Hey, I heard you’re looking to upgrade your gym? I’ve been tinkering with a custom power rack that saves space and cuts costs—mind if we swap notes?

Sounds good. I’ve built a rack from an old frame and a couple of steel tubes, then added a pulley system for the pull‑ups so it doesn’t need extra wall space. It holds about 800 pounds, fits in a two‑by‑four room, and you can swap out the bar plates for adjustable dumbbells when you need more variety. Want me to show you the sketch or the part list?

Here’s a quick rundown of the parts and how I set it up, so you can tweak it to hit all the moves you want. **Frame** – Old 2x4 timber (two 8‑ft pieces, cut to 5‑ft tall). **Steel tubes** – 2x 2‑inch OD, 8‑ft long for the uprights, 4‑inch OD, 4‑ft long for the base bars. **Heavy‑duty turnbuckle** – 10‑lb max for the pull‑up bar. **Adjustable plate holder** – Simple pipe clamp with a 3‑inch plate that slides up and down. **J‑hooks** – Two, for the squat pins. **Power bar** – Standard 7‑ft Olympic bar, 7.2 lbs. **Safety pins** – 4, ½‑inch. **Rope** – 2‑strand nylon, 10‑ft, for a makeshift dead‑lift pull. **Assembly** 1. Attach the 8‑ft steel uprights to the 5‑ft timber top, leaving a 2‑inch gap at the bottom for the squat pins. 2. Slide the 4‑ft steel bars through the uprights and secure with the turnbuckle at the pull‑up height. 3. Mount the J‑hooks on the base, just outside the uprights, so the bar can rest there for squats. 4. Thread the rope through the 2‑inch plate and attach to the bar. Pull the rope up and down to mimic a dead‑lift or as a cue for pulling the bar up during pull‑ups. 5. Add the safety pins just below the bar’s lowest point for safety. You can swap the 2‑inch plate for a set of adjustable dumbbells, or add a small rack to the side for a bench press. Let me know if you need the exact measurements or a quick sketch. I'll shoot it over.