Im not trying to crash your plans or insult you so please dont take this the wrong way. If you have not had much training/experience in welding,especialy aluminun, dont even attempt this. I was a certified welder for a long time, and did make my first two climbers. I have alot of experience in fabrication with metal and i can tell ya, your not going to be able to makea climberthat is even close to being better than the ones on the market. most of the materials they use are not readily available to us. They are cut, shaped, bent and welded with machines. We have access to mainly aluminum angle, flat stock,and square stock.thereare many years of development on these stands to get them where they are today. I understand your desire to make your own, im a fabrication nut as well, I make alot of my stuff to Trust me, if you have never done aluminum welding, you dont want to even attempt it on a climber,,to risky. There is an art to learning it, and without a foot pedal on your welder to control your heat/amps its not recomended to try on a climber.