Homemade drytooling tools

[Fall 2026 · Personal project · Design, machining, testing]

I made my own dry tools -- tools that resemble technical ice pics, which I intend to use for indoor training for ice climbing.

Tools: Fusion 360, Router, Machining, Testing

climbingdesignmachiningCNClatheepoxy
Homemade drytooling tools

I wanted to have a way to train indoors for ice climbing, so I designed and made my own dry tools.

This design is definitely an overkill, but I wanted to try working across multiple different materials and I wanted the end result to look nice (in addition to being functional).

As it is the case with many of my projects, I wanted to minimize costs and so I only used materials I scavenged for free. Thus, total budget: $0

Assembly (per tool):

  1. Aluminum core - 1x waterjet aluminum (0.25'', 6061)

- these were tested alone -- in Fusion FEA and by me handing on them -- to hold my weight and me jumping on them slightly. Great!

  1. Two wooden panels - that will sandwich the aluminum plate.

- CNC router: cut out the overall shape, holes

- Router: add curved edges

  1. Brass dowel pins - turned to size on a lathe from stock

- these are mostly entirely aestetic

  1. Glueup - epoxy

- assemble the tools and slather them with epoxy, clamp and wait to cure.

  1. Add Rubber Toe - superglue

And, they're done!

Below are some photos of WIP. I will add a nice photo of the completed tools once I take it.

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