Hanging rings from engineered floor joists

[Glen Eames]

Just wondering if anyone has hung their rings or pull-up bar from engineered floor joists?  How'd you do it and how sturdy does it feel?  Having done some research I saw a thread on another site about someone screwing lag bolts into the bottom flanges across a few joists to hang rings but I wanted to ask around some more before I go drilling.  Mine are not exposed and I don't want to cut away a huge section of drywall.  

[Rob Kowalski]

They're made specifically to bear load from the top, not beneath.  I'm in the same situation as you, just haven't gotten around to installing the rings in my basement because I've already got another location that works (even though my wife hates it).

 

Do NOT bolt into the bottom of the L joists.  It is not meant to support load.

 

The best recommendation I've had (from engineers/carpenters) would be to have two wide strips of plywood that get bolted to each other on either side of the OSB, preferably near the top of the joist because that's where the compression point would be if there's a load coming from beneath.  I was planning on doing it to two side by side joists, and then running 2 pipes between them to hang the rings off of (one on each pipe).  Hope that makes sense.

 

In your situation, you would need to cut away some drywall to achieve this.  If you don't want to to this, another option would be to build some sort of really wide (distance between the 2 posts should be greater than your wingspan) pull up bar, that reaches your ceiling, and then hanging the rings off of that. 

 

What I currently have set up, which isn't always ideal, is 2 industrial strength shelf brackets (support 1000 Ibs) bolted above a doorway (luckily it's a vaulted ceiling, so I could get extra height).  I have plenty of room to do front/back levers without a wall getting in the way.  My wife hates it though because the rings are always hanging in the walkway.

[Glen Eames]

Thank you Rob, that is some good information.  I've read several times that the bottom flanges are not load bearing, but every now and then I'd read somewhere saying it's okay.  Conflicting to say the least.  And I've thought about doing what you said to the OSB, but it's in my garage and if I take down the drywall there is insulation in there and I don't feel like messing with that as it's below my kids rooms.  Sure I could repack it and put it back together but I'd hate to take chances.  

 

Here is the link to other thread I was reading:

 

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=142002711&page=1

 

And here is a link to another fact sheet about drilling into the bottom flange.  It says maximum load is 500lbs every 5ft:

 

Bottom Flange TJI Attachment Connections

 

And for what it's worth I have TJI 230 joists

 

I've considered just bolting up an 8' long 2x4 and try to hit as many of them as I could.  I should hit at least 5 of them..  Then hang the rings off of the 2x4 from some heavy duty eyebolts or something.

[Rob Kowalski]

That first link doesn't mention engineered L joists, so I'd be weary of the advice given.

 

I would get 2 pieces of hardwood (oak, maple, etc), or maybe even steel, and bolt each one to 2 joists (bolts at either end of the wood).  And then bolt whatever you need to hang the rings to those.  That way you've distributed the load across 2 joists, at 2 locations on each joist.  Now I'd be concerned with how much load the pieces of wood could bear.  Perhaps you should go with steel (or two of those ring hangers).

 

While 500Ibs doesn't seem like much, just remember that it's not a static weight on the rings.  It's been a while since I've done physics, but I'm sure there are moves on the rings that put more than 500 Ibs of pressure on whatever is holding the rings. 

 

And I'd just like to add a disclaimer.  I am by no means an expert on this, so take what I say with some caution.  And use mats if possible 

 

Edit: Just looked at those hangers in more detail, and they span 3 joists, so they may work.  Again, do so with caution 

[Glen Eames]

That first link doesn't mention engineered L joists, so I'd be weary of the advice given.

 

 

If you scroll down to the bottom of page one it shows his house plans where he discovered he has the engineered "I" beams, almost the exact same ones that I have, and how he goes about dealing with it.  Unless I am reading it completely wrong.  And no worries, I take all advice with a grain of salt.   

