Having a pull-up bar at home is a convenient alternative or supplement to your pull-up workout at a gym. Some even install a bar at work. Pull-ups must be done with the hands close together shoulder-width or spread wide on the bar, and each position benefits certain muscle groups. Making pull-up bars and mounting them at the ceiling is not complex in terms of the assembly and installation. Use the same procedure to install additional pull-up bars if desired.
Step 1
Select an area for a pull-up bar. Use the stud finder to locate two ceiling joists 32 inches apart at this area. Use the utility knife to score 12-inch square openings in the plaster or drywall at the location of each joist. Remove the plaster or drywall with a hammer.
Step 2
Establish the height of the pull-up bar. Measure the distance from this height to the top of the exposed ceiling joist. Cut two pieces of 2-inch-by-4-inch structural-grade redwood to this length using a circular saw. These are vertical arms for the pull-up bar.
Step 3
Use the electric drill and 1/4-inch drill bit to make three pilot holes for lag screws at the upper end of each vertical arm. Drill the first holes 1 inch from the end of each arm, and space the remaining holes 2 inches apart on the vertical. Put washers on the 3/8-inch lag screws and start them into the pilot holes with the socket and ratchet.
Step 4
Place the arms on a flat surface with the lag screws facing up. Center the 1 1/4-inch pipe flanges at the bottom end of each arm. Drill 1/16-inch pilot holes at the screw locations in each flange and secure one of the flanges to an arm with wood screws and a screwdriver.
Step 5
Thread one end of the 28-inch steel pipe into the secured pipe flange. Tighten it with a pipe wrench. Thread the other pipe flange on the opposite end of the 1 1/4-inch steel pipe and tighten it with the pipe wrench. Align this flange with the pilot holes on the remaining redwood arm and attach it to the arm using wood screws.
Step 6
Align the top of each arm with the top of the ceiling joists. Use the socket and ratchet to tighten the top lag screws on each arm. Plumb the arms vertical with the 24-inch level. Tighten the remaining lag screws. Patch the drywall or plaster ceiling if desired.
Tips and Warnings
- Measure the distance between ceiling joist before cutting and threading the steel pipe. Extend the layout to another joist for a wider pull-up bar.
- Do not over-tighten lag screws. Secure them to the surface of the wood.
Things You'll Need
- A-frame ladder
- Stud finder
- Utility knife
- Hammer
- 2-inch-by-4-inch structural grade redwood
- Circular saw or handsaw
- Electric drill
- 1/4-inch drill bit
- 3/8-inch lag screws with washers
- 1 1/4-inch pipe flanges
- 1/16-inch drill bit
- Wood screws
- Screwdriver
- 1 1/4-inch threaded steel pipe, 28 inches long
- Pipe wrench
- 24-inch level
- Socket and ratchet
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