Custom Hallway Pullup Bar

[  woodworking  fitness  maker  tinyhouse  diy  ] 30 Dec 2019

So I wanted a pull-up bar in my house but I’ve always hated those doorframe pull-up bars you get at Target. They are too short for me to hang from and not have my feet dragging on the ground. They don’t feel very sturdy to me and they can damage your door and walls. Oh and they are ugly.

Project Requirements

I always start a project with my requirements. That will help me come up with a design and some constraints.

• Solidly supports my weight for pullups
• Doesn’t block the doorway
• Tall enough for me to hang from without my feet touching the ground
• Not obtrusive / isn’t obviously visible

Supplies

• 3/4” Plywood (I used Baltic Birch)
• 3/4” Galvanized Steel Pipe
• Long Wood Screws
• Tung Oil (or whatever finish you want)

Required Equipment

• Jigsaw
• Drill
• Hole Saw
• Studfinder
• Hack Saw
• Sandpaper
• Measuring Tape
• Level
• File

Design

For the pull-up bar design, I’ve decided to mount two boards on either side of a hallway with a metal bar that sit in a slot just using gravity. The bar can sit at different heights and positions and and can be removed and replaced if need be. I decided to go wit baltic birch because it looks clean and minimal.

Steps

1. Decide where you’re gonna want the pull-up bar. Make sure it’s somewhere where you have enough head clearance to do a pull-up. Mark off where the studs are using the studfinder.

2. Based on where the studs are relative to the wall you can figure out how long the boards need to be to hit two studs. For me there were studs at about 14” inches from the doorframe, so I made my wooden brackets 17” inches long so there was some meat between the supported part of the board and the edge.

3. Mark the boards out and cut them using a jigsaw, tablesaw, chopsaw or whatever you have.

4. Use the hole saw with the drill to remove the hole from where the pull-up bar will go.

5. Then use the jigsaw to cut a slot from the board edge to the hole.

   

6. Sand everything nice and smooth.

7. After making sure to remove any sawdust residue, wipe the tung oil on in a thin layer and let dry.

8. Repeat Step 7 twice more to get a thicker finish.

9. Attach the boards into the wall making sure everything is level across the hallway. Use at least three screws in a stud. Please make sure everything is good and secure.

   

10. Using the hacksaw, cut the steel pipe so it just fits between your walls. This will ensure as much pipe as possible is supported by the wood brackets. File the pipe down on the ends to remove any burrs in the steel.

    

11. Put your steel pipe up between the two boards and you have your pull-up bar!

    

There you have it

If you have a narrow enough hallway you too can have a custom pullup bar. I’m really happy with this design. It was inexpensive, it’s out of the way and it meets all my design requirements.

Most importantly, it holds my weight just fine!

And there it is, a custom, hallway pull-up bar. Thanks for reading.