Hanging a Hangboard Help - No Studs in Wall

Alexander, don’t assume the material is plaster. There may be some weird shit, brick, metal nail plate, etc. particularly if this is a load bearing area wider than a doorway. If this is the case, I would suggest finding an ACTUAL doorway/frame and mount there. Your method wasnt flawed. Just use a drill bit and locate your studs. If you make a mess, so what, you’re going to have to patch and paint the holes you already made, at least you’ll already have the materials when you move. 

In my case Molly bolt did not work, the plaster was not strong enough to withstand body weight even with them. I think that it worked with 4" screws because in this weird type of wall the studs are like 3" deep in the wall like Muskrat said.

Cut a matching piece of 2 x 8 (or a piece of plywood) for the other side of the wall. Drill entirely through the hangboard mounting board, the wall, and the matching piece on the other side. Use carriage bolts, washers, and nuts to secure.

ClimbingOn wrote: Wow, you really did that! Crazy.

That is absolutely not how one locates studs. I'm just glad you didn't drill into any wires.

With your level of carpentry skill/knowledge, I'd strongly recommend using one of these instead: https://www.blankslateclimbing.com/product-category/combo-sets/ There are other similar and cheaper options that hang in a door frame with no installation necessary.

I'm sorry, I'm really not trying to be too critical...but wow.

Wow, how about recommending a stud finder instead of being a condescending jerk.

Best thread ever.   By the way, the frame has no door, so it's a big assumption to say "it used to have a door"

Roots wrote: I've had success in similar situations with mounting the hang board to a larger piece of wood like plywood, etc and then mounting that way to the wall. Typically the force you are going to put on it is mostly downward in nature which drywall is fairly strong in.

Don't do this!! I just did this by mistake (screws weren't long enough to get fully in the studs) and decked mid pull up from 10feet up (tall garage door), then punched the screws sticking out of the board (still gripping it hard because it all happened fast) into my legs on the landing. Drywall will not hold a hangboard mounted on plywood!!

You guys know this thread is 2 years old and Alex doesn’t even live there anymore, right?

is the easiest way to do what you want, someone may have said it but I didn't read everything. Buy a chunk of wood, screw your hangboard to said wood, screw bicycle hooks into top of board and hang from a doorway pullup bar. PM for all the technical details, also this happens to be for sale.

edit: didn't see the thread was so old, oh well. someone buy this thing

A couple tweaks and that would be perfect.

1 make the back board you mount the hangboard to the width of the doorframe.

2  add a shim and felt pad so that it sits flush and doenst mark the paint. 

This thread is awesome. No clue how you guys dig these up. I have had the pleasure of working in cheaply built structures trying to find studs, one thing I have found is sometimes there is a heck of a lot of float off the stud. I was mounting a urinal in a old restroom that the dry wall sat almost 3 inches off most of the studs at the bottom. I am guessing they trued the dry wall, shimmed the base and called it good. Absolutely awful to try to work with later. Could be what happened to OP. 

Rob WardenSpaceLizard wrote: A couple tweaks and that would be perfect.

1 make the back board you mount the hangboard to the width of the doorframe.

2  add a shim and felt pad so that it sits flush and doenst mark the paint. 

yeah, I realized that later, although it swinging slightly and being slanted actually makes it harder which is nice sometimes. But I just moved it a little to the right so one edge is up over the doorframe and then duct taped a sock to the back to protect the paint... low tech but it works

Roots wrote: ^Hey not the way I typically search for studs but what he has shown is fairly common so not what I would call "crazy".....

I agree.  Stud finders often work poorly and studs aren't often where they "should" be.  

Russ Keane wrote: Best thread ever.   By the way, the frame has no door, so it's a big assumption to say "it used to have a door"

I don't remember exactly what it was, but it had some spots where there used to be hinges or something.