DIY cheap WOB standards

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I got tired of throwing over branches in the park...though the primitive nature of that seemed to get me in touch with my Heritage...or something.... maybe it was hurling my  desperate body out of the way of 42 pounds of steel when it smacks into the branch and comes back down just as fast as it went up that got me motivated.

ANYWAY

.....this is what I did. 

It had to be 1. cheap and 2. portable in my Chevy S-10 pickup bed..

I found in the junk pile for the stables, here, two 6 foot lengths of galvanized steel fence pole.  OK, I had to bust off some concrete, but that's what hand sledges are for.  If you can't find this then get black iron pipe, or galvanized which does cost a bit to purchase. Do NOT use  any plastic pipe, here.

Next, I went by Orchard Supply Hardware and  I bought the following stuff.

1, 50-foot length of cheap rope... about $4

3, 10 foot lengths of 3-inch ABS pipe. The 2-inch isn't rigid enough, the 3-inch is OK, and it sleeves over the galvanized pipe.  These were $8 each, or about $25 total.

4, 24-inch round steel stakes, pointed at one end
(Here they are at Lowe's...they're $4 each)
Item #: 9883       Model: 655122

(you could maybe use lengths of rebar, ground to a point at one end.)

2,  small pulleys something like these ...about $3 each
http://www.sz-wholesale.com/uploadFiles/060629095447s.jpg

2, gluing clamps like these...about $4 each
http://www.specialtytools.com/images/B11-XM5.jpg

TOTAL COST  was about $60 because I scrounged the galv pipe.

*******

Prep

OK, while at home,  take your drill, and drill a small hole right near the end of two of the 10-foot pieces of ABS pipe.  Drill it maybe  3/4 of an inch down from the top.  Use some strong string to attach the pulleys to the end of the pipe by threading the string through the holes.

Cut the third piece of ABS to the length you want between your uprights. This is going to be your crossbar.  That's it, you're done with prep.

Throw everything into the truck and go to the practice area with your hand sledge.  I'm lucky, I can leave this set up all the time, but it's so easy that you can set the whole thing up in 10 minutes.

set it up

Lay your crosspiece on the ground where you want to set it up. Just outside the ends, use the hand sledge to drive one stake into the ground, at each end of the crosspiece.   That's two stakes, right?..one at each end.   Make sure they're straight up and down as best you can and really IN there.  Now drive a second stake into the ground absolutely right next to each of the first two. They gotta be touching, RIGHT next to one another. Now you have four stakes pounded into the ground, two at one end, two at the other.

Move your crosspiece of of the way...

Now pick up the galvanized fence posts and slip them right over the top of the stakes...one at each end. Now you have two uprights, just the right distance apart from each other.

Now take the rope and thread it like this...through one pulley... through the crossbar (it's hollow ABS pipe, right?).... through the other pulley....

You and a buddy now pick up the 10 foot lengths of ABS and drop them/sleeve them over the galvanized posts. The ends with the pulleys are "up", yes?  Pull the crossbar up where you want it and tie it in place..  If you pull it up all the way, that's ten feet, right?  I mean, the ABS pipe you bought was 10 feet long.

OK, so now get out the spring clamps.  Pull up the  ABS pipe, sliding it up the galvanized pipe until the bottom is 3 feet off the ground. Open the spring clamp and clomp it down on the galvanized pipe.  The ABS will rest on it....ditto on the other side.

Gee, now your crossbar is at 13 feet, plus or minus an inch or two.

Since Galvanized fence post pipe is 6 feet long, but you need about a foot of overlap between the the ABS and the galv pipe, this system will go up to about 15 feet, though it's a bit floppy.  It's rock-solid at 14, By raising and lowering the crossbar with the ropes, you can place the crossbar anywhere you want it.  It's good to have the crossbar hang a bit, it build flexibility into the system so when you smack a weight into the bar on the way down, the whole thing flexes and gives and doesn't self-destruct.

Now, knock yourself out...throw like a crazy man (or woman).

When you're done with practice, take everything apart, tear the stakes out of the ground and throw it all back in your truck and go home and drink beer.  I've used this exact setup at Stanford for months and it's worked great. We've beat the cr@p out of it by slamming weights into it and haven't broken anything, yet.

Beats the hell out of throwing over tree branches.

