Not a very good comment. Time wasted.

Sorry, I can't read your comment. Your grammar is poor. Seriously though. It was my first day in a workshop. Description was updated to suggest this isn't the safest way to do things

I'm not sure. I'm just trying to lift as much as Ms. Frizzle one day.

Thanks! I got em on sale

They will never break as long as there is contact between the beams and the ground. I used a scrap piece cut to fit the gap for mine and I haven't had any issues with it in the past 1.5 yrs and no signs of issues

Yes! 100%, this video is not the safest demonstration. While i felt comfortable in the moment, looking back my stomach also churns a bit. Next time i make a batch of these it will be on a bandsaw and/or with a table saw sled.

Reverse engineering! I looked at the length of a standard Olympic barbell to get the width of the rack, the from there i wanted it to fold flat as opposed to the arms folding in on top of each other, so i found a width that fit the fold from there. If you don't want to do the math, or want the simpler route, I highly encourage you to check out the plans that have measurements already in there.

A good joint will reduce the need for hardware. So if you don't do that step, then i highly recommend extra bolts or hardware to hold the weight. If you're not attaching to the wall then absolutely go with a 4x4 on the back. Consider adding extra bracing if needed. Don't be afraid to try it! Give it a shot, measure twice, three time, then again. Take the time to setup your cuts. Sneak up on the line so you make sure you don't take off too much material.

I'm just making lemonade from oranges

Thank you very much Martin!

Nice touch

Maybe he could add another wooden block under each hinge should it fail? Or bolt a piece of angle iron for a cleaner look.

With some kind of hinge I think that would be doable! I have had some use out of hose vertical supports though: bands. Each of the vertical beams makes for good attach points with all kinds of bands. The other benefit is that you can take the entire door hinge off as one stable piece if you need to replace or move it. When I realized I didn't have enough room, i was a piece of cake to unscrew the entire thing and attach it (with help) back after moving it. As far as structural integrity goes... Shrug? I agree, I don't think it adds much.

@@SzaboWoodworks Thanks for the response! I like that you've found those beams useful for bands. Great idea. I've been looking at a number of DIY squat racks and your build makes the most sense for my application. Thanks 👍

Thanks for the honesty Shane! I updated my description in hopes of warning folks not to ignore some basic safety rules like I was doing. What do you think of the description now? I hope it helps warn people that I have all of my fingers from some weird kind of luck.

The cement plates I think we're closer to 10-15 lbs each. In my update video I use a full set (300lbs + my body weight + another heavier cement weight)

Using very crude math (sum of avg weight of individual materials) it's probably about 100 lbs. Maybe 115 or 120 including the pull-up pipe.

Sometimes you look back at something you did a few months ago and say "What was I thinking?!" Next time i'm using the bandsaw. Unless I build a crosscut sled.. But still will probably just use the bansaw.

Thank you very much! Currently in the reserves, hence the occasional shaggy head and facial hair. As for the channel, I'll be posting some videos soon. I had a major job making tables for an Airforce base nearby and I can't wait to share that!

Howdy! It can easily hold 550+ pounds. That's the max I tested (with bounces) and no issues, creaks, groans or moans. It could likely hold much more. My other video shows the weight test I did. FWIW I have been using this all year long with no issues. It can take a beating!

Sorry my notification on this question didn't ding two weeks ago. Unfortunately you wouldn't be able to fold inside this way. If you wanted to make extra room in the middle you would have to have one arm folding outward. The other can fold in or out. Check out the Rouge folding racks (large /small) for an example.

Thank you!

4x4 dimensional lumber, so It ends up actually being about 3.5x3.5. You can check the sizes of each piece in the full build plans on my website.

TLDR; It should be okay to remove it, but for an extra 10$ (wood + screws) it adds stability and piece of mind. Hey Jose, The secondary purpose is to be an accessory board, while the primary purpose is to have another anchor point for the vertical pieces. It gives me a thin shelf to put my "bench-leveler" and I also intend on screwing some hooks in the sides if I get more stuff. Currently I've got hooks on the ends of the top board. If you decide to go without it, I'd add a few extra screws to the top and bottom cross boards to make sure those vertical supports don't move. I don't think you'll notice a difference when squatting or benching, however if you tie bands around it for various exercises you'll want to pay extra attention to make sure that vertical support is still sturdy. If you've got the space on the wall, it wouldn't hurt. You can never be too cautious when it comes to heavy weights. Having that extra anchor point adds more stability to the long support and reduces the stress on the top and bottom points. If you don't have the middle space, then it should still be okay. Just make sure to watch it closely, and add a few more screws into the studs where you can.

@@SzaboWoodworks Thanks for the reply. I am thinking of using my bench top planer to reduce the thinness of the 4x4 to to a true 3x3 and then adding 1 inch holes. My thinking is it would allow for the use of commercial rack accessories (j cups, spotter arms, etc.). Do you think that would weaken the boards too much?

