Wood Power Rack - Build Your Own Power Cage Out Of Wood!

Wooden Power Rack

OK first off don't think that building a wooden power rack is crazy! It really is not and the truth is most people are not going to be doing 500lb+ lifts and this could prob even handle that if it had too.

Truth is I would have loved to buy a Rogue squat stand or power rack, but at $600 it was just not in the cards.

I am also 6'3″ and most things are not built for tall people so I figure I could build something a bit more custom around me and that is just what I did.

I did a lot of research online to see what others had built. Here are some sites that have awesome wood power rack plans and pictures you can get some ideas from. Much more details there then my post, but hey… like I said this will get you thinking… Thanks guys you helped me out a lot! There were countless other sites and google images I looked at as well.

 

Building The Foundation Of Your Wood Power Cage

Watch The Video

I wanted to use 2 – 2×6's just to be safe. I have seen others only using 1, but I figured I might as well add some more stability to it. Don't use the treated wood unless you were doing this outside. It will shrink and twist on you. I built a dock years back with treated and had to actually use a crank rope to get the boards touching each other. After they dried out there was a 1/4 inch gap between them… so moral of story use untreated wood for your rack 😉

 

Walk Through Of The Wood Power Rack


I have all the receipts at home and the exact pieces I will update below, I just forgot them today and wanted to get this post up and running.

Things I Would Have Done Differently

  • If you notice in the video how I made it a bit too wide so the Olympic barbell did not fit. Hindsight I would have set the 2 2×6's like they did here,but that would have made it hard to drill holes for the bar supports.
  • Or I may have just made it a bit more narrow. I did want it as wide as possible since I am a bigger guy. Also the pull up bar is a 43″ pipe so I did not want to deal with getting it cut, but like I said in the video I had to take it back and get it cut anyway because it was too wife.
  • So the age old saying…. measure twice, cut once!

What I Used For The Bar Supports.

IMG_0449 IMG_0451

 

Does This Looks Like Way Too Much Work???

You don't have to build one, but if money is an issue then this is the way to go. I will get the total, but I do not think I spent over $175 on this and I built it to my specifics for my surroundings. If you have the money and want to buy a real metal power cage then here are a few places to check out.

  • If I had the money I would have bought this Rogue R-4 Power Rack
  • I did a lot of searching on Amazon so take a look there. You can find a lot of brands and if you have prime you can get FREE Shipping. Free shipping is a must on something like this.

Hope this helps you in some way, shape, or form. I would love to hear feedback, and if you have any questions just leave them below. Thanks!

FitDadChris

About the Author

FitDadChris

Jack of all trades... master of none! Father of 3 awesome boys, husband to 1 amazing wife! Obstacle racer, procrastinator, computer nerd, trying not to follow the herd!

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  • Alex says:

    I was wondering where you got the chin up bar? Was is Home Depot as well? Is this some kind of plumbing pipe?

  • Tano says:

    Chris great! Making a wooden power rack is not crazy, I think. And that should do if we have less budget. In fact I have done a wooden power rack but it is not beautiful as you, It is including 2 columns buried deep in the ground. Although so, I love it so much and totally satisfied with it. Thank you! your article made me more peace of mind about my power rack.

  • Brian says:

    Hello,
    Nice site with helpful videos.
    Question for you – why did you go with 2×6 and fasten together instead of going with 4×4’s?
    I know you mentioned 4×6’s, but would 4×4’s not allow for enough clearance to drill the holes?
    I am thinking about building myself a basic cage and thought about using 4×4’s.
    Any help or comment is appreciated.

    • Chris says:

      Hey Brian thanks! I honesty forget lol, but I am pretty sure the only 4×4 or 4x 6 I could find were treated and they were a lot more money.

      And yea I think 4×4 would cut it close with the holes. I did see some online with 4×4 but the wider just looked better to me!

      All in all it is still standing…. took a break with it for the winter because my garage is freezing, but about to get back at it soon.

      If you build one let me know and send some pics!

      • Brian says:

        I’m with you on that freezing garage thing, but I found that if I do some pushups, and jump on the mini trampoline a bit, wearing a hat and hooded sweatshirt….I get warmed up really quick and then its almost refreshing to go into garage and once start working out, I never got cold (much), unless rested too long in between sets.
        I will reply with a pic, if I get one built…like the idea. I hope to build one that also has a lat pulldown pulley system in place, and some hooks for using resistance bands for warming up, etc.
        Take care,
        Brian

  • BigPaul says:

    Im not sure about his motives for the double 2×6’s but I DO know that instead of a single piece of lumber, the double stacked does not warp or twist quite as easy.

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