Free standing stall bars

[Bjørn Harald Grimås]

Hello gents,

I've seen it mentioned in various threads that some of you've built free standing stall bars.

Anyone care to post up some pictures of said stall bars?

[Tyler Gibson]

I would also like to see some specs for freestanding stall bars. I have some ideas in my head, but I'd like to hear from some one who's actually done it.

[Klaudius Petrulis]

Sounds like you'd need to drill into the floor. Yikes! I'm planning to put my stalls bars in the bedroom haha. The joys of being single..

[Stefan Hinote]

Sounds like you'd need to drill into the floor. Yikes! I'm planning to put my stalls bars in the bedroom haha. The joys of being single..

I don't believe that's necessary, but rather a large base is used.

[Kevin Conley]

I also am going to be building one this summer~.

[Kamali Downey]

I'd also like to see some input on this, this is my next project!

 

Any help anyone?

[Chris Hobbs]

I have it on my project list to build a knockdown freestanding set of stall bars. Will post the Sketch-up file once I get it designed, but probably won't get to it for a month or two yet.

 

- Chris

[Janne Mäkiniemi]

I've also been designing a free standing stallbar/highbar/place-to-hang-rings-and-rope rack-thingy. The pic attached shows the design I'm most satisfied with so far. (still unfinished)

Most important design criterions:

• relatively cheap
• possible to build with tools accessible to me (simple woodworking tools)
• looks ok

 

What do you think? I'd like some feedback and suggestions

[Chris Hobbs]

I would extend the base further out the back to avoid any tip over incidents. I'm also unsure of the base width and the aluminum plates attaching the two. If it isn't sturdy enough it should be really easy to rectify with some additional material, perhaps another 2x4 layer at the bottom heading up the outside of the bar supports a foot or so.

 

All in all I think it would work fine, and if adjustments are needed it will be easy to make them. I am going to go crazy overboard with mine knowing my boys will find currently un-thought of ways to test their limits.

 

- Chris

[Finn Frank]

Is it intentional that the dowels are set at the rear of the verticals near the base and set towards the from of the verticals near the top?

[Janne Mäkiniemi]

I would extend the base further out the back to avoid any tip over incidents. I'm also unsure of the base width and the aluminum plates attaching the two. If it isn't sturdy enough it should be really easy to rectify with some additional material, perhaps another 2x4 layer at the bottom heading up the outside of the bar supports a foot or so.

 

All in all I think it would work fine, and if adjustments are needed it will be easy to make them. I am going to go crazy overboard with mine knowing my boys will find currently un-thought of ways to test their limits.

 

- Chris

 

Yea, maybe it's good idea to increase base to the back. I was planning on putting it next to a wall so if it starts to flip backwards it'd stop at the wall. The plates attaching would be steel with holes drilled in them. Then pressed to the wood with screws and nuts:

 

If I was planning this for someone else to use as well, I'd also make it much sturdier

 

Is it intentional that the dowels are set at the rear of the verticals near the base and set towards the from of the verticals near the top?

 

Yes, as you can see from the pic above, the vertical boards are are a bit tilted. The dowel line is now then 90 deg to the floor 

[Mitchell Rabushka]

Yes, it's nice to custom build it yourself if you have the time and woodworking tools.  However, I'm kind of strapped for both, so I'd rather buy and install it if I can find one reasonably priced.  What does everyone thinks of this one?

 

http://www.amazon.com/3B-Scientific-Eucalyptus-Wood-Stall/dp/B008N3I93Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362289781&sr=8-1&keywords=stall+bars

[FREDERIC DUPONT]

Nice

You'll have better strength and ease of construction if you let the jambs go all the way to the floor, and screw the stabilizing legs through from the side. These plates are an unnecessary complication. The same applies for the top.

 

You may want to add a 45 degree brace to connect leg with jamb on each side & triangulate your structure a bit (maybe 3 feet long). [same at the top maybe?]

 

Your contraption will be easier to stabilize on an uneven floor if you cut small legs at each end of your base so it doesn't rest on the full length. (or glue small felt pads, or furniture slides.)

 

Good work there.

[Romulo Malta]

I've also been designing a free standing stallbar/highbar/place-to-hang-rings-and-rope rack-thingy. The pic attached shows the design I'm most satisfied with so far. (still unfinished)

Most important design criterions:

• relatively cheap
• possible to build with tools accessible to me (simple woodworking tools)
• looks ok

teline.png

 

What do you think? I'd like some feedback and suggestions

 

Thread resurrection!

 

Hey, Whaureb, are you still there? Could you finish your project?