@@jam179 Thanks for the question! I'm not a civil engineer, but the way I see it is that a house is meant to be held up by 2x4s. If you've got a two story house, the second floor plus furniture plus the roof is being supporting by the same studs holding up your kitchen cabinet and your workshop wall hangings. You've got a fantastic idea and I think you should go for it! The post is only going to be as strong as how it is anchored down. The hinges work fine for me considering I have the support blocks underneath when it is opened up. I would never attempt to use this rig without those support blocks. That would be the quickest way for me to rip the hinges out. As I look at it now, that's the weakest point of this. Please let me know how it turns out!

Thanks! Can't go wrong with a pair of Man-o-War Ruination and Rebecca Creek whiskey

An iron pipe! Super sturdy though I may wrap some medical tape around it soon to help with a grip. It's fine most of the times, but since it's been so hot out lately my hands are sweating and making the grip a bit difficult.

I'm glad to help! Best of luck on your build.

To be honest it works so well that I haven't felt the need to improve it at this time. I'm always open to ways of improving it and making it better, however (and you'll see in an upcoming Squat Rack Update video), this setup holds a ton of weight with just those little blocks. Well maybe not a ton, but you get the idea. Weight test was me bouncing up and down on the hooks with weights (total 551lbs). I've been using it 4-5 days a week for the last two months.

One option for improvement would be to fill out the 4x4 surface area with a larger "foot" or "block", and have it fitted a bit more to the angle of the floor. A surefire way would be to make a fitted stop that is also anchored into the ground. While that would work, personally that kinda defeats the purpose of how I'd want to use it; which is fold in so I have space to work. I'm open to suggestions because I consider this to be a safety feature! The safer this is the better for everyone who wants to build it.

At 6:20 in this video I realized there's quite a bit of wiggle even with the feet. I did in fact make feet that fit a bit tighter than what is depicted. Still made from scraps though.

Howdy! I actually didn't fasten anything into the concrete. It only comes up about 6-7 inches and my low back board sits a few inches above that. Full disclosure I've never fastened wood to concrete, but if I did, I would first try hammer set concrete fasteners. See the first option on this link for details www.wikihow.com/Connect-Wood-to-Concrete?amp=1 Anyone reading this comment with a better or more detailed answer please chime in!

If you had to fasten to concrete you’d have to get “Tapcon” concrete fasteners. Tapcon is the name of the particular brand I use but there are similar ones.

Thanks for sharing Glenn! Have fun with the build and feel free to share your results! The update video is "In the oven" and I'll send something out when it is available.

Hey Glenn! Here's the update, kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3LSioejiderZ6s

You are right! I''ll be posting an update video soon with some lessons learned. I'm updating the description of this video today as a bit of caution.

@@SzaboWoodworks Good on you 👨‍🔧

Can you explain why? The brief search I did shows concrete is resistant against compressive loads and not tensile forces. So the rebar helps with tensile strength. I don't see any reason why little concrete weights need tensile reinforcement like a loaded structure would. Couldn't find anything specific to making weights. All I can think of is if you made thin plate, it could keep them from cracking in half like if you dropped a ceramic plate.

@@chriswalker9881 For one, if there was to be a failure in your weight plate, rebar would hopefully prevent the entire thing from falling apart or splitting in half at once, or at least give you a bit of warning before that happens. That could save your toes or your life if it happens when you're lifting it over your body.

@@chriswalker9881 Maybe William or someone more experienced with concrete can chime in. Here's my two cents and my amateur take on this. You've got both forces at play here when the weights are in motion, compressive and tensile due to the anchor point (PVC pipe) being right in the center. In my mind, this would cancel out the force at some point while it's in motion, but I suspect it compounds and worsens the effects of the force in other points of motion. Forgive me my physics terms are a bit rusty. If I weren't moving the weights around, I'm sure this wouldn't be an issue. Since I am, and putting a non-insignificant amount of jerk over and over again on these things, I suspect they'll start to crack without the proper reinforcement. I began to see hairline cracks on my weights after a few weeks of use. Personally I'm not going to risk one falling apart while I'm using it. Looking around on KZbin I even see other people throwing rebar in the heavier weights. The good part is, it's cheap and you can buy some pieces from the hardware store.

If I could give it a bath in Titebond 9001, I would.

Hey Melvin! I'll be releasing an update video soon showing off how I've been using it. I recently picked up a pulley system from amazon that I'm messing with and looks like I can get some use by attaching it to the pull up bar setup.!

Melvin i've got a visual for you on a pulley system in the update video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3LSioejiderZ6s

I'm glad I could help!

Thank you, I'm glad you like it! Found some pictures of a design like this online but could never find any build plans available.