Building Solid, Variable & Removable Wall Bars

Instead of pressuring (destroying) the door frame by an expanding pull-up bar or attaching all of the weight to the frame itself I build pillars out of small wooden boards. They are laying on the trim/baseboard and that way most of the load is transferred to the ground.

What you'll need:

• 2 wooden boards (could be plywood or any other (slightly harder) wood - I use the Siberian larch, since this was the only hardwood that my local shop had)
• Wooden dowels/bars
• 4 (or 6) screws and anchors
• Small piece of wood or plywood for a template
• Some scrap wood for the stoppers

Tools:

• A drill with a bit (Forstner, spade or hole bit)
• Saw (I have a miter saw but hand or jigsaw will work as well)
• Fretsaw or scroll saw
• Screwdriver
• Router with the top bearing flush trim pattern bit
• 2 Clamps
• A bit of sanding paper
• Safety gear (headset and googles)

Start by drilling out holes with the diameter that is slightly smaller than the wooden bar - I drilled 3 holes in the 'L' shape and removed the rest of the wood with a scroll saw (in case you don't have one, a fretsaw or a rasp and a bit of a sanding paper might do the job as well).

Decide where you want to have holes for the bars - I positioned them 20cm apart since this gives flexibility, so we can either move the bars around or mount multiple bars.

To set up the router - Clamp the template onto the pillar and put the router on top of your template. Plunge the router until the bearing engages with the guide/template surface and the spinning/cutting part is sitting lower. Since this is a flush-trimming straight bit, it will trim wood flush with the template.

Once you cut the template out, you can then lower the bit and ride it along the ride the bearing directly on the wood.

I finished rounding the edges with a round-over edge forming it but you can also sand them down.

Drill 3 holes for each pillar, place screw anchors and screw them in. I positioned the pillars on the trim/baseboard so that the load will be transferred to the ground.

First, cut bars to the length. Since the bar diameter is bigger than the template holes, you need to shape it down to the oval shape. This will prevent the bar from turning and overstretching your arm - it will also be easier and safer to hang on them.

I simple wedged the corners with the utility knife until I could slip them into the 'L' slot.

From a scrap piece of wood, I cut pieces that were the same dimension as the slot. I sand the corners down and do the final adjustment with a utility knife. When you slide them into the slot, the bar is secured and can not jump out. This might not be needed for the top bars but in case you start exercising with elastic bands on the lower levels they might become useful.

• Use the pillars/side boards as the growth chart
  
• Hang a swing
  
• Make a home training center by hanging sling trainer, rubber powerbands, rings, etc.
  
• Make a climbing wall
  
• Hang your laundry
  
• The only limit is your ingenuity!