Homemade garden chin up bar

shootermacg

Hi guys
I've been thinking about making a chinup bar from wooden posts embedded in the garden (cemented in I guess) with a metal bar on brackets on the top.

Anyone make something similar?
I guess I'll firstly be looking for 8 foot sturdy tempered posts does anyone know a supplier?
Secondly I'll be looking for a crossbar, any ideas?

I was thinking of maybe 2 or 3 bars at various height down the end of the garden.

Cheers!

Mellor

shootermacg wrote: »

Hi guys
I've been thinking about making a chinup bar from wooden posts embedded in the garden (cemented in I guess) with a metal bar on brackets on the top.

Anyone make something similar?
I guess I'll firstly be looking for 8 foot sturdy tempered posts does anyone know a supplier?
Secondly I'll be looking for a crossbar, any ideas?

I was thinking of maybe 2 or 3 bars at various height down the end of the garden.

Cheers!

You'll want concrete not cement, just in case you have no construction experience and arrive home with a bag of cement. You can buy ready mixed stuff in small bags that should suit you.

You'll need them longer than 8 foot as a decent portion will be in the ground. I'd suggest about 1/3 of the length under ground. Also, decent solid timber posts is what you want (steel is tempered, not timber). Any builders suppliers will do. 150mm square or above should do the job.


Are you suggesting that the bars be placed over each other, would the lower bars not get in the way when using the top ones?

shootermacg

Mellor wrote: »

Are you suggesting that the bars be placed over each other, would the lower bars not get in the way when using the top ones?

Cheer's for the reply, yep I know about the mixing ^ ^, even if I don't know the term ^ ^.

I'm going to buy a 3 posts and have 2 bars alongside each other.
Kinda like this:
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I guess you're correct I will have to dig out holes at least 3 feet down.
so that means I'll need at least 10 ft treated poles, probably good to have a hard wood, didn't like the look of the posts in the garden centre tbh.
They'd have to withstand a lot of swinging, maybe 5 or 6 inch square is what I'm after.

Barry.Oglesby

You should check out garden/kid's supply places. My sister just bought a yoke for her kids for decent money with a hanging ladder, rope and some other stuff and it's an A frame so only needs to be fixed rather than buried down.

They might not have exactly what you're looking for but moneywise, it might be cheaper to buy something prefabbed rather than constructing. The timber you're talking about doesn't come cheap.

Mellor

shootermacg wrote: »

I guess you're correct I will have to dig out holes at least 3 feet down.
so that means I'll need at least 10 ft treated poles, probably good to have a hard wood, didn't like the look of the posts in the garden centre tbh.
They'd have to withstand a lot of swinging, maybe 5 or 6 inch square is what I'm after.

If it was me, unless you are very tall, 1500mm square (6") 10 foot long, with 3 foot below ground would be the job. And I'd still put side supports on it, 4 foot at 45 degrees.

Barry.Oglesby wrote: »

They might not have exactly what you're looking for but moneywise, it might be cheaper to buy something prefabbed rather than constructing. The timber you're talking about doesn't come cheap.

I'd be very surprised if that was cheaper.

rubadub

shootermacg wrote: »

I'm going to buy a 3 posts and have 2 bars alongside each other.
Kinda like this:
___
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| |

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| | |
| | |

In cabinteely park they have 4 posts with 3 bars in a line. They have supports at the end. A better idea is to have the bars at 90degree angles to each other, i.e. looking down from the top you will see an L shape. Better still would be the 3 posts making a triangle with 3 bars spanning them so it would be even more secure for swinging. I would want to incorporate dip bars if I was going to the bother of making one. The dip bars could double up as extra supports too.

The simplest option by far is a bar across the tops of 2 even walls (i.e. forming a triangle when looking down), but many gardens will not allow for this. But making use of a single wall as a post can save a lot of trouble.

EDIT: found a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHZ8Kjq4P9k

You could use barbells as the bars. If I made one it would be 3 thicknesses, I did pullups and chins on a 2.6" diameter bar and it was savage, reps dropped by half. A wooden post could make a thick bar. I would head down to a scrap yard, you could get old scaffolding poles very cheaply. I once got 2" copper tube for €6 in a scrap yard, would have been about 80 new I think.

iceage

I was waiting for him to accidently kick one of those kids in the head!:D

weeman2

if you go to your local steel supplier you can get40 mm round galvanised tube very cheap and elbows which can be screwd in place or use scafolding joiners or get them welded if you know anybody that wiil do it for you.