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Alan H Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Postaholic Account banned. Joined: 5/19/08 Status: Offline Points: 3135	Post Options Post Reply Quote Alan H Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: DIY cheap WOB standards Posted: 8/17/09 at 5:07pm
	I got tired of throwing over branches in the park...though the primitive nature of that seemed to get me in touch with my Heritage...or something.... maybe it was hurling my desperate body out of the way of 42 pounds of steel when it smacks into the branch and comes back down just as fast as it went up that got me motivated. ANYWAY .....this is what I did. It had to be 1. cheap and 2. portable in my Chevy S-10 pickup bed.. I found in the junk pile for the stables, here, two 6 foot lengths of galvanized steel fence pole. OK, I had to bust off some concrete, but that's what hand sledges are for. If you can't find this then get black iron pipe, or galvanized which does cost a bit to purchase. Do NOT use any plastic pipe, here. Next, I went by Orchard Supply Hardware and I bought the following stuff. 1, 50-foot length of cheap rope... about $4 3, 10 foot lengths of 3-inch ABS pipe. The 2-inch isn't rigid enough, the 3-inch is OK, and it sleeves over the galvanized pipe. These were $8 each, or about $25 total. 4, 24-inch round steel stakes, pointed at one end (Here they are at Lowe's...they're $4 each) Item #: 9883 Model: 655122 (you could maybe use lengths of rebar, ground to a point at one end.) 2, small pulleys something like these ...about $3 each http://www.sz-wholesale.com/uploadFiles/060629095447s.jpg 2, gluing clamps like these...about $4 each http://www.specialtytools.com/images/B11-XM5.jpg TOTAL COST was about $60 because I scrounged the galv pipe. ******* Prep OK, while at home, take your drill, and drill a small hole right near the end of two of the 10-foot pieces of ABS pipe. Drill it maybe 3/4 of an inch down from the top. Use some strong string to attach the pulleys to the end of the pipe by threading the string through the holes. Cut the third piece of ABS to the length you want between your uprights. This is going to be your crossbar. That's it, you're done with prep. Throw everything into the truck and go to the practice area with your hand sledge. I'm lucky, I can leave this set up all the time, but it's so easy that you can set the whole thing up in 10 minutes. set it up Lay your crosspiece on the ground where you want to set it up. Just outside the ends, use the hand sledge to drive one stake into the ground, at each end of the crosspiece. That's two stakes, right?..one at each end. Make sure they're straight up and down as best you can and really IN there. Now drive a second stake into the ground absolutely right next to each of the first two. They gotta be touching, RIGHT next to one another. Now you have four stakes pounded into the ground, two at one end, two at the other. Move your crosspiece of of the way... Now pick up the galvanized fence posts and slip them right over the top of the stakes...one at each end. Now you have two uprights, just the right distance apart from each other. Now take the rope and thread it like this...through one pulley... through the crossbar (it's hollow ABS pipe, right?).... through the other pulley.... You and a buddy now pick up the 10 foot lengths of ABS and drop them/sleeve them over the galvanized posts. The ends with the pulleys are "up", yes? Pull the crossbar up where you want it and tie it in place.. If you pull it up all the way, that's ten feet, right? I mean, the ABS pipe you bought was 10 feet long. OK, so now get out the spring clamps. Pull up the ABS pipe, sliding it up the galvanized pipe until the bottom is 3 feet off the ground. Open the spring clamp and clomp it down on the galvanized pipe. The ABS will rest on it....ditto on the other side. Gee, now your crossbar is at 13 feet, plus or minus an inch or two. Since Galvanized fence post pipe is 6 feet long, but you need about a foot of overlap between the the ABS and the galv pipe, this system will go up to about 15 feet, though it's a bit floppy. It's rock-solid at 14, By raising and lowering the crossbar with the ropes, you can place the crossbar anywhere you want it. It's good to have the crossbar hang a bit, it build flexibility into the system so when you smack a weight into the bar on the way down, the whole thing flexes and gives and doesn't self-destruct. Now, knock yourself out...throw like a crazy man (or woman). When you're done with practice, take everything apart, tear the stakes out of the ground and throw it all back in your truck and go home and drink beer. I've used this exact setup at Stanford for months and it's worked great. We've beat the cr@p out of it by slamming weights into it and haven't broken anything, yet. Beats the hell out of throwing over tree branches.