Free-standing Pullup/Chin-up bar -- would appreciate input

DeadHamDeadHam Acolyte
edited July 2010 in Life
Okay folks, so I'm moving into a new place and I'd like the ability to workout at-home. But, it's a rental and dont wanna screw a chinup bar into a door frame. I could, it would be cheap and easy, but there would be a hidden cost of the Landlord eventually taking some of the security deposit and/or the doorframe getting really fucked up.

Sinking two posts in cement and putting a bar between them is a very attractive alternative, but alas, impossible due to a) very limited land (edge of gravel driveway, meh) b) landlord not allowing it/getting pissed c) WINTER

So, I'd like to make a free standing pullup/chinup bar.
Advantages
  • can move it indoors come Fall/Winter
  • Can sell it when I move and recoup some of the costs
  • It'd be fun and somewhat challenging to construct
  • When I move it indoors (I have the space), people at parties will be like "I can do pullups" and I will smirk and then toast them in competition (Im in college, btw, and it will be in the Keg room)

so here are my crude plans
freestandingchinupbarfr.jpg
freestandingchinupbarov.jpg
Please critique these heavily. Stability it my major concern, I want as little wobbling as possible.


Other thoughts:
this website has tons of plans for similar contraptions, but frankly they seem super wobbly -- some of them frankly make my LOL

I have no desire for slanted, lat-pulldown type handles, I just want a straight bar to do pullups on

Comments

  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited July 2010
    Looks very unstable. Try a design with triangles. If you try to buld that out of anything but 1" carbon steel tube, it is sure to collapse.

    #1 Can you weld?
    #2 How much space do you have for this
    #3 Why just not get a no-screw doorframe bar?
  • VirusVirus Semo-Regulars
    edited July 2010
    Very unstable because there is too much opportunity for torsional and racking stress (see explanation figure below:

    types_of_stress.gif

    This is because you are working with squares rather than triangles and only brave using a 2 45-45-90 triangles (equilateral are the strongest btw) to brace movement parallel to the x-axis (ground), but does little in the way to cope with the torsional stress that will be exerted on the design when you are pulling your self upward and letting yourself back down due to the asymmetrical nature of the human body at work. You do make an attempt to cope with the torsional stress via two triangular structures at the base, but unfortunately, that setup only moves the stress to a different part of the wood .
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited July 2010
    If you insist on using wood, why not go with the design on the site? My only concern about it though is sideways wobble. If you add an X strut between the two vertical bars, it should fix that.

    Chin_r.gif

    And glad to see you virus.
  • Jolt890Jolt890 Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    I'd make the bottom of those legs on that design extend out further, stability is key when constructing anything that will be built inside a keg room.

    Personally, I'd just take some 1/2'' bolts with eyelets and drill them into the ceiling truss/spans, hang some 500lb aircraft cable from them to support a bar, but I'm guessing that'd be a no no with the landlord, although it'd be pretty easy to cover up afterwards.
  • DeadHamDeadHam Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    Looks very unstable. Try a design with triangles. If you try to buld that out of anything but 1" carbon steel tube, it is sure to collapse.

    #1 Can you weld?
    #2 How much space do you have for this
    #3 Why just not get a no-screw doorframe bar?

    cant weld, do have fiends who can and who have access to welding equipment, why ask/tell me what I can do with that?

    Space - ...... dunno. Im at my parents house and wont be at the rental until saturday (they're in different states). I just had this pipedream of using my parents tools, while I had access to it, to construct a kewl pullup bar.

    That is the easiest, most logical answer, but frankly, I would prefer a wider grip than those offer. If Im gonna be doing a fuckton of pullups over the next year, I figure I might as well invest in a good bar, ya know?
  • DeadHamDeadHam Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    Jolt890 wrote: »
    I'd make the bottom of those legs on that design extend out further, stability is key when constructing anything that will be built inside a keg room.

    Personally, I'd just take some 1/2'' bolts with eyelets and drill them into the ceiling truss/spans, hang some 500lb aircraft cable from them to support a bar, but I'm guessing that'd be a no no with the landlord, although it'd be pretty easy to cover up afterwards.

    this has potential. are you talking about basically finding ceiling studs and putting I-bolts in them and connecting such bolts? cuz if so.. that would open up the possibility of installing a rock climbing-type pullup bar/setup, which is preferable in all aspect 'cept showin' off at parties... yeah, in all aspects!
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited July 2010
    Get a studfinder then!
  • Jolt890Jolt890 Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    DeadHam wrote: »
    this has potential. are you talking about basically finding ceiling studs and putting I-bolts in them and connecting such bolts? cuz if so.. that would open up the possibility of installing a rock climbing-type pullup bar/setup, which is preferable in all aspect 'cept showin' off at parties... yeah, in all aspects!

    I think you got the jist. Just make sure you get a decnt stud finder and hit those beams in the ceiling on center.

    If you wanted you could get a couple of fake plants and hang them from it while you're not using the bar, that way if the landlord stops by to do repairs or something he probably won't care about some flowers, little does he know that you and your friends are hanging from this shit like monkeys.
    When you move out you can just unscrew the bolts and cover with spackle.
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited July 2010
    Hey, if you don't have wooden beams, and chances are you don't in an apartment complex, try this;

    sg3ghy.jpg

    Of course, the magnets wouldn't be cheap...
    I also doubt the sheetrock would touch the I beams, but you never know.
  • Jolt890Jolt890 Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    Hey, if you don't have wooden beams, and chances are you don't in an apartment complex, try this;

    {image}

    Of course, the magnets wouldn't be cheap...
    I also doubt the sheetrock would touch the I beams, but you never know.

    Except the magnet and rocking force of the pullups would pulverise the sheetrock.

    It doesn't matter anyways because the sheetrock would never be flush against the steel like what you have pictured.
  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited July 2010
    Jolt890 wrote: »
    It doesn't matter anyways because the sheetrock would never be flush against the steel like what you have pictured.

    I stated that. picture.php?albumid=1&pictureid=5
  • Jolt890Jolt890 Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    I stated that. picture.php?albumid=1&pictureid=5

    And I reiterated it...

    The question is why didn't you delete your post after you realized that it made no sense?

    Now everyone has to load a shitty image with no relevance to the topic.
  • megamanmegaman Acolyte
    edited July 2010
    Looks very unstable. Try a design with triangles. If you try to buld that out of anything but 1" carbon steel tube, it is sure to collapse.

    #1 Can you weld?
    #2 How much space do you have for this
    #3 Why just not get a no-screw doorframe bar?

    I know this is a lazy route but one of my friends has number three and it is surprisingly good unless you swing you body backwards whale holding onto it but even then you would have to got out of your way to make it not work well.
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