Nicholas Herreros Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I know many have already talked about homemade parallel bars but,I have an idea and wonder if anyone has tried anything like this? I want to attach cables or a rope thru a PVC pipe (1 1/2" to 2" in dia) attached wall to wall (approx. 10ft. apart) with the use of anchor bolts / eye bolts in my wall studs. This should allow me to unclip / unhook the rope or the cable and set the bars aside out of my way when not in use. I definitely need the bars to be at least strong enough to do swinging dips. I think the idea will work but i'm wondering if they will sway around &require some extra support? Any advice would be appreciated before i give my idea a try.Or if anyone has done this already what did you do to make it work? Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Heiden Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I hate to rain on your parade but I would expect the amount of tension in the rope/chord/cable running through the PVC would have to be immense (a lot for a wall anchor). Even with plenty of tension I would expect the PVC to wobble/sink when you support yourself on it, not to mention it would roll around on the cable unless you filled out the middle with something. This doesn't seem very practical - but I'd be happy to see you prove me wrong of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Naterman Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 The forces would be very high, and these would not be stable. I do not, repeat, do not advise that you attempt this design. A floor-mounted design is pretty important for safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Naterman Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 I think the creativity and out-of-the-box thinking is commendable, but this would be a needlessly dangerous design. The best thing you could make would be a modular metal set. This could be done for 200-300 dollars, including the services of a welding shop. They would be heavy (maybe 100 pounds total) but sturdy, and could be taken apart and put together fairly quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas Herreros Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 Okay, so after some thought here is my new idea, I happened to walk into Home Depot the other day and noticed that they sell 1 5/8" x 12 ft. dowels (handrail) for $12. It's very sturdy stuff, at least for me at 150lbs. I spanned it across some wood and other stuff there and hung onto it, it feels pretty solid, enough for Foundation work for me. Here's a little rundown on how and where i want to put this idea to use. I work out in a shed that's only 10ft. wide. So the parallel bars will be 10 ft. long. I want to make a clamp of (2) 2x4's or (2) 2x6's . Each side of the clamp (top & bottom "seat") with have a 90 degree cutout the same size as the dowel used, so it will be a square cutout in two boards. One side of the clamp (bottom) will serve as a seat and the other will be the top which will be removable so the bars can be removed. I want to attach an angle to both sides of the clamp and put a bolt through the angle and attach it with a wing nut so it can be easily removed. There will be a clamp system on each wall, to catch the ends of the bars. As of now my main concern is how to keep the bars from rotating without putting pins through them which may cause some cracking, hence the clamp idea. My other concern is too much sagging of the bar, which i have some ideas on how i can control that if it is a problem. I attached a rough sketch and would like to get some feedback on your thoughts and ideas so i can improve the design or scrap my whole idea. Thanks, Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Slocum Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Why do you want 10' long parallel bars? You're never going to need more than 3-4 feet. I'd recommend using steel pipe: it'll never crack or sag, and you can put pins into it, or make a freestanding set with some more pipe and T-fittings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FREDERIC DUPONT Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Why do you want 10' long parallel bars? Because his walls are 10 ft apart - because floor space is always at a premium, and hanging the things on opposing walls is a great idea to minimize floor clutter, and installation/construction.Agreed, steel pipe is the way to go unless you have access to wood rods with fiberglass inserts I am finishing mine; my walls are 8 feet apart - I am using 35mm steel pipe and one bracket/cradle made with a piece of 2x4 on each wall - the brackets are slotted to receive the bars. I'll post pictures in a few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blairbob Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.crossfitsantacruz.com/.a/6a00d834515d6769e20105367cecca970b-500wi&imgrefurl=http://www.crossfitsantacruz.com/crossfit_santa_cruz/2008/12/page/2/&h=332&w=500&sz=40&tbnid=-aoows5xI0Y9XM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=136&zoom=1&usg=__ZnfgBxTjpASyEZXrX_8yRHzUKqg=&docid=hD2H0_-PjS9wTM&sa=X&ei=Uqa_Ua2vAof-0gGF9YGADA&ved=0CFsQ9QEwBQ&dur=352 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U70mNkAjSH8 http://shop.powermonkeyfitness.com/product-p/pbars.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas Herreros Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 Because his walls are 10 ft apart - because floor space is always at a premium, and hanging the things on opposing walls is a great idea to minimize floor clutter, and installation/construction.Agreed, steel pipe is the way to go unless you have access to wood rods with fiberglass inserts I am finishing mine; my walls are 8 feet apart - I am using 35mm steel pipe and one bracket/cradle made with a piece of 2x4 on each wall - the brackets are slotted to receive the bars. I'll post pictures in a few weeks. Yes, walls are 10 ft. apart. Yes, less clutter is better for me at the moment and i like the idea of being able to easily remove them to get them out of the way when i want to. I also am thinking about wood bars for 2 reasons, I think its more comfortable and its cheap, i like the cheap idea best (unless i get my hands on free scrap pipe). 2x4, bolts and free bedframe angle are cheap, i'm thinking i can build this for around 30 bucks. I do want to build a self standing outdoor gym / kids playset that'll accommodate kid swings, slide, monkey bars, parallel bars, pull up bar and a place to put rings and a rope. But that'll be at a later date. So, you said your brackets are slotted to receive the bars? Interesting...so you have something always attached to the bars that allows you to just set the bar down in place (another idea popped in my head)? I'd really like to see those photos as soon as you get them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas Herreros Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Dude,Why not add a couple 2x4s mounted vertically against the wall from the floor to the '2x4 clamp seat'? Allowing the clamp seat to 'rest' on them. Yes, i agree. Good idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Hernandez Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Why do you want 10' long parallel bars? You're never going to need more than 3-4 feet. I'd recommend using steel pipe: it'll never crack or sag, and you can put pins into it, or make a freestanding set with some more pipe and T-fittings. Would a rig like this get me through the parallel bar work in F1 (Dips)? At about 1:00 of the video. I am just planning ahead for future equipment needs. Outdoor training in Minnesota is out of the question with our brutal cold winters. Thanks. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justus0704 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Why not just use rings for the dips or negative dips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Slocum Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 That would be sufficient for dips, but not for Korean dips or single bar dips, which come later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikkel Ravn Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 Would a rig like this get me through the parallel bar work in F1 (Dips)? At about 1:00 of the video. I am just planning ahead for future equipment needs. Outdoor training in Minnesota is out of the question with our brutal cold winters. Thanks. MikeFor F1, yes. For F2, no, you need a higher bar (chest or higher), with a space below which is not obstructed by crossbars etc. However, it may be possible to combine the utility of the above dip station with a doorway pullup bar mounted at chest height. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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