DIY CNC project - Climbing hangboard for practice

This project is great for exploring new possibilities by using your CNC machine in its 3D capacity. It is the perfect example of where a CNC machine is way more precise than the human hand, but also faster than a 3D printer. The extra is that you can make this project out of materials a 3D printer can use. Typically, for a hangboard you have to use solid wood to avoid blisters. 

As this project includes a good amount of material removal and as surface finish is the key here, a good clamping is very important !  In order to clamp the piece securely, we decided to use long wood screws to screw our handboard directly onto our spoiler board but there are many other techniques you could use.

We used one massive 212 x 505 x40 mm piece of beech for this project, but you can use any solid wood you like. Oversizing your stock 20 mm at all sides will seriously help you clamp it properly. 

We used a 8 mm 3-flute flat end mill for this project. You can buy one directly on our webshop. 

If you’d like to edit the Fusion360 project (to use another end mill for example) you can download it here.

The G-code is made out of 6 operations:

• We start by making the pockets for the fingers. The spindle should be set to run at 20-25 000 rpm as our feedrate is 3200 mm/min. The pass height is set to be 2.5 mm.
• Next we’ll mill the slope of the board and round the edge of the pockets and the edges. The spindle should be set to run at 20-25 000 rpm as our feedrate is 3200 mm/min. The pass height is set to be 2.5 mm.
• We now flatten the upper part of the hangboard with a parallel operation which will round the upper edge of the board. The spindle should be set to run at 20-25 000 rpm as our feedrate is 3200 mm/min. 
• The pocket on the upper side of the board is a 3D pocket which leaves a heavy chamfer in the inside. The spindle should be set to run at 20-25 000 rpm as our feedrate is 3200 mm/min. The step height is set to 2.5 mm.
• To clean up the chamfer and round the edges, we use a parallel operation.The spindle should be set to run at 20-25 000 rpm as our feedrate is 3200 mm/min. 
• The last operation is a contour path to free the board with a 0.3 mm axial stock to leave you will have to cut with a chisel or a sharp knife.The spindle should be set to run at 20-25 000 rpm as our feedrate is 3200 mm/min. The step height is set to 2.5 mm.

Download Autodesk Fusion 360 and G-Code files

Mekanika is a Belgian startup based in Brussels whose ambition is to make local production more accessible. We produce desktop machines for screen printing and CNC milling, which have been recognized for their quality and ease of use, with open source plans allowing makers to adapt their tools to their specific needs. 

Visit our shop to find out more, or check out our tutorials to continue learning.