DIY Chinning Bar for the Ceiling

Chin-ups and pull-ups are both excellent body-weight exercises for developing upper body strength. Unlike push-ups, sit-ups and many other body-weight exercises, however, you do need some equipment to do a chin-up. This equipment is simple to construct on your own. The important thing to remember when building a chin-up bar, though, is to select your spot well and make sure the bar is secure, so you do not end up on the ground, holding a chin-up bar and a chunk of ceiling.

Things You'll Need

  • 2-by-6 board
  • Measuring tape
  • Pencil
  • Chop saw
  • Drill
  • 1-inch drill bit
  • 6-by-3/4-inch carriage bolt and nut
  • 12-by-3/4-inch carriage bolt washers
  • 4 1/2 foot long 3/4-inch steel rod
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure 18 inches along the 2-by-6 and cut with the chop saw. Do it again, so that you have two pieces of 2-by-6, 18 inches long.

    • 2

      Drill a hole in the center of one 2-by-6 piece, 3 or 4 inches from an end. Make three more holes at the other end of the 2-by-6, 3 to 4 inches from the end. These three holes should form the points of a triangle.

    • 3

      Lay the piece of 2-by-6 with the holes in it on top of the other piece of 2-by-6, square up the edges and use the pencil to make an outline of the four holes on the other piece of 2-by-6.

    • 4

      Drill four holes where the pencil marks are on the other piece of 2-by-6.

    • 5

      Place the 2-by-6 against the side of floor joist, so that you can see the floor joist through the three holes, and the side with one hole in it is hanging down, below the floor joist. The lowest of the three holes should be at least 4 inches above the bottom of the floor joist.

    • 6

      Use the pencil to make an outline of the three holes on the floor joist.

    • 7

      Use the drill to make holes in the floor joist where the three pencil marks are.

    • 8

      Place a carriage bolt through each hole, with a washer between the bolt head and the wood. Place a washer on the other side and secure each bolt in place with a nut. Make sure each bolt is tight with a wrench.

    • 9

      Place the other piece of 2-by-6 next to the one you have just secured in place. Make the ends flush, and make a mark with the pencil on the 2-by-6 where it intersects with the bottom of the floor joist.

    • 10

      Place the steel rod in the bottom hole, and place the other piece of 2-by-6 on the other end of the steel rod by inserting it in to the proper hole.

    • 11

      Find a spot on the floor joist that is 4 feet away. If your floor joists are on 16-inch centers, this will be the third floor joist, and if your floor joists are on 24-inch centers this will be the second floor joist. Make sure that the rod is not twisting in the holes, and that the two pieces of 2-by-6 look to be in about the same place.

    • 12

      Place the 2-by-6 piece at the proper height, using the pencil mark, and mark the three holes in the same way that you did for the first piece.

    • 13

      Drill and secure the holes in the same way that you did for the first piece of 2-by-6.

    • 14

      Insert the steel rod into the two holes. There should be several inches of excess rod on either side, to prevent the rod from coming out of the holes.