There are Blueprints at the Manufacturer

I had several CAD formats that I gave to my local manufacturer and when he got around to running them using his CNC machine they did not work. This is unfortunately too common. A new version of the program comes out yet the file it outputs has the same file extension despite small changes to the file. This confuses older versions of the program when they try to run the new files.

To solve this problem I had my VP of Engineering whip up five pages of dimensioned drawings and I took that to the manufacturer. Dimensioned drawings spell out all of the dimensions. They are basically blue prints. Using these drawings you would be able to figure out everything you need to know about where to cut. It is a good situation, dimensioned drawings are far more universally accepted than any type of CAD file format.

The Boards are at the Manufacturer

I dropped the two foot long (60cm) boards off at at the local manufacturer yesterday. He said he would try to get to them this week or next.

One of the considerations in a manufacturer is location. In this case the machine shop is less than three miles from my house so if he calls I can be there quickly. Every time that something has to be transported it takes time, money, and gasoline. While I have the time now, money and gas are things that I would rather not use.

Patience Because Things Take Time

I'm waiting on my manufacturer to be ready for me. (Isn't that cool that I have a manufacturer?) He has to order a somewhat rare mill bit and I imagine that can take some time. He also had a few orders ahead of mine so it is taking a little longer than I expected. Fortunately, these extra weeks allowed me to set aside a few hundred dollars in cash to pay for the first batch. This is a boot strapping operation. I'll write a post on that in the near future.

It can be hard to wait for someone else to get to my project because often what is of the highest priority in my life is further down on someone else's priority list. That is all part of business, so it is just a new aspect of business that I am learning.

Here is a picture of the ten cut boards each about two feet long sitting in my basement. This first batch is rather small, a mere ten boards. However, it is what I can afford. Also, once manufacturing has been established and a final product demonstrated it is far easier to manufacture more. I could even sell boards before they are manufactured! (It's actually quite a common practice.)

Choosing the Right Wood

Monday I went to Kettle Moraine Hardwoods in Hartford, Wisconsin to pick out 20 feet of wood to make ten hangboards. As with every choice I wanted to make one that in part reflected my values. I came up with the following list of things that were important to me in this particular project.

1. Sustainable to use. I was not about to use Mahogany because of it's history and current threatened status in it's native Central America. 
2. Durable for climbers. That rules Balsa, Aspen, and Cedar wood out. I know for a fact that pointy metal objects will be used on many of the hangboards and a softer or less dense wood would likely get destroyed quicker. That being said, a softer wood might absorb more sweat and maintain a better grip longer. 
3. Local, at least in Wisconsin. As of now everything for the manufacturing and shipping of these boards will be done in Wisconsin. It is more environmentally friendly to buy local wood than have it shipped for over a thousand miles. 
4. A nice grain structure and color. Each one of these boards will be slightly different and it was important to me that when each one of these is mounted above someone's doorway it looks nice instead of being an eyesore.

When I walked into Kettle Moraine Hardwoods, I was amazed to see they had even more selection than their website suggested. The man that helped me was extremely helpful. I showed him my prototype board, which was made out of Fir, and described what it was for and asked what he suggested. We walked around for a few minutes looking at different woods. One of the competitors boards is made of Ash, I believe. As we looked at the ash he mentioned the Hard Maple in the bin next to it was slightly harder and less prone to splintering. I had never really considered that some wood might be more prone to splintering, which is extremely important for something that will be touching our fingertips and fingernails. The Hard Maple grain looked, expensive. It looked awesome, I was sold.

Hard Maple it is! At least for the first ten production hangboards and fingerboards. The best thing about being such a small company is that things can be changed quickly. If the first ten boards are too slippery, we can try another wood. For now, Hard Maple is my new favorite type of wood. 

Why Create a Hangboard?

"Necessity is the mother of invention." - Attributed to Plato, Frank Zappa and a slew of others.

Wisconsin is flat. Sure there is a famous place called Devil's Lake with classic climbing, including the first 5.13(a/b) or 8a ever climbed named Phlogiston. However, Devil's Lake is two and a half hours one way from my house. There is closer indoor climbing only an hour away. That unfortunately costs money and I am more or less unemployed.

Thus with time on my hands and an idea in my head I decided to figure out how to retain the climbing strength I developed this summer. Reading about Sonnie Trotter making his own hangboards and about the Metolious wood hangboards I was inspired to make my own. Admittedly the first one I made is very rough, carved with chisels. Fortunately, it was enough to do some basic training and figure out what I really wanted.

In an effort to continually create, innovate, and have an income I sought the help of a good WPI friend, Jeff, who was interested in the project. Some CAD work and some time bent over a CNC mill and the next thing I knew I was working out on the hangboard that I designed.

When I started this particular project I was skeptical of how much it would actually be worth for me personally. From previous experience most hangboard holds seemed the same to me. All the holds seemed to be the same depth. There were no slopers, which is what 5.12 climbs and harder consist of. There were jugs, which no 5.12 climber needs. There was nothing vertical, like a crack in a rock that trad climbers would follow. Finally, there was no cutomability. What you bought was what you got. If you wanted to work a specific hold you could not. My goal was to solve those issues and create my perfect training device.

Hangboard Prototyping

All I ever seem to be involved with in Janzen Gear is prototyping. Do not misunderstand me, I have a great time prototyping. It is very creative, experimental, different, and there are many challenges to be overcome. Yet, there is no money in prototyping alone. There must come production at some point.

The Janzen Gear hangboard is currently in it's second prototype design. Today I had the chance to screw it into the wall and try it. It is phenomenal! Why? What makes it so great?

It has features that no other commercially available hangboard has, at least as far as I know. Here is a teaser photo.

The third prototype and likely production model was designed today. It does not exist in wood yet. It will be built in the next few weeks. 

Wood Hangboards

Hangboards, also known as fingerboards, are training devices for rock climbers. They are relatively small boards designed to be screwed or bolted above a doorway. They feature a multitude of different size and angle edges so that rock climbers can exercise their fingers on a range of holds without going to a local gym.

I became seriously interested in hangboards only recently as I moved back to Wisconsin. Having spent the whole summer progressively climbing harder, until Yosemite broke me down. I wanted to maintain some finger strength, but alas there are few mountains around Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. After getting basic rock climbing technique down, the most critical element becomes finger strength. It is very plausible that someone can maintain a relatively high level of rock climbing ability through hangboard training. I considered buying one but once again I could not find exactly what I was looking for, primarily a vertical fingertip crack. In my research I noticed that many were made of wood so I set out to make my own wood hangboard.

I only had a half inch and one inch chisel at my disposal so I went to work. Wood allows some interesting properties because of its anisotropic properties (the grain of the wood). The first prototype is below!

Sorry the picture is fuzzy. I guarantee there will be better pictures in the near future. The second and third have already been CNC machined...