We have a large unfinished basement, but it is a very low ceiling height [7ft]. While this is ok to hang a pull up bar to use for toes to bar or knees to elbows, it’s not ideal for kipping pull ups. I know I could build a free-standing pull up bar like you’d see in the park with 4x4s and steel pipe, but that wasn’t what I was going for with my backyard. I already have enough crap hanging out on my carport most the time, and the kid’s swing set takes up enough yard space. I wanted something semi-portable.

After searching and thinking and searching and thinking, I finally made a decision of what I was going to try. I started pulling together the pieces this morning, and the next thing I know, it was done. What follows is a semi-detailed account of what I did to make this:

Pull up bar hung between two trees, useful in crossfit WODS.

When I decided I wasn’t going to make a standalone pull-up station, I thought through the best solution, then I saw the two trees and from that point it was only a matter of putting two and two together.

The Bar

For the bar itself, I bought a 4 foot long black iron pipe (I could’ve gotten galvanized steel, and maybe I should’ve but I like that black pipe…if it starts to rust, I’ll paint it). I also bought end caps so that the pipe formed a solid bar.

Next, I drilled a 5/16″ hole about 1/8 of an inch past the threads on either side through the pipe, and inserted 5/16″ eye bolts with a washer and a bolt on the bottom side.

I also purchased a 7/16″ spring-loaded locking clip to make attaching it / detaching it quick and easy.

The Rig

After reading through several possible methods, I stumbled upon a guy saying he used tree stand straps for his, which I got, but they didn’t work out. What I did find instead, were hammock straps. The ones pictured might not be the ones I stick with, because I actually have a hammock that I might use them for. I think these straps might work out better.

This process was actually dead simple. I wrapped and looped the hammock straps, and used the tee end for the carabinier, then hooked the bar up and there it was.

These are the advantages of this rig that I’m very excited about.

1. The pull-up bar is modular – With this setup I am able to take it down, and easily move it to my basement in the middle of the winter or in the rain — won’t be able to kip, but it’s better than getting wet and slipping off the bar.
2. The rig doesn’t damage the trees – I was wary of damaging the trees by drilling into them and constantly pulling on them, plus I didn’t want a massively complicated solution.
3. I am able to use this for rings and possibly a rope too – Instead of only setting up a pull-up station, this is more flexible, so now I can get rings, and hang them and do muscle-ups and ring-dips / ring push-ups.
4. It isn’t an eyesore – And I don’t have to mow around it.

Here’s a Video to illustrate further:

The Cost:

I’m very excited about this thing. I did a workout on it tonight in fact, and it works great!

[EDIT: My wife reminded me that putting the pull-up bar between the trees was her idea, she's right. It was]

The next thing we do is something productive (after cleaning up that is). We reorganize storage space or clean up an area that has been bugging us. Then, when my daughter wakes up from her nap, we spend quality family time together. Maybe we go to the park or play in the yard until the sun goes down.

Then it’s dinner together as a family, and bed time.

This past Saturday I was gonna skip over doing what  I had been putting off which was building a gate for my porch. Part of the reason was that I wasn’t exactly sure how to do it, and the other part was that it seemed like a big pain to get all my tools out and spend all day working on a building project. Then I got started and remembered how much fun it is to build stuff. I was surprised to see that it only took me two hours, and here’s the result:

I'm very happy with the finished product, and it's nice not to worry about my little girl falling down the stairs or off the side (notice I don't have a railing on my stairs).

So then today (Tuesday) I was thinking about how much of a pain it is to cook with my portable grill and how it would be nice to have a platform that comes off the railing of the deck that I can cook on. So the minute I got home I started building one. The plans were in flux while I was trying to determine the fastest way to build it, in 10 minutes I put together a plan to use the scrap lumber I had, some shelf brackets, some eyehooks I had from suspended ceiling supplies and a very strange design. I will admit, it’s ghetto, but here’s what I made:

Front side of shelf, 36" width accomodates my portable grill and plate, generic shelf brackets to stabilize

Back of Shelf - Eye hooks screwed into the railing to make the shelf sturdy

So yes, it’s ghetto. But I’m all about getting real. This is version 1.0. This was made entirely with scrap lumber. I will change it in the future, but I had to do this quick because I wanted to cook on it.

Time it took to build: 30 minutes.

Building stuff is so fun.

1. Miter Saw

My 8″ saw may be small when compared to those big 12″ powerhouses, but it’s smooth, manageable, and reliable. I love this tool. Whether you’re cutting 2x4s, base boards, or molding, it’s extremely handy. My first home improvement project (a chair rail in my kitchen) was done using a miter box and a hand saw. That took forever and was a pain in the butt. Every guy who does a lot of building should have one of these.

2. Tool Pouch

I’m not sure if you can call this a tool…more of a tool-helper, but I bought one my first week of the basement project. I paid something like 14 bucks for it and knowing how much it helped, would have paid 50. I highly suggest everyone have a pouch or tool belt. The pouch worked best for me because it was lightweight, and didn’t try to pull my pants down. Great accessory!

3. Chalk line

I have this chalk line that I’m not sure if my Dad gave me, or I borrowed it and never gave it back, but in any case, I have a chalk line that’s probably as old as me, and I quickly developed an affinity with this tool. Whoever came up with this idea, simply genius. Without this, a lot of aspects of this project would have taken a really long time. Instead of drawing several lines and connecting them, you just draw two marks, then pop one line.

Note: This is at the top of the list because of how crucial it was to my project, but it is not necessarily my #3 favorite tool. It’s probably more akin to number 5 of 6.

4. Black and Decker drill

I got this on the last leg of my project (the ceilings) where I had to drill holes through metal corner pieces for dropped ceiling. My cordless drills were dying because I had to drill a hole for every stud, so I went out and for 40 bucks bought this tool. It quickly became my favorite. Partly because the model I have allows you to quick release the chuck and drop hexagonal bits in there. That’s handy.

5. Jigsaw

I didn’t realize how useful this tool was until I started hanging drywall…I had purchased a crappy cordless drill and jigsaw set from a local hardware store and got out the jigsaw to cut the outlet boxes out. It worked so well, that for tricky cuts I started using the Jigsaw.

My future sister-in-law, Angie got me a real Jigsaw for Christmas, and since that time I’ve used it several times. Having a corded power tool makes a big difference (just like the drill).

6. Wire stripper

If you’ve done a lot of work with electrical, you know the benefit of a wire stripper. At the local, cheap as crap-but-is-crap hardware store had this guy on sale for 2.99, I bought it, got 75% through the project with it, it broke, and I bought another. It’s perfect for 16-Gauge electrical wire.

7. Carpenter’s Pencil

I love these things. They are tough as nails, and you can easily sharpen them with your nearby knife. It’s so nice to have it in your tool pouch. These things never rust or rot or get too old; you could literally use the same pencil for 20 years.

Update on the house: Grid will be done by this weekend, I’ll be moving on the floors throughout the week. Hopefully 2 more weeks until I can move everything in and start working on the doors/moulding. Bathroom: end of this month, beginning of next.

The ceiling is looking nice, and I don’t think the next room will take nearly as long.

This whole week I have been preparing to paint, and now I’m about half-way through with the primer coat. I hope to be finished with at least one room before this weekend, enabling me to hang my dropped ceiling, then move on to the floors…trim etc.

My unrealistic goal is to be finished by the end of January. The realistic goal is to be finished by the end of February. My body is tired, and I’m getting very burned out. I’ve been doing this for 8 months now, and I’m freakin’ tired of it.