Clothesline T-post Squat Rack & Bench

I wanted to get back to lifting weights without spending a ton of money on equipment. I already had some weights and bars lying around. I just needed the rack and the bench. After some planning and searching around, I found a family member who was tossing out scrap metal. Luckily, the metal I found was exactly what I needed, and I own an arc welder. I was given a clothesline T-post pole, a rectangle metal pole, and one ninety-degree metal angle. I used a 3/8 6011 electrode in my Lincoln Buzzbox welder for the construction of the project. Furthermore, took some time to draw out the design on paper before the construction began, to avoid grinding and re-welding. I had a spare one-inch metal rod from another barbell, wood, and wheels, later used for the bench. Feel free to get creative and use what you find. With a plan and a welder the sky is the limit, just make sure that it’s sturdy enough to hold the weight.

Rack Parts

1. Clothesline T-post

2. Rectangle metal pole

3. 90 metal angle

4. 1 inch solid steal pole

5. 12 Bolts and nuts lock washers

Bench Parts

1. Heavy duty wood

2. 90 degree wood angles

3. 3 inch long wood screws

4. Wood screws

5. Wheels

6. Handle

Tools

1. Welder

2. Drill

3. Sludge hammer

4. Angle grinder

The design part took the longest. A clear path is normally the hardest to set without solid directions to follow. The parts laid out for a little over a week until I finally came up with a design. After the design was drawn out I cut and sized the parts, until they fit correctly. The bailout bar, from the rectangle beam, needed to have the right height to function properly. I found that 28 inches off the ground was the perfect height for my body and the bench to fit, while not getting in the way of the exercises. I started welding one side of the squat rack bail out bar then the other. I found the easiest way to weld this was to have someone hold it in place while someone else tacks it in place.

Then the 90-degree angle was welded on the rear of the unit for the support 6 inches in length. Then another 90-degree angel bar was cut to length than placed over the other 90- degree angle then drilled and bolted in place with 12mm bolts.

The top pull up bar was what took the most thought and last minute designing. I ended up using leftover material from the clothesline T-post pole. I cut 6 inches from the long side and then cut those in half to make a hemisphere shape. Then placed them over the other side of the pole and hammered it down to get the sides to come out to fit over the pole better. Then they were welded to the one inch solid pole to make sure I had 38 inches in between the clothesline T-post pole all around. The bolt holes were then marked out, drilled, and bolted in place. The height for the pull up bar was at 84.5 inches and the total height for the unit was 86 inches overall. The bar also has a ring in the middle for my punching bag. The pipe clamps and zip ties used were not supposed to be permanent but have not given out in over 6 months of use.

The tabs for the bench and squat rack weight were the last things that were made. I found it easiest to just get the bar on my back and see where it fits best, make sure it was level and weld it in place using the same one person hold and another tacks tactic. I found 40 inches from the ground for bench and 58 inches from the ground for the squat bar to be the perfect height.

The bench is the second part that needed to be done. The height used was 19 inches and was copied off my buddy’s bench, which I used for measurements. The top was 40 inches long by 16 inches wide. The supports for the legs were measured out to 3 inches from the tip of the bench then screwed on to the 90 degree wood angle. The wheels were then added to the back along with a handle on the front for easier transportation.

This is a slow and steady build, due to gym equipment being high priced. In the recent months, an oblique and sit up machine, more weights, memory foam mat for the bench, mats for the floor, some mirrors and, art have been added.