looking for 4' 1inch straight barbell

You could try this :p.



Redmon-Weight-Bench-Press-Set-9204.jpg


Why not just a standard 7' oly bar? Much more versatile and can be used for a lot more.
 
SkinnyJoe said:
I live in a small apt, so compact is always better. The EZ bar works (I grab outside of the curve), but it's not ideal.

Think I'm gonna go the do it yourself route: :):)

http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=2058&step=4&showunits=inches&id=9&top_cat=1
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How are you going to cut the knurling and make the area which stops the plates from going in too far?

EDIT: That sites has a 4' bar for $53, you might as well just go with a cheap standard barbell from a local sports stores for $40-$50. Although the standard bars will start to bend when you load it up with more than 100kg ish(225lb).
 
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You don't need knurling. You can wrap it with friction tape if you want. Inside collars don't have to be quick release; you can use the kind that require a wrench.
 
Roger999 said:
How are you going to cut the knurling and make the area which stops the plates from going in too far?
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Knurling is not an issue for me. I like to make exercises harder, but there's always tape or gymnast chalk.

As far as the plate stops, hose clamps (double up, just in case) work superbly.
 
Roger999 said:
How are you going to cut the knurling and make the area which stops the plates from going in too far?

EDIT: That sites has a 4' bar for $53, you might as well just go with a cheap standard barbell from a local sports stores for $40-$50. Although the standard bars will start to bend when you load it up with more than 100kg ish(225lb).
Click to expand...

The store ones are 5 feet in length, for the shortest one, and nowhere near in corrosion resistance to stainless steels. Plus, there is always some satisfaction in owning and using something that's not available in stores.

Custom-made barbells use stainless steels typically, I have seen them only for Olympic plates, and cost several hundred bucks.

As far as weight, I am well under 100lbs for my needs. :D:D

btw, what is the thickness at the grip areas for the Olympic bars? I take it it's more than 1 inch but well under 2 inches?

P.S. for those of you who enjoy looking at exotic (and expensive) exercise equipment, check out this site:

http://www.fractionalplates.com/cgi-bin/edatcat/PDAstore.cgi
 
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Have any mates in the construction industry? 2 options:

First you use a piece of scaffold pipe. It fits olympic weights very well. Measure in 6'' from either end, drill a hole through the pipe and put a bolt through and tighten the nut the other side. Trim extra bolt length off. This is now your stopping piece to prevent the weights sliding into the middle of the bar. Use grip tape for middle of the bar. Of course a set of collars will be needed to keep the weights on.

Second option, rebar. Instead of the bolt to stop plates moving you will need a set of collars tightened with a spanner and preferably loctite'd. This is on top of the other set of collars for keeping the weights on. Tape the middle if you want to smooth the knurling rebar has.
 
About the section that prevents the plates from sliding...simple get a sleeve that goes the length you need for your hand placement and put that over the 1 inch bar. Weld the ends and bam...all done.

It also has the added benefit of adding more weight to the bar, which may be useful since you're confined in space.

Personally, I'd go with dumbbells. I've always been an advocate of dumbbells over barbells, with the exception being for squatting.

EDIT: And skinnyjoe, it's interesting you linked fractional plates. I have been using a pair of their custom 20 inch dumbbells for 6 or 7 years now. http://www.fractionalplates.com/cgi-bin/edatcat/PDAstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=8.5 I use those except mine are 20 inches as stated, with 5 inch grip and 15 inch of sleeving (7.5 on either side). That's enough to hold 12 10 pound standard plates. Each bar with collars weighs 6 pounds.

I am still working on getting my dbell press over 100 pounds. I plateaued at 91...have been stuck there for 2 years. lol.
 
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harkamus said:
EDIT: And skinnyjoe, it's interesting you linked fractional plates. I have been using a pair of their custom 20 inch dumbbells for 6 or 7 years now. http://www.fractionalplates.com/cgi-bin/edatcat/PDAstore.cgi?user_action=detail&catalogno=8.5 I use those except mine are 20 inches as stated, with 5 inch grip and 15 inch of sleeving (7.5 on either side). That's enough to hold 12 10 pound standard plates. Each bar with collars weighs 6 pounds.

I am still working on getting my dbell press over 100 pounds. I plateaued at 91...have been stuck there for 2 years. lol.
Click to expand...

I am guessing you're familiar with these too:

:D:D

http://ironmind-store.com/Big-Boy-Dumbbell-Bars153-pair/productinfo/1224/
 
Those are awesome, but when I think about it now, I would make the bars myself. Back then I didn't have the equipment, but now I do have a welder in the garage.

I actually built my own safety squat bar. I measured it out to my height. It goes just below parallel, so if I were to 'slip', the bar would rest on the ground since it has legs. It looks more or less like a yoke. It's also convertible to a safety benchpress, which has almost the range of motion of a pair of dumbbells (can go below chest level), but if it drops, it rests on the ground on the legs.
 
SkinnyJoe said:
where do you get the sleeves for the bar?
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I didn't need any sleeves for my design. I don't even use collars on it. The whole contraption alone weighs 90 pounds. The center of gravity on the contraption is close to the ground, so there's really no way to hurt yourself on it even if you slip. I'm too lazy to put on collars.

It's bad enough when I change weights on my custom dumbbells. You have to torque those collars down to 35 foot pounds.
 
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