Home-Made T-bar rower
by Scott Andrew Bird
| Follow @scottbird
Filed in : DIY
Tags : balance, chin-up, deadlift, pain, shrugs, squat
Gary Chandler is very much part of the growing network of DIY equipment enthusiasts. His latest creation, a home-made T-bar row machine, is superb.
Over to Gary for a few details about its construction :
I used an old spin-on bar with an electrical cable hangar as my swiveling attachment point. The bar goes into a 4x4 with a 1-1/2" hole drilled into it for a pivot point. The box at the end allows some quarters to counterbalance the weight and keep the back end of the bar from coming up when the thing is loaded. The foam pad at the top is from a stereo box. The weight rest is an odd bracket from a garage door opener. The nicest thing about this rig is that a simple shrug of the shoulders is all that is needed to lift the weight from the rest, and it's only a couple of inches to the side (and a shrug) to park it, rather than waaaay off to the side, like some gym equipment. I have since added a footrest, between the back box and uprights, using a piece of pipe and conduit clamps. The bar comes out for other uses if needed. I'm pulling around 300 on this thing lately. Takes two quarters for the back balance when over 260.
A few of Gary's other works (which are equally brilliant) :
Wooden Weight Tree
This is made from just 2x4's and a piece of wooden closet rod, hammered into holes. You could use pipe if you don't have a rod to cut up. With weights set on top where those nickels are, you can put your chain through them and walk up to it and hook them to your belt at waist height. Very convenient.
W-Bar Chin Rig
This is for guys who get wrist pains from a straight bar. A piece of innertube for bar protection, a springclip and S-hook.
Hammer Press/Pull
This one speaks for itself, using a piece of chain or two. Bolts, or spring clips.
Squat Rack
Using 5" pieces of pipe, or as in my case, stainless steel curtain rod (1") set 2-1/2" deep into the 4x4's. 6' tall and 42" at the base. Yes, that is a drink holder (from a bicycle) and a window fan mounted over the stabilizer board. This will be used to hold attachments, as the weight collars you see there. Maybe some speakers?
Chin-up Bar
If you have a cased opening you can spare, you can use an old weight bar or pipe, and simply drill into both sides of the jambs, and slip the bar into one side, then the other, and use bar collars to keep it centered. My old bar was rusted, so I used metal duct tape to cover it.
Brilliant.
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Brilliant device. If your shoulders aren't quite as flexible as you'd like, grab The Rotater. Love it.
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Scott Andrew Bird is a writer, photographer and a guy who just loves this stuff. He's been at home in front of a computer for more years than he cares to remember (OK, 37) and is now making amends for years of many mistakes noted in the De-constructing Computer Guy articles (part 2) on T-Nation.
Find out what he's up to via Twitter, Facebook, the Daily 'Paper'; and of course his online home. Enjoy.
Like this? Check out :
29 Things to do with a Barbell in the Corner.
Time to get creative.
From the Archives : 29 Things to do with a Barbell in the Corner.
Time to get creative.
The First Year.
From zero to 'healthy obsession'.
The Bodyweight Aficionado's Guide to Gear.
A few extras that can add a whole lot of possibilities.
The Week That Was - Magic 50 Take II.
The adaptation phase of the biphasic sleeping test.
Seiza Me.
Relearning the squat.
Of course, if you enjoyed these, I'd highly recommend grabbing the Strength & Fitness Newsletter. Delivered weekly, and absolutely free.
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