Home Made Pull Up Bar

Bryan Edge · 07-06-2006, 11:04 AM

I need some help constructing a home made pull up bar -- I plan to use plumbing pipe as has been recommended, but I'm not sure how to mount it for maximum stability. Anyone have some info/ideas/links that can help an engineering-challenged person like myself? :-)

I would like to install it wall to wall -- about twenty feet -- from one side of my garage gym to the other. The ceiling is about twelve feet high.

Thanks!

Eugene R. Allen · 07-06-2006, 08:14 PM

One way to do it will be to suspend 3 or 4 lengths from the ceiling with a T joint at the end which will support the sections that you attach from one end of the wall to the other.

The ends of the horizontal bar sections are attached to the wall while the tops of the vertical sections are attached to the ceiling You can get some gold colored self tapping wood screws that work great for mounting the base plates. Take care with your measurements and adjust for the width you will gain with the T joints. You may need them to cut a pipe and put threads on the end to get the right length, or if it is a small distance you can put in a 6" x 6" squate of wood under the base plate.

Bryan Edge · 07-08-2006, 11:12 AM

I suspected I'd need to use ceiling+ wall mounts -- would you happen to know roughly how far apart each section should be? (3 feet, 4 feet, etc.)

Assumely roughly 20' wide, I'm thinking 4' sections between T-joints?

Thanks!

Jimmy Yeh · 07-08-2006, 01:28 PM

That sounds about right

Bill Russell · 07-08-2006, 02:14 PM

you could also hang lengths of chain from the ceiling every 4 feet and attached to the bar with u-bolts. cheaper and easier but you would get some swing in the bar.

Frank M Needham · 07-08-2006, 02:38 PM

I've been thinking of something like this as well. The basic idea of running sections across the 20' length from one side to another with Ts between 4' sections is solid.

Assumption for the following is that one would want the pipe low enough that you could do movements that would take one above the pipe.

Make sure the sucker is mounted well via the escutcheons to the ceiling joists by means of lag bolts as you'll be sure to put significant loads perpendicular to the run of pipe when doing kips, pulls, dips with rings, etc. You don't want to find yourself inadvertantly setting up a harmonic motion as it would be possible to rip the dang thing down should the motion be sufficiently strong.

To counter the lateral load you might also want to consider running supports perpendicular to the run of pipe at the points where Ts are located. My thought would be to place a nipple fitting above the Ts at two or three locations and add another T with the T bottom facing perpendicular to the pipe run. Next you would run a short pipe section to a 90 elbow and from there back up to the ceiling and into another escutcheon (also lagged to the joist). By doing this you ensure the 20' run of pipe will remain static (not moving with your motion).

Now, back to the nipple above the Ts being used to support the 20' pipe run. Just place a nipple fitting atop the nipple and run a another short section of pipe up to the aforementioned escutcheons being used to support the 20' run of pipe.

Mine will slightly different in that it will be in my back yard. The elevation of the bar will be approx 10'. Short sections of pipe will run at 90 degrees from the main uprights via Ts to escutcheons that in turn are lagged to 4X6 columns holding up my patio. These Ts will likely be at an elevation of 8' and I'll place an add'l 2' of elevation above that to elbows. Finally the elbows will be connected to one another by a 8' section of pipe that is the top of the structure. The main uprights will be made of 2" pipe as the structure may suffer somewhat from structural instability due to being jointed with Ts. The uprights will be placed via drypack 2' into the soil. The crossbar will be of 1.5" pipe joined to the 2" uprights by means of 2X1.5" reducers.

I guess I never outgrew Tinkertoys.

Travis Loest · 07-12-2006, 08:34 AM

Frank,
You lost me at the first mention of Etruscans. Let me see if I get this, cause I want to put up an pull -up bar along my garage when I get home in November. So you've got a pipe running from one side to the other of your garage, every 4' or so you have a joint a "double T"? to the ceiling (to support the bar)and to the wall (to stop any undue stress from kipping? Is that the gist of it?

