DIY Equipment

[Clay Simczyk]

There are a lot of threads here with questions about equipment. Someone either doesn't have or can't afford something in order to lift properly. I'd like to start a thread to showcase what can be done with a little bit of effort. I have a garage full of tools including a welder and you may not, but if you ask around I'd bet you know someone who does and would be willing to help you out for little or no money. (Note: Alcohol is a perfectly cromulent currency.)

By the way, the idea here is to spread good ideas, not bad ones.

The bad ones go here: shittyrigs.com

[Clay Simczyk]

This is my weight tree. I made it out of square tube and 1-1/4" pipe. This would take someone with moderate welding skill a couple of beers worth of time to do and, like me, may have enough scrap lying around to do it for a couple of beers.

Cost $0 - a bottle of booze

[Simon Rest]

Here is a yoke I made out of 20mm galvanised plumbing pipe, including off the shelf bends and angles. The plates slide on and I used a T junction to secure them. This is about 100kg in mixed shitty iron plates. If I was doing it again I would try to use a bigger diameter cross piece as the 20mm cuts hard into the traps.

Sorry about the shitty photo quality.

[Clay Simczyk]

All you need to make plates for learning pulls is some 3/4" plywood and a jig saw.

Lay an iron 45b plate on the plywood and trace. I used a 2" holesaw for the center, which is slightly too big, but makes a nicer hole. These plates weight a little over 3lbs which gives you a 50lb bar to learn with.

[Gamal]

Question: how about building a power-rack out of steel sign post? The advantage I see is that it has the holes every one inch. Sign post for the four columns, 2x4s for the top and bottom (and the safety bar, and an adjustable bar for changing height). I know Rip doesn't like wood on power racks for the same reason he doesn't like wooden cars, I got that. Please comment on the idea, grateful.
G

[Clay Simczyk]

Are you talking about this? Be more specific.

[Gamal]

The square, metal colored one.

[Clay Simczyk]

If I got a bunch of this for free I'd probably try to do something with it, but I wouldn't buy it with the intent of building a power rack. This is thin walled tubing designed to hold a sign, not any significant weight. If I were building a power rack, I'd go with something along these lines: http://startingstrength.com/files/st...ength_rack.pdf

Like the adage, "If you can't tie a knot, tie a lot," I tend to over-engineer things - because I'm not an engineer.

[Chebass88]

The square, metal colored one.

Just one question for you: Given the size of a pin that could fit within those holes, how much weight do you think it could hold before bending?

[manveer]

Just one question for you: Given the size of a pin that could fit within those holes, how much weight do you think it could hold before bending?

Are you worried about the pin bending? The pin would be extremely strong in shear. The column would buckle first.