Hey Flap can’t wait to see your squat stand…
If you are really really good at doing your own stuff, I’ve seen a Squat Rack made in wood, that was pretty awesome, you tube with video of the whole process.
And those concrete weights of @timber is quite impressive.
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There are lots of homemade gym pieces out there. Google away. I thought about building my power rack. I liked this one:
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Could be a fun project if you’re home more than usual, I’d maybe add some aprons or diagonal bracing though, would hate to have racking from your rack
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Threw it together today, I’m still working so it was a one-hour job while daylight was dwindling.
Got some tape holding them while the wood glue hardens and the concrete is set; they’re super sturdy. Going to add some back supports eventually, put metal brackets on for hooks.
Thanks again @jshaving
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Also since I’ve been slacking: burgers from last night, eggs from this AM, patties with pepper jack for dinner.
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Dude hell yeah. That’s going to be sweet when you want to rush into the rack after Widowmaker squats.
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I can’t tell from the picture, but did you also bolt the 2x4’s together? I wouldn’t trust wood glue alone to hold them when under load. I know you’re smart and work in a hands-on trade, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to double check!
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Weights are REALLY fucking hard to come by right now. I would make my own @timber but as opposed to a single loaded machine, where precision with weight isn’t that big of a deal, having them loaded on either side of a barbell means they have to weigh the same or I’m going to fuck myself up - seems like it’d be kind of tough to get it right. I’m searching ebay, craigslist, facebook marketplace - most places are fresh out, people have bought everything up.
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Hell yeah. Good luck.
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Those are 4x4’s, and they’re held together by the concrete at the bottom. There’s one 2x4 at the back that’s not particularly essential, just keeps the weight from rolling off. I’m also thinking of just screwing plates into the sides, but as of now, they’re pretty much stuck together. Definitely not going to put a screw all the way through them and compromise the integrity of the wood, but I was definitely thinking of grabbing some more plates - already used some as my j-hooks, would just need a couple of different types and I could make it real sturdy.
My trade is not carpentry, so definitely a valid question, haha. Just more concerned with the vertical integrity - there’s not much that could pry them apart with the way they’re set and glued.
Oh yeah, I should’ve opened the picture and looked closer. My brief glance made it look like some 2x4’s that were glued together, which would be a different animal entirely. The bracket should be sufficient for keeping the top of the back 2x4 from delaminating. Carry on!
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Yeah the original picture @jshaving shared was of 2x4’s but the easiest blueprint I found involved 4x4’s, except the guy had cut wedges into the 4x4’s and I was worried about the wood splitting, since the weight would be sitting at the bottom, aka the weakest point of the post, so I just used brackets for j-hooks. But I think rear support and brackets to hold the pieces together would be a really good idea.
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Agreed! Once you finish it, you’ll definitely want to test its stability, rocking it side to side and forwards and backwards while supporting a loaded bar to gauge if and where it’s inclined to move under load. You definitely don’t want any surprises when racking or unracking the bar.
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Awesome Flap Well Done.
You could put an iron band (don’t know the exact word) around just to be sure.
You could make the concrete weights and weight them, chop a bit of the heavier one until they are evenly weighted. In my gym at work the 45’s has a 1 kg difference from heaviest to lightest.
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Just ate 6 hard boiled eggs before bed last night. My body is reacting as one would expect - deep, rumbling, horrid farts and 2 shits before noon. Wheeeeee.
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Yeah, honestly I’m starting to wonder if that’ll be my only option, haha.
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Two shits before noon is my middle name.
Are you Native American?
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Otherwise you’re gonna have to grab the bar a small offset from the middle instead of centered. Unless you have some big washers or hang something off the clamp/bar or w/e to add a little weight on one side
I also feel like there might be some genius way to not have the lighter weight right against the collar (space it with a clamp or washer or something) so the overall center of mass is right in the middle, but I dont understand the physics well enough to be sure that won’t be all janky on your left vs right
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The dick’s 300 lb weight set is in stock again for curbside pickup - shitty barbell with a 300lb capacity, but comes with 255 lbs for $239 - nobody’s beating that price right now, probably gonna get it. My other barbell is on the way and has a much higher weight capacity. With my squat stands I can do my lifting day today if I get it.
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