[Rob Kowalski]

If you scroll down to the bottom of page one it shows his house plans where he discovered he has the engineered "I" beams, almost the exact same ones that I have, and how he goes about dealing with it.  Unless I am reading it completely wrong.  And no worries, I take all advice with a grain of salt.   

 

Oh ok.  I did a "find" for the word engineered and it didn't find anything so I assumed it wasn't mentioned, my mistake.  One thing I just noticed in that pdf is that it says "Loads applied or attached to the bottom flange must be accounted for in the design of the joist".  It probably won't be a problem for you, unless you have a giant garage, but the joists in my basement span almost the entire basement, which concerns me because I know the layout wasn't designed for load bearing beneath. 

[Matt Miller]

By "engineered floor joist" are you talking about an I-beam?  If so, I hung my rings from one and it works well.  Basically glued a 2' 2x10 to the I-beam, directly above the bottom lip.  Then after the glue dried I put some screws in from the back of the I-beam to aid the glue in holding it.  This allowed me to have enough surface area to screw up from the bottom of the joist, into the dead center of the 2x10 (from the 2" side).  I spaced my rings 19" apart, so I have one screw close to both sides of the 2-ft 2x10, which supports the load and distributes it across a larger area of the I-beam.

 

I'm 180 lb. and have used them for several months now with no problems.  I wouldn't advise any swinging on them, as there is a very slight bend in the beam, but they work great.  If this is what you are referring to I can snap a couple of pictures if you'd like.  My joists were exposed though b/c they are in an unfinished basement.  This won't help you in a finished room.

[Glen Eames]

By "engineered floor joist" are you talking about an I-beam? 

 

If this is what you are referring to I can snap a couple of pictures if you'd like.  My joists were exposed though b/c they are in an unfinished basement.  This won't help you in a finished room.

Yes I am.  I have TJI 230's.  It's basically a 1' deep strip of OSB with a 2x3 on the top and and bottom (more or less).

 

I'd love to see some pics to help better understand and to see what you did.  Thanks!

[Matt Miller]

Here are a couple of pics. The nails sticking out the side have nothing to do with the installation... They are simply used to hold the rings when not in use so my kids won't go hanging upside down on them when I'm not around.

[Mark Weaver]

I've got two setups using the I beams.  One in my unfinished basement, and one in my garage where the ceiling has sheet rock.

 

For the basement, I got 1" electrical conduit and some metal straps and screwed it into the bottom of the joists, spanning 3 of them.  I put up another one offset by the distance rings are normally spaced.  So each ring was going over the metal conduit, which was supported by 3 beams.  Since then I've actually just put in some big eye bolts in to the bottom and hooked in with carabiners because it's faster than looping the straps over the bar and re-threading them.

 

In the garage, I used a stud detector to find four of the joists, and spanned them with a 2x4.  Before I put the two by four up I put two lengths of 1" nylon tubular webbing the same distance apart as the rings.  On the end of each is a loop that I can clip in with the carabiners.  The webbing is held in place by the friction of the 2x4 and the sheetrock.

 

Basement in the winter, garage in the summer.

[Matt Temple]

TJI's are truss joist "I" beams. The top and bottom flanges are tenssion and compression rails with an OSB bonding web. (oriented strand board)

The I joist has engineering instructions provided by the manufacturer which states " do not cut the top or bottom rails. Even large lags in the flanges are potentially undesirable (thinner screws are less compromising). 

Notching and boring specifications say avoid the top and bottom third by many Engineers standards which can be amended to minimum specifications.

 

Further stating: web stiffeners (padding it out) in applicable lengths and widths made an effective loading transfer for specialized applications including blocking on load collector lines.

 

I have an AutoCAD file for PDF transfer via email. 

I'm not a gymnist but admire the work. As an Engineer I have been involved in some fun stuff and wanted to share what I have experienced.

The TJI's need lateral support from "Rolling action" found in bridging and solid blocking. Creating a deflection envelope by mechanically bonding several joist bays' with all thread in both directions will disperse the loading. That method is called a compression box. That reduces "Rolling" action.

Good luck!