 

I´m bumping this because it´s impossible to install them in my house, be it wall mounted or ceiling mounted, everything is so fragile!

 

I have been doing all stall bar exercises in the closest parks, or improvising in jungle gyms. Can someone please advise me about possible measurements? It doesn´t need to be so high, actually it can´t be high because the ceiling is just around 2.3m . I´m just 1.75m tall, so with arms straight, around 2m or 2.1m would suffice. 

 

Considering my center of gravity (for example, for side lever work  and also to hang rings- please check this explanation:

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskEngineers/comments/2b17n5/physicsengineering_problem_for_freestanding/

 

), how long does the base need to be? Would it be better to have weight plates attached to the back side? 

 

Do you think the base length given at the link above is really needed or too much? I think I saw a post by Joshua Naterman some years ago and it seems the base he built wasn´t that long.

[Romulo Malta]

Bumpty dumpty

[Janne Mäkiniemi]

I never got to making those stall bars since i managed to change to a gym which has ones.

Optimal height for the top rung could be the distance from your wrist to toes when outstretched. (Could also do chinese handstands there then)

 

I think that the 0.9m / 3ft suggested for base length in the reddit thread is ok. Of course if you want to hang rings from it, the base should be at least longer than the overhang where the rings are hanging from. The overhang also demands more structural rigidity.

 

Putting weight behind the structure would shift the center of gravity towards the weight.

If you're worried about the structure tipping over, you could also just expand the structure to contact with ceiling to stop the tipping, provided the ceiling can take it. (see pic)

[Romulo Malta]

I never got to making those stall bars since i managed to change to a gym which has ones.

Optimal height for the top rung could be the distance from your wrist to toes when outstretched. (Could also do chinese handstands there then)

 

I think that the 0.9m / 3ft suggested for base length in the reddit thread is ok. Of course if you want to hang rings from it, the base should be at least longer than the overhang where the rings are hanging from. The overhang also demands more structural rigidity.

 

Putting weight behind the structure would shift the center of gravity towards the weight.

If you're worried about the structure tipping over, you could also just expand the structure to contact with ceiling to stop the tipping, provided the ceiling can take it. (see pic)

 

Thank you very much Whaureb! The height tip was very useful though I can´t expand it to the ceiling. It´s plasterboard and very fragile, I can even lift it a little with my fingers!

 

I was also in doubt of how long should be the back support, maybe I´ll just follow the indicated above and left some space or a kind of pin to insert weight plates if needed.

[Brent Johnson]

The plans I posted resulted in bars that I've been using for over a year. Sticky is on the equipment page. The joints for feet and pull-up extensions are very solid with 4 hex bolts each. You could glue and then bolt for even more strength, but not really necessary and then you can't take them apart. The whole structure does move forward a bit as you hang or pull on them; not quite as good as bolting to the wall but overall very useful.

[Romulo Malta]

The plans I posted resulted in bars that I've been using for over a year. Sticky is on the equipment page. The joints for feet and pull-up extensions are very solid with 4 hex bolts each. You could glue and then bolt for even more strength, but not really necessary and then you can't take them apart. The whole structure does move forward a bit as you hang or pull on them; not quite as good as bolting to the wall but overall very useful.

Thank you very much for your help Brntj, I tried to look at your plan and missed the length of the support. After checking the text you did said it was around 4 feet to the front and 1 feet behind.

 

Sorry to ask but have you tried side lever work like side lever pulls? I´m very ignorant about craftsmanship (unlike you) and that post at reddit from an engineer left me worried about the support length but I also thought that 5-6 feet to the front and 2 feet behind was too much.

 

I´m having the stall bars made by someone with more experience with metal, so the support would be something like this:

 

Metallic support

 

And a removable pull-up bar like this and also to hang my rings:

 

Pull-up bar

 

Do you think your measurements for the support (1.2 meter to the front and 30cm behind) are stable for this and side lever work? Since the pull-up bar extension is just 0.8m, it seems to be enough, but I´m not sure about side lever work, which seems to be the most compromising move.

[Brent Johnson]

Great question. I read the post you referred to above, all of it spot on. He mentioned a 45 degree brace to minimize the force going thru the corners, but mine are solid enough as I built them. The corners just need to be rigid enough to prevent rotation of one board on the other. 4 hex bolts will do that, and you can wood-glue the boards and then bolt them if desired.

