force on the wall, while still creating enough vertical friction to support the climber's weight without relying on the door frame's vertical edge.