You can spend a significant amount of money on a piece of workout equipment as simple as a chin-up bar, especially if you buy a signature bar branded by a large gym chain or celebrity trainer. Alternatively, you can do what Today! Fitness recommends and build your own using pipe and hardware available at a home improvement center. Set aside an hour for this project from setup to teardown.
Preparation
Step 1
Find the best doorway in your home for the bar. Pick a door with at least 1 foot between the top of the doorjamb and your ceiling. Allowing this much space will give you room to do full chin-ups without bumping your head.
Step 2
Measure how wide your doorway is in inches. Buy your black nipple pipe to match that dimension, minus 1/2 inch. For example, a doorway 36 inches wide would need a pipe 35 1/2 inches long. Home improvement centers typically cut and thread the pipe for you while you wait.
Step 3
Set up your supplies and power tools in your garage or other work area. Put on your safety goggles and gloves: Cutting and drilling metal can throw sparks and metal slivers.
Step 4
Cut the unthreaded end cap in half using the jigsaw and hacksaw blade.
Step 5
Drill a hole through your cut end cap, wide enough to accommodate the shafts of your wood screws. Position the hole at the center of the flat side of the cap, halfway between the flat edge and the rounded edge.
Step 6
Drill a hole through the center of the threaded end cap. Make the hole wide enough to accommodate the shafts of your wood screws.
Mounting
Step 1
Bring your pipe, end caps, screws and drill to your doorway.
Step 2
Mount the threaded end cap to your jamb, 6 inches below the top of the frame. Place it so its outside edge is flush with the edge of the jamb farthest from the door. Screw it in place using the power drill.
Step 3
Mount the cut-down, unthreaded end cap directly opposite the threaded end cap, its open end pointing upward.
Step 4
Set the pipe horizontally in the open, unthreaded end cap. It should just barely fit with the opposite end almost brushing the mouth of the threaded end cap.
Step 5
Screw the pipe into the threaded end cap until it's 1/4 inch in.
Things You'll Need
- 1 1/4-inch black nipple pipe
- 1 threaded end cap for 1 1/4-inch pipe
- 1 unthreaded end cap for 1 1/4-inch pipe
- Measuring tape
- Power drill
- Drill bit for metal
- Jigsaw
- Hack blade for jigsaw
- 2 wood screws, 3 inches long
- Safety goggles
- Safety gloves
References
- Mike Byers; general contractor; Corvallis, Oregon
- Today! Fitness: Make Your Own Chin-up Bar
- Ben Cohn; fitness coach; Hillsboro, Oregon
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