With bars that are bolted to the wall you have compression between the bars and the wall (vector pointing rearward) resisting your human flag bodyweight (force vector pointing forward). Remove the bars from the wall and put on legs to make them free-standing...if the assembly's legs are long enough that your center of mass is falling "inside" the legs (that is, between the bars and the farthest forward point of the legs as you look from the side) the assembly remains stable and upright. If your center of mass falls "outside" of the legs (or forward from the farthest point of the legs), then the whole thing rotates forward. That can be balanced by adding a shelf across the back of the legs (the part that extends to the rear of the bars) and then piling sand bags, weight plates, etc to counter the torque you produce when you flag to the front.

I am just starting Foundation 2, so not flagging yet. But I just went out and put my hands on the rungs and tried to get into a flag position. My hips were still "inside" the feet so I think it would be solid and not fall forward with full leg extension. But, if I slowly extended my legs and the bars rotated forward, I could feel it start and "save" myself. I'm 5'8" and 155. Even with all this being said, my assembly does shift a little but bars are still safe to use. And because the pull-up assembly is so short and so far "inside" the feet, doing pull-ups is easy and solid.

Does that help?

[Romulo Malta]

Great question. I read the post you referred to above, all of it spot on. He mentioned a 45 degree brace to minimize the force going thru the corners, but mine are solid enough as I built them. The corners just need to be rigid enough to prevent rotation of one board on the other. 4 hex bolts will do that, and you can wood-glue the boards and then bolt them if desired.

With bars that are bolted to the wall you have compression between the bars and the wall (vector pointing rearward) resisting your human flag bodyweight (force vector pointing forward). Remove the bars from the wall and put on legs to make them free-standing...if the assembly's legs are long enough that your center of mass is falling "inside" the legs (that is, between the bars and the farthest forward point of the legs as you look from the side) the assembly remains stable and upright. If your center of mass falls "outside" of the legs (or forward from the farthest point of the legs), then the whole thing rotates forward. That can be balanced by adding a shelf across the back of the legs (the part that extends to the rear of the bars) and then piling sand bags, weight plates, etc to counter the torque you produce when you flag to the front.

I am just starting Foundation 2, so not flagging yet. But I just went out and put my hands on the rungs and tried to get into a flag position. My hips were still "inside" the feet so I think it would be solid and not fall forward with full leg extension. But, if I slowly extended my legs and the bars rotated forward, I could feel it start and "save" myself. I'm 5'8" and 155. Even with all this being said, my assembly does shift a little but bars are still safe to use. And because the pull-up assembly is so short and so far "inside" the feet, doing pull-ups is easy and solid.

Does that help?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you very much!!!

 

I had understood about the center of gravity but was still in doubt about the length of the legs behind and the need of a shelf for counterweight if needed for flag work.

 

Do you think if I kept that 45 degree brace design (the maker I'm asking will have to use metal anyway), one feet behind will suffice? The shelf you are talking about is something like the pics below? (it is just a power rack but just to compare):

 

 

Is this the shelf?

 

 

Would it be more stable if I included that squared base like the power rack?

 

Or this kind is better?

 

[Brent Johnson]

The feet on the rack in the bottom picture don't extend very far so I don't think it would be stable for flags. The top picture the feet don't extend very far either. You can see that the straps and stirrups extend BACKWORDS and allow hips to be closer to bar, which stall bars wouldn't allow.

The shelf probably would be a good size at 12 inches behind the bars. Great solution in top pic to allow for stabilizing by putting added weight. Just depends on what you want to use for weights.

[Romulo Malta]

The feet on the rack in the bottom picture don't extend very far so I don't think it would be stable for flags. The top picture the feet don't extend very far either. You can see that the straps and stirrups extend BACKWORDS and allow hips to be closer to bar, which stall bars wouldn't allow.

The shelf probably would be a good size at 12 inches behind the bars. Great solution in top pic to allow for stabilizing by putting added weight. Just depends on what you want to use for weights.

 

Thank you!

 

Yes, I know the feet don´t extend very far in the pics, those were just examples for the 45 degree braces that I´m asking to be made and to ask you about the shelf.

 

I was thinking 4-5 feet forwards and 1 feet behind. If I put the shelf like you recommended maybe there is no need (or not enough space) to put the 45 degree brace behind, right?

[Brent Johnson]

The 45 degree brace to the rear doesn't hurt anything, as long as it doesn't interfere with what you want to weigh down the bars with. Sandbags would still work. If you wanted a bar that you could load weight plates on like one of your pics, that might be in the way.

[Sandra Magnusen]

I love my stall bars, but the glue holding the rungs stable has given out so now the rungs slowly rotate during exercises. Does anyone have a fix for rotating rungs in an already mounted stall bar?