Hey guys! Consider me pretty much an absolute newbie to the sport. My wife, daughter, and I have taken a few classes at our local gym and climbed there on occasion, but I don't really know anything beyond how to belay and very basic techniques.

That said, I'm looking to build a small wall in the basement as a Christmas present for the kids. It would be nice if I could use it as well though, maybe just to practice holds and work on endurance. Problem is, I'm a big guy at about 280lbs. From what I can tell people recommend using 3/4" plywood and t-nuts spaced about every 8 inches. Will that type of setup support my weight? I'd have a vertical section, a section at the top with 45 degree angles, a completely horizontal section on the ceiling, and probably a section at something closer to a 60 degrees.

Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated on making this strong enough to support my weight, if that's even possible.

Thanks!

3/4 plywood will be just fine, it's what has been used for many years even in comercial gyms, so it's plenty strong. Just make sure that the support structure behind it is strong enough as well. I have always used 2x6's placed 24" on center , but if you're worried you could use 2x6's at 16" on center, or even bump it up to 2x8's. Have fun with your new wall!

Is there a good resource somewhere that talks about the different holds and how strong each type is?

No, any commercial climbing hold you buy will be plenty strong by itself to hold your entire weight plus a lot more. That doesn't mean that over time it won't get cracked and eventually break with use, but that's just what happens with holds. I think you're worrying way to much about all of this, just build your wall and enjoy.