Easy to Build DIY Power Rack (Squat Rack)

Completed, easy to build, DIY power rack

One of the most versatile pieces of equipment in any gym is the power rack, and for a home gym it is even more useful because it can be used for most of the pressing exercises as well as a variety of squats, deadlifts, and rows. New racks can run anywhere from $500 to $1500 from home gym suppliers, and without any options available on craigslist I decided to build my own.

After doing a bit of research, I found this site with complete plans for a power rack made from 2x6 lumber. I made a few modifications to suit my needs and began work. The most obvious deviations from the plans at the above link is the addition of bracing in the top corners of the rack as well as the 3/4" plywood floor of the rack. I didn't originally intend to add the floor, but it helped square up the entire rack nicely and added to the stability.

As with any project, the first step is to choose your wood. While at the lumber yard I sorted through the stack of kiln dried 2x6s to find the straightest ones (I needed 13), and then once back in my garage I sorted them again to pick the absolute best eight which would become the legs of the rack.

Sorting through 2x6 lumber to find the best boards

After the leg boards were paired and out of the way, I took the next two flattest boards and cut them to 5'. These would become the feet that the rack would rest on. I also cut two more boards to 48" and screwed them to my feet at a right angle to create a shoe that would hold the legs of the rack from both the side and below.

Assembled base boards for the rack

Next is laminating the legs. Being careful to keep track of the "good" face of each board, I coated the inside of each board with wood glue and laminated them together. With clamps in place, I ran 2 1/2" screws through the back board into the front board to help hold the boards tight. Be careful to set your driver to a low torque setting when running the screws, since the laminated leg is only 3" thick and over-driving a screw could cause it to rupture through the face of the leg.

After letting the legs dry over night, I used a 1 1/8" spade bit to put the holes in the legs that would accept the safety bars and adjustable hooks (made from 3/4" pipe). So I wouldn't have to measure to each hole, and so that corresponding holes would line up between the front and back leg on each side, I first made a simple jig by taking a scrap piece of 2x6 and measuring and drilling all of the holes into that. Then I clamped the jig to each leg and used it as a drill guide to make sure the holes were all in the same spot (one tip I learned is to start the hole using the jig and drill about 3/4 of the way through each hole, then take off the jig and place a scrap of 2x6 behind the leg to prevent tear-out when finishing the hole). I also used a combination square as a reference to ensure I kept the drill relatively straight as I made the holes.

Drilling pilot holes into a scrap 2x6 to use as a guide

Drill guide clamped into place on one of the rack legs

Using a combination square to keep the drill straight

Once the legs are complete (the most time consuming step) it is time to move on to assembly. I used a 3/4" spade pit to drill counter sinks in the bottom of each base board to run lag bolts into the legs. I measured to ensure that I would put the lag bolt into the center of each 2x6, not the laminated center of the leg itself. After all the holes were drilled, I used a ratchet and a 5/16" socket to drive the lag bolts through the base board and into the bottom of the leg, making sure to keep everything square as I drove the bolt.

Countersink holes in the bottom of the base boards

I assembled each side of the rack on the ground and made sure to put in ample bracing using scrap 2x4's I had lying around the garage. If you don't have scraps, two 8' lengths of kiln dried 2x4 is more than enough for all of the bracing and will cost around $6 at your local hardware store. Once I was satisfied with the bracing on each side, I lifted them both into place and secured them with a 2x6 at the top back. I also used 2x4 to brace the back board to remove any side to side motion in the rack. I also drilled a 1 1/4" hole in each of the 2x6 top members to accept a 3/4" pipe I had bought to use as a pull up bar.

A braced side of the rack ready to be lifted into place

Once the rack was standing and fully secured, I added some additional bracing to the top front to remove the remaining wobble, making sure to leave myself room for the pull up bar. I also took two lengths of L shaped metal bracket and secured them to the back legs of the rack with washers and wood screws to prevent the bar from chipping away at the wood as weight gets racked. Finally, I took a section of 3/4" plywood and cut it to the inner dimensions of the rack and added it as a floor, securing it to the base boards with pocket hole screws. This step is an addition I made to the plans I used, but made the rack completely stable and square.

Squat rack with safety bars and pull up bar installed

The last step is building the weight hooks. To do this I used a 3 1/2" length of 3/4" pipe (pipe is measured by the inner diameter, not the outer) joined to a 45 degree turn and a 1" length on the front and secured with caps on both ends. An exploded view is below.

