It's "making and doing" time...

Hi All,

Back in the summer I spent some time learning some traditional blacksmithing and (not traditional) welding (MIG), and am planning to put this knowledge to use making stuff other than fire-pokers, kitchen knives and candlestick holders ...something for fitness and fun!

Since I am now back to being a long way from any thing resembling a full hang muscle-up, or performing any sort of HS on rings, I have put my pland for building some kind of ring station on hold, and would like some advice on whet else would be handy to have around?

My first thoughts turn to a set of outside PBars, possibly with the uprights on one end extending highenough for a pull-up bar, or possibly some stall bars? I have access to blasting and exterior coatings, as one of my friends is a Master Blacksmith. Actually, the kids might get more use out of the stall bars than the pull-up bar.

1. What sort of height would be good for the bars? What sort of length? What sort of diameter for the tubing?

2. Anyone got any better ideas?

Thanks,

George.

PS: I have somewhere to hand my rings in the garage, so I will be able to use them perfectly well for my current (and immediate future) strength levels. Certainly until I am ready to build some more kit.

hi george,

not sure if this may help you, but I bought this scaffold (70eur) to funcion as a set of PB, GHR and BOX (for HeSPU) as space is a costraint.

http://www.facalscale.it/images/trabattelli/pony2.gif

if you can make it solid enough and evolve it a bit, can also easily integrate a stall bar. I made the wood panel removable by turning an L hook to be used as a GHR.

It all depends on how much space you can manage, given unlimited space I will build apparatus resembling the real ones.

gymnova has a very good catalogue with dimensions of every possible gym needs.

http://www.gymnova.com/en/espace-telechargement

hope it helps.

Stall Bars and Parallel Bars are the biggies. But i think a number of us have been looking to come up with a GHR attachment, bench etc. I don't know how much you really need a foundry for that though. However, where there's a will there's a way, right?

I just made a set of PBs with a square steel tubing, just finished painting it last night, hope to get some photos up soon.

I have seen the technical requirements for gymnastic equipment, somewhere, in fact I got the pdf, but not in this computer. Let me search it...

Found it!

http://www.fig-gymnastics.com/vsite/vnavsite/page/directory/0,10853,5187-188050-205272-nav-list,00.html

Download the PDFs , all the specifications and measures are there (mostly), even there is a document with the testing needed to certify equipment!.

You could weld up a sled / prowler if you don't have one.

Lots of examples out there.

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google "homemade parallel bars" for other examples and directions.

whaleysa said:

You could weld up a sled / prowler if you don't have one.

Lots of examples out there.

Great idea!

Cool, thanks guys!

I have already got a prowler underway ...though it's only gotten as far as the sled stage so far. I have been dragging a tractor tyre over the bad weather, since it saves everything getting rusty. Also planning to use some 2 inch tube to make a thick bar for my Oly weights, and possibly some kind of trap/farmers walk bar. It's nice having a 180A MIG welder!! Not least as steel stock seems to be a lot cheaper than wood these days.

Those dimensions and pictures of actual equipment will come in very handy. I had forgotten about the thread with the PBars at CF Santa Cruz. What I have in mind is actually quite similar to that, but with square steel tubing for the wooden parts, and the rails welded straight on.

Next step - do some drawings and see how they look, and what I'll need. I'll probably post those up in case anyone's interested. My Blacksmith friend kindly allows me to raid the offcut pile, which will likely have most of the stuff I need for making the PBars and anything smaller. It's a big setup round there, and they do a lot of fabrication work as well, so there's normally plenty to choose from.

The scaffold is a good idea. I might try and get hold of some (or borrow) for doing some prototype work, getting things right before making the proper items.

Cheers,

George

swarovski said:

hi george,

not sure if this may help you, but I bought this scaffold (70eur) to funcion as a set of PB, GHR and BOX (for HeSPU) as space is a costraint.

http://www.facalscale.it/images/trabattelli/pony2.gif

if you can make it solid enough and evolve it a bit, can also easily integrate a stall bar. I made the wood panel removable by turning an L hook to be used as a GHR.

It all depends on how much space you can manage, given unlimited space I will build apparatus resembling the real ones.

gymnova has a very good catalogue with dimensions of every possible gym needs.

http://www.gymnova.com/en/espace-telechargement

hope it helps.

Wow. very innovative with the Scaffolding. 70 Eur for 1st hand or 2nd hand?

thanks, pretty good even if it's a bit too short for real swinging dips like you may do with that CrossFit homemade set (not sure if they made it tall enough anyway) . Sill it saved me a lot of work, space, money and hassle...

It was new, I think you can find something similar at most DIY warehouse. I enclosed that link because it has dimensions on it. I'll upload some pics if you need to see how it works, I find it more useful than my previous wood homemade dip station.