✓ Member
Wooden squat stands?
I've seen a few DYI squat/bench stand videos pop up. Either 2x4s scabbed together at different lengths to act as a j hook, or 4x4s drilled to fit a bolt to act as a pin. Most of these end up being set in sackcrete in 5 gallon buckets.
My questions:
1) Anybody done something like this? Is it viable as a short term solution?
2) Wouldn't it be more stable to use 2x4 feet rather than messing around with concrete? Plus if you used structural lag screws or even carriage bolts it would be easy to disassemble if needed.
3) 2x4s vs 4x4? Personally I'd lean towards 4x4s for space reasons but I'd like to hear other opinions.
Owner, Starting Strength Colorado Springs
Just one Guys Opinion, and by no means an expert- I think this is a great short term solution, especially for a novice early in their NLP- Allows folks to get their squats/Press in! but I would be worried about these set ups if I was going over 200 lbs.
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I have 4x4 hardwood posts with some scrap 3/16" x 2" flat bar bent to not quite 90 degrees for bar mounts, 3 of 3" long x 1/2" coach screws holding the brackets to the posts. I take the press from the same height as the squat so with an extra set of mounts for benching, two heights look after all 3 lifts.
They are only stands, not a full rack but that's only because I didn't have enough posts lying around at the time. I threw a bunch of sandbags over the legs rather than bolting/concreting to the floor.
Safeties are sheer force of will but I'm weak so it's not a big deal. I need to do something for when I run out of talent. Might find some milk crates with ply tops to bring it to the correct height for benching.
Bench was made from 4x4 offcuts with a garage creeper pad on top. I sat an entire v8/T400 on it while I built an exhaust so its plenty strong for my meagre bench total. The bench is heavy as hell so I screws castors at a 45 degree angle, I just lift a bit and wheel it in/out.
I have often thought about replicating in steel but havent bothered yet. V2 might be a full timber rack with a chin up bar and probably owe me a hundred bucks. No need for 400 adjustment holes since I'm the only one using it.
Member
Matt,
I have done a diy squat rack like the link below. It is not steady and rocks when racking/ unracking weight. I would use the 2x4 instead of 4x4 because the bar fits more securely in the two inch slot and they are cheaper. It costs me around 50-60 dollars. Definitely a short term set up. Here is the link I used. I would post a picture of my setup if I could. It’s definitely a short term solution.
YouTube
✓ Member
I've watched that video and that's what sparked my question. If you're already buying 2x4s, why not screw a couple on either side of the post, letting them extend a couple feet to the front and the back? A couple of angle braces would add more than enough stability. And if you were really concerned about lateral stability you could run a 2x4 between the 2 stands. See attached sketches (obviously not drawn to scale). You could probably integrate safeties into that design, too.Originally Posted by Bdill
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Member
That seems like it would make it a lot more stable. The problem with the one in video seems to be that the weight is distributed finely into a central point and therefore rocks. The cement forms a base that is hard to make level. I would suggest your idea over the cement . Another suggestion is do it like the video and after the cement dries make a cross base under each bucket and screw them into the base of each bucket. That might cut down on the work or have one 2x4 run across the two bases to prevent them from rocking/ shaking asymmetrically. Food for thought, it would interfere with being able to get under the bar directly because the wood would be were your feet should be. Let me know. I cheap substitute for weights is sandbags or rocks in 5 gallon buckets on each side. I can say that has allowed me to increase the weight pretty significantly.
Hopefully it works,
Brandon
✓ Member
Here is what I built this weekend. It's entirely made from doug fir 2x4s. I used 2 1/2" GRK rugged structural screws (lag screw alternatives). It lacks a little lateral stability, so I'm going to add short foot to the back side of the posts, perpendicular to the other feet. The safeties are set for bench pressing but you can see I left the front posts for the safeties long-- I'm going to see if laying a 2x4 on top of the existing one will be high enough to set a squat on. If so I'll connect it to the bench safety with a strap hinge so that it can swing vertically out of the way when not being used. The only other thing I need to do is get some 1 1/2" angle brackets to cover the "j hooks" so the barbell doesn't beat the endgrain all to pieces. The two sides are connected in the middle by a 36" 2x4 with hanger bolts in the ends, and held on the the rear feet with wing nuts so it can be partially disassembled easily.
The bench is basically the design that the guys at The Strength Co are making. I sandwiched 2 pieces of edgeglued pine together for the top, mostly because I didn't have room in the car for a 2x12, and Menards was out of decent 2'x4' plywood panels. I may buy a nice piece of oak for the bench top later and replace it. The bench seems to be pretty damn solid, and it's not that heavy. May be worth keeping even if home gym equipment becomes available/affordable again.
I'm also going to get some 1" dowels to create plate storage at some point. Right now I have my 45s lying across the back feet but there's no good place to put the smaller ones.
On a slick surface, it has a tendency to want to slide a little (especially if you rack your bench presses agressively) but if it were placed on horse trailer mat it would probably provide enough friction to hold it. Otherwise if a guy wanted to bolt it to a platform that would work too.
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