Galvanised steel will last the longest.

This would prob be cheaper than timber too.

Stay away from BaQ, hombase ect they are way over priced go to builders merchants they will be happy to take your money .

Ready mixed concrete is more expensive. Must sand and gravel yards will sell you some small bags of stone, sand and cement for your mix they will also tell you what and how to do it.

You should be able to make a handy set for under €100 euro

shootermacg

rubadub wrote: »

In cabinteely park they have 4 posts with 3 bars in a line. They have supports at the end. A better idea is to have the bars at 90degree angles to each other, i.e. looking down from the top you will see an L shape. Better still would be the 3 posts making a triangle with 3 bars spanning them so it would be even more secure for swinging. I would want to incorporate dip bars if I was going to the bother of making one. The dip bars could double up as extra supports too.

The simplest option by far is a bar across the tops of 2 even walls (i.e. forming a triangle when looking down), but many gardens will not allow for this. But making use of a single wall as a post can save a lot of trouble.

EDIT: found a video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHZ8Kjq4P9k

You could use barbells as the bars. If I made one it would be 3 thicknesses, I did pullups and chins on a 2.6" diameter bar and it was savage, reps dropped by half. A wooden post could make a thick bar. I would head down to a scrap yard, you could get old scaffolding poles very cheaply. I once got 2" copper tube for €6 in a scrap yard, would have been about 80 new I think.

Cheers for the suggestions.
I have plenty of room in the garden. I'd also like it to be free standing so walls are out.
One like the video would be ideal, very sturdy design/shape, I like it a lot! And you guessed it! It's to try and do muscleups ^ ^.
Those are the posts I'd pictured. As far as the cross bars are concerned I wouldn't like it too thick, but I would like them to be at least 5 foot long.
I will definately be embedding them for the sake of neatness.

Tried googling the wooden posts and as of yet I haven't seen them.

Zamboni

rubadub wrote: »

In cabinteely park they have 4 posts with 3 bars in a line. They have supports at the end.

Just for reference I attached a picture of them.
They are brilliant, you could always contact the supplier and see if he'll do a deal for you with a home version.
I wouldn't say they are snowed under with business right now...ya never know

I also wouldn't rule out Barry's suggestion about kids playground stuff.
There are plenty of useful swings sets that can be used for pull up bars and rings etc.

shootermacg

Zamboni wrote: »

Just for reference I attached a picture of them.
They are brilliant, you could always contact the supplier and see if he'll do a deal for you with a home version.
I wouldn't say they are snowed under with business right now...ya never know

I also wouldn't rule out Barry's suggestion about kids playground stuff.
There are plenty of useful swings sets that can be used for pull up bars and rings etc.

Cheers for the pic, yep anything like that really would do, but I'd not need the supports if I go with a square/triangle layout.
But I have to say I'm trying to do this as cheaply as possible. If I manage to get the posts and bars I'll put it together myself.
I have drills and stuff at home, so I should be able to throw it together.

shootermacg

There's actually 6 lengths of 4 by 2 (around 12 feet long) in the garden. I was wondering if I could bolt/stick them together to make 3 posts of 4 by 4.
I'm hoping that would have enough strength to support me. I weigh a little over 80kg atm, hoping to hit 85kg at some stage in the next year or two. Any1 think the above idea has merit?

Barry.Oglesby

Mellor wrote: »

I'd be very surprised if that was cheaper.

Prepare to be surprised then.

Are you sitting down?

The yoke my sis got is massive and cost €300. It's about 18ft long with a variety of attachments and is made form treated logs. They have smaller ones too with all manner of attachments. After concrete, timber, steel (especially if it was fabricated) and hardware I'd be surprised if what the man is talking about came in under €250. It'd still be my choice as it's custom for your needs but I'd be prepared to pay.

It may actually be cheaper to buy a chin and dip station and weatherproof it, though not as cool.

shootermacg

Barry.Oglesby wrote: »

Prepare to be surprised then.

It may actually be cheaper to buy a chin and dip station and weatherproof it, though not as cool.

