http://www.bodyrock.tv/2010/03/18/a-homebuilt-dip-station/http://www.bodyrock.tv/2010/03/18/a-homebuilt-dip-station/A Homebuilt Dip StationWhy Do it Yourself?By CL VancilFor some its the high cost of sports equipment that prevents them from purchasing such things. For others, the location they live in hasnt got a convenient place to purchase fitness equipment or it simply costs to much to ship it to them. For many of us it the pleasure you get form making something yourself and the satisfaction of learning to use new tools, materials and systems. In this case its a simple Dip Station made of Galvanized steel pipe or PVC pipe. The basic design is the same in either case. Galvanized pipe is readily available, but can cost as much as the product youre trying to mimic and requires some skill in assembling it without putting a lot of unions in the design. Assembly can be tricky with pieces of pipe because of the nature of threaded parts. While threading together more than two pieces you often are undoing one side while tightening the another! This is where unions allow you to screw together parts, but you need to allow for the length unions add to any piece of pipe. So it might be simpler and better for some to make this out of something lighter and easier to assemblePVC pipe. Im sure a 1.25 inch schedule 40 pipe would work as well as the galvanized steel pipe and cost much less. The galvanized pipe assembly shown cost me over $130 USD which is about the cost of theUltimate Body Press Zuzana and Frederick use.Here is the parts list for the Dip Station I made: (all are 3/4 inch galvanized steel pipe)1-1 1/2 inch Nipple (its what plumbers call a short piece of pipe)1- 2 inch Nipple1-Coupling1- 5 inch long piece of pipe1- 18 inch long piece of pipe2 -Unions 8- 90 degree elbows 2- Tee* 2- 12 inch long pieces of pipe 6- 24 inch long pieces of pipe 2- 36 inch long pieces of pipe To assemble the steel pipe version you will need an open space, gloves and at least one pipe wrench. Start at the union which is screwed onto the 36 inch length of pipe. It really doesnt matter which end or which part of the union you use. But, lets start with the 2 inch nipple and the part of the union with the two pieces. You then connect one of the 90 degree elbow and a 24 inch length of pipe. Then another 90 degree elbow and the 12 inch length of pipe. Next connect to one of the TEEs and another 24 inch piece of pipe. Okay do you get the general idea? The last thing you would assemble would be the cross brace with the other union and the 5 inch long piece of pipe and the 18 inch long piece. Here is a parts list for a Dip Station made of 1.25 inch PVC pipe: 8- 90 degree elbows 2- Tee* 2- 12 inch long pieces of pipe 7- 24 inch long pieces of pipe 2- 36 inch long pieces of pipe And a small bottle of PVC Pipe Cement Some places (i.e., Home Depot) you can buy 24 inch pieces of PVC pipe already cut to length. But, you do need two 12 and two 36. Or I guess you could go with cutting a 24 long pipe in half and with two couplings glue up two 36. That would change how many 24 inch pieces you need and you might as well cut the other two 12 inch from a 24 as well. This wouldnt be the cheapest route as a single precut 24 inch piece costs about half as much as a 10 foot lengths of pipe which normally you would cut to the correct lengths yourself. As you can see this is a bit like big people LEGOs or Erector Sets. And if you make either of these Stations and actually use it for exercise and not the dust collecting piece of art I designed it as, its your own fault!

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