Exploded weight hook

Weight hook in position

And that's it! This is a moderately simple project that can be accomplished in a weekend with a few basic tools, and all for a fraction of the cost of buying a commercial power rack. 

The First Project: the Work Bench

After researching woodworking for the past several months, in the beginning of December I finally moved to my new house in Texas. I epoxyed the garage floor and did my best to get mostly unpacked, but I was eager to start woodworking and wanted to get to work right away. The first project I wanted to build was the work bench. It seemed to me a good way to learn some basic skills, but because of it's inherently functional nature if I made mistakes it wouldn't be a big deal. I also needed a work bench because I didn't really have any other work area to use.

During my research, there were two bench designs that appealed to me. The first, Asa Christiana's bench from Getting Started in Woodworking, appealed to me because of the face vise and the solid construction used throughout, but routing the channels for the threaded rods seemed a bit beyond my skill level at the time. The second bench plan I liked came from the Kreg Jig YouTube Channel. I liked the 2x4 construction because it is cheaper and easier to work with than heavy pieces of wood, but I wanted more clamping options than the bench in the Kreg plan has.

In the end, I decided to build a 2x4 frame using pocket hole joinery like in the Kreg plan, but increased the bench top dimensions to 24" wide but a full 5' long. This allows for a 1' overhang on the left side of the bench, which gives me an area for clamping and also gives me the option to add a face vise later on if I decide I need one. I threw together a quick plan on a legal pad and then it was off to the store to buy some wood!

A quick sketch of my plan

At Home Depot I had my piece of 3/4" MDF cross cut at 3' and then had the remaining 4' x 5' section ripped lengthwise, so I left the store with a 3' x 5' piece that would later become my lower shelf and two 2' x 5' pieces that would get laminated into my top. I also got six 8' 2x4's. Using my friend's miter saw, I cut all of my 2x4 pieces to length and then started drilling the pocket holes for the bench frame.

I used the oversize MDF piece that would become my shelf and a couple of moving boxes to make a temporary work surface. Using a Kreg Jig, I put pocket holes in all the joints for my frame. 

I put together the two halves of my bench frame and then using wood glue and clamps, put the two pieces together nice and square and screwed everything together. I also used a combination square to make sure I had nice 90 degree angles at every joint, which made assembly much easier since everything lined up fairly well. I did deviate from my sketched plan by adding a stretcher to the top of the bench so that I would have an extra place to anchor the top to the frame. 

Frame assembled

After finishing the frame, I started laminating my two pieces of MDF for the top. The cut from Home Depot wasn't exactly center, but I still had a 24" width on the thinner piece and cleaned the top up with a circular saw once the pieces were finished laminating. 

I glued the two pieces of my top together and then clamped the four corners. I also ran some 1" screws through the bottom piece to make sure that the middle of my bench top would be pulled nice and tight while the glue was bonding. 

Next up was cutting the shelf. Using a circular saw, I made a freehand cut to remove some of the excess width of the board. Then, I clamped the piece I had just cut onto the remaining shelf so that I could use the board's factory edge as a cutting guide. My saw's blade is 5" from the left edge of the shoe, so by clamping my cutting guide at 19" I ended up with a 24" wide piece of MDF with both edges straight and very close to parallel. I used the same cutting guide to trim the shelf to length, then using a borrowed jig saw cut out the holes for the bench legs. I used a scrap piece of 2x4 to trace the dimensions of the cut onto each corner of the shelf. 

Using the factory edge of a scrap piece as a cutting guide

Making the cut outs for the bench legs with a jig saw

The next morning, I used the cutting guide I made to trim the bench top to 2' wide by 5' long. I dropped the shelf in place and screwed it to the frame from underneath. Next, I coated the top rails with wood glue, got the bench top into position, and screwed it in place to the rails. with the double thickness of 3/4" MDF, the bench top is very heavy, but not so heavy that I can't easily move the bench around with my wife's help. Because MDF is also fairly cheap, if I ever need to replace the bench top it won't be a huge investment. 

The finished project, ready to be used!

Building this bench was a rewarding experience for me. As a newcomer to woodworking, it let me get used to using power tools and experimenting on a project that isn't supposed to look pretty. There are angles that don't quite line up perfectly. There are edges that aren't perfectly flush with each other. But it doesn't matter, because it is a bench that is meant to be a tool itself, not a display piece. I still plan to add a face vise and drill dog holes at some point in the future, but for now having a great work area with plenty of clamping space is all I need to get me started on my next set of projects!