I actually have this:

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/3357145/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CSport%2Band%2Bleisure%7C14419152/c_2/2%7Ccat_14419152%7CHome%2Bgym%2Bequipment%7C14419293/c_3/3%7Ccat_14419293%7CWeight%2Blifting%2Band%2Bexercise%2Bbenches%7C14419306.htm

Problem is you can't swing your feet etc. It's been great for me and i'm chining and dipping like crazy.
The reason I'm going for the homemade effort is because I can hang rings etc off it and there's no way I'll ever muscle up without being able to swing my legs forward.

If the 2by4 idea is solid then I'm just looking for the crossbars, can't get much cheaper than that ^ ^, with that in mind I'm going to ask around about metal pipes, about an 1 or 2 inch in diameter and some way to fix them to the posts.
I was looking at the doorway chin bars in argos but they only go to 40 inches, but I was hoping for something around 5 or 6 foot in length tbh.

Scuba Ste

You could get some steel electric cable conduit, Ive used it for pullup bars. I'd go with what weeman said though, steel suppliers could get you the whole lot for cheap enough and if you can get a welder the whole thing will be neater and more solid than timber too.

shootermacg

Scuba Ste wrote: »

You could get some steel electric cable conduit, Ive used it for pullup bars. I'd go with what weeman said though, steel suppliers could get you the whole lot for cheap enough and if you can get a welder the whole thing will be neater and more solid than timber too.

Cheers that sounds like exactly what I need. I'll go with the wooden beams, just because I already have them and I can glue them pretty cheaply with a resin.
Just need to find the brackets to attach them to the wood and I'll be all set. No time like the summer to dig holes etc.

Turbo_diesel

This may be of some use

http://howtomatic.com/category/health_and_exercise/10-outdoor-pullup-bar-building-directions-for-a-pullup-bar

shootermacg

Turbo_diesel wrote: »

This may be of some use

http://howtomatic.com/category/health_and_exercise/10-outdoor-pullup-bar-building-directions-for-a-pullup-bar

Cheers for that, it's a pretty good solution. I'd love to kow how he managed to dig such small holes ^ ^. I'll be aming for 3 foot holes at least.

holdfast

Just a thought but would scaffolding tubes but worth trying. Not as good looking but very strong and weatherproof.

shootermacg

holdfast wrote: »

Just a thought but would scaffolding tubes but worth trying. Not as good looking but very strong and weatherproof.

If it was just up to me it'd be fine, but the wife would flip ^ ^. Showed her a pic of the wooden L shaped efforts and she's happy with that.
I'll just paint 4 x 4, it's handy that those are in the garden already.
Going to buy some wood glue this weekend and look for some bars, in a pinch I'll buy the 3.5 foot chin bars at argos, although I'd like something a bit longer that actually went through the wooden poles.

I'll post a pic when it's up ^ ^.

rubadub

shootermacg wrote: »

in a pinch I'll buy the 3.5 foot chin bars at argos, although I'd like something a bit longer that actually went through the wooden poles.

Those chinup bars have telescopic ends, you could hack saw the ends off and have it pass through the post of just place them on top of the post and secure down with a screw down brace. If you install them as normal there is no door frame to give resistance, so when you twist it out it will push your posts apart, so they would have to be very strong. Also the bars are weak since they have the screw in assembly, they are rated to only 95kg or so, and you mentioned swinging which will generate lots of force.

I would ring around local scrap yards, they would be bound to have some, in work we only threw out some poles in work but they would have been too weak to use.

http://www.goldenpages.ie/category_Scrap+Iron+&+Metals_Ireland-1.html

shootermacg

rubadub wrote: »

Those chinup bars have telescopic ends, you could hack saw the ends off and have it pass through the post of just place them on top of the post and secure down with a screw down brace. If you install them as normal there is no door frame to give resistance, so when you twist it out it will push your posts apart, so they would have to be very strong. Also the bars are weak since they have the screw in assembly, they are rated to only 95kg or so, and you mentioned swinging which will generate lots of force.

I would ring around local scrap yards, they would be bound to have some, in work we only threw out some poles in work but they would have been too weak to use.

http://www.goldenpages.ie/category_Scrap+Iron+&+Metals_Ireland-1.html

Cheers Rub! Didn't factor that in, you've saved me a few quid!
I'll phone the scrap boys tomorrow and see about the bars.
I'll probably be looking at the bars going through the posts because there will be more than one level and I'll be sawing a point on the top of the posts to match up with the decking posts(just trying to keep the wife happy;)).