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07-06-2006, 11:04 AM	#1
Bryan Edge Member Profile: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Lynnwood WA Posts: 195	I need some help constructing a home made pull up bar -- I plan to use plumbing pipe as has been recommended, but I'm not sure how to mount it for maximum stability. Anyone have some info/ideas/links that can help an engineering-challenged person like myself? :-) I would like to install it wall to wall -- about twenty feet -- from one side of my garage gym to the other. The ceiling is about twelve feet high. Thanks!

07-06-2006, 08:14 PM	#2
Eugene R. Allen Affiliate Profile: Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Tacoma Washington Posts: 1,715	One way to do it will be to suspend 3 or 4 lengths from the ceiling with a T joint at the end which will support the sections that you attach from one end of the wall to the other. The ends of the horizontal bar sections are attached to the wall while the tops of the vertical sections are attached to the ceiling You can get some gold colored self tapping wood screws that work great for mounting the base plates. Take care with your measurements and adjust for the width you will gain with the T joints. You may need them to cut a pipe and put threads on the end to get the right length, or if it is a small distance you can put in a 6" x 6" squate of wood under the base plate.

07-08-2006, 11:12 AM	#3
Bryan Edge Member Profile: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Lynnwood WA Posts: 195	I suspected I'd need to use ceiling+ wall mounts -- would you happen to know roughly how far apart each section should be? (3 feet, 4 feet, etc.) Assumely roughly 20' wide, I'm thinking 4' sections between T-joints? Thanks!

07-08-2006, 01:28 PM	#4
Jimmy Yeh Departed Profile: Join Date: Jan 1970 Posts: 23	That sounds about right

07-08-2006, 02:14 PM	#5
Bill Russell Affiliate Profile: Join Date: May 2006 Location: Cleveland OH Posts: 503	you could also hang lengths of chain from the ceiling every 4 feet and attached to the bar with u-bolts. cheaper and easier but you would get some swing in the bar.

07-08-2006, 02:38 PM	#6
Frank M Needham Member Profile: Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Las Vegas NV Posts: 452	I've been thinking of something like this as well. The basic idea of running sections across the 20' length from one side to another with Ts between 4' sections is solid. Assumption for the following is that one would want the pipe low enough that you could do movements that would take one above the pipe. Make sure the sucker is mounted well via the escutcheons to the ceiling joists by means of lag bolts as you'll be sure to put significant loads perpendicular to the run of pipe when doing kips, pulls, dips with rings, etc. You don't want to find yourself inadvertantly setting up a harmonic motion as it would be possible to rip the dang thing down should the motion be sufficiently strong. To counter the lateral load you might also want to consider running supports perpendicular to the run of pipe at the points where Ts are located. My thought would be to place a nipple fitting above the Ts at two or three locations and add another T with the T bottom facing perpendicular to the pipe run. Next you would run a short pipe section to a 90 elbow and from there back up to the ceiling and into another escutcheon (also lagged to the joist). By doing this you ensure the 20' run of pipe will remain static (not moving with your motion). Now, back to the nipple above the Ts being used to support the 20' pipe run. Just place a nipple fitting atop the nipple and run a another short section of pipe up to the aforementioned escutcheons being used to support the 20' run of pipe. Mine will slightly different in that it will be in my back yard. The elevation of the bar will be approx 10'. Short sections of pipe will run at 90 degrees from the main uprights via Ts to escutcheons that in turn are lagged to 4X6 columns holding up my patio. These Ts will likely be at an elevation of 8' and I'll place an add'l 2' of elevation above that to elbows. Finally the elbows will be connected to one another by a 8' section of pipe that is the top of the structure. The main uprights will be made of 2" pipe as the structure may suffer somewhat from structural instability due to being jointed with Ts. The uprights will be placed via drypack 2' into the soil. The crossbar will be of 1.5" pipe joined to the 2" uprights by means of 2X1.5" reducers. I guess I never outgrew Tinkertoys.

07-12-2006, 08:34 AM	#7
Travis Loest Member Profile: Join Date: May 2006 Location: Hinesville GA Posts: 827	Frank, You lost me at the first mention of Etruscans. Let me see if I get this, cause I want to put up an pull -up bar along my garage when I get home in November. So you've got a pipe running from one side to the other of your garage, every 4' or so you have a joint a "double T"? to the ceiling (to support the bar)and to the wall (to stop any undue stress from kipping? Is that the gist of it?