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DIY 🔨Teak wood squat cage (reddit.com)

submitted by godintraining

This handmade teak wood gym has been my workout partner for the last 5 years, and it’s still going strong. I’ve moved houses four times in those years, and it’s come with me every time. Really heavy and bulky to movr, but worth it. It even stayed outdoors for two years in the garden, but now it’s back inside.

The design is all about classic joinery, with each wooden piece locking into the next, complemented by black metal corners for a bit extra support. It gets a thorough maintenance check yearly, and it’s been sanded and re-stained twice already.

I’m counting on it to last at least another 5 years.

Oh, and the yoga mat is a “Manduka Pro Large and Wide”.

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[–]rob_cornelius [score hidden]  (1 child)

I would have that outdoors... make it even more magnificent

[–]godintraining[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

It has been outdoor for years actually, when I was living in Bali, but now that I moved to the city is sitting in front of my home desk and coffee bar. It works brilliantly at getting few reps out between video calls and excel sheets.

[–]stefan_905 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Ye Olde squat rack

[–]New_Abbreviations336 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Gorgeous!!!

[–]DontBanThisOnePlzThx [score hidden]  (0 children)

That’s pretty cool!

[–]Clancy1987 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Extra upvotes for the cute puppa 😊

[–]ResidentObligation30 [score hidden]  (1 child)

Wood you look at that!

[–]Clancy1987 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Hilarious 😂 👏

[–]horsehorsetigertiger [score hidden]  (3 children)

It looks great, but isn't teak a protected wood? Threatened at least.

[–]jigmexyz [score hidden]  (0 children)

We fancy!

Love it.

[–]SnooRadishes2629 6 points7 points  (3 children)

How can you possibly bench on that slab of wood???

[–]godintraining[S] 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Yes, sincerely that bench has never been very comfortable. If you look at the wall, there are few towels hanging, those are used to create some cushioning on the bench top. But the bench is definitely the worst part of the project.

[–]SnooRadishes2629 [score hidden]  (1 child)

I’m imagining it with a custom leather covered pad.

[–]godintraining[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

That would be awesome. But that thing is also too heavy and not as wide as I would like. I am thinking to make a matching model reclinabile. If I get around to do it, I’d love to match it with brown leather, the type with micro holes that they use in car seats

[–]They_Have_a_Point 10 points11 points  (0 children)

All I picture is Owen Wilson unveiling this and Ben Stiller setting it on fire…

[–]Rocqy 13 points14 points  (4 children)

This thing seems like a nightmare to use

[–]Schmuck1138 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Not a nightmare, but ideal for workouts for a partner you want to know very... Intimately

[–]godintraining[S] -1 points0 points  (2 children)

Why? It is really handy actually.

[–]retro_grave [score hidden]  (1 child)

Because you can't load the squat on your back without going through the drywall. Just rotate the rack 180deg and remount your rings. Or add another 3 bar holders to the front, then it will be symmetric and work nicely for both squat+bench.

[–]godintraining[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

You are right, normally this would be sitting a foot off the wall. This is a new room setup and sincerely I did not notice the issue, as previously the rack was in the center of a room. I just moved it enough to be able to use bigger plates and load the squat on my back. I will also add a matching full size mirror with wooden frame on the wall to complete the look

[–]tom030792 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Did you cover any surfaces with metal plates? I feel like anything less than a very gentle drop would start to chip and wear the wood down

[–]notarealacctatall 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Ye olde squat rack is not my style, not at all. But to each their own.

[–]visionkh 0 points1 point  (3 children)

How do you use it? With a wood crossmember on the ground and slid up against the wall, seems like you would want the hooks on the other side of the rack.

[–]whtevn 3 points4 points  (1 child)

You just put your face directly into the wall and then walk back like normal

[–]godintraining[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes exactly. I just moved it here in this new place and probably I will increase the gap between the cage and the wall, and add a wooden framed full size mirror on the wall

[–]m_Pony 3 points4 points  (1 child)

I built a half-rack out of 2x4s and screws.

Yours looks way nicer than mine.

[–]godintraining[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, the idea is not very different, I just invested in some nice hardwood to make it suitable for staying in the living room

[–]PlayerTwo85 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I made something like this years ago! Didn't look anywhere near this nice though lol

[–]Timmerdogg 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Not bondage equipment. This is the only way my partner would let me lift in the house

[–]m_Pony 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not bondage equipment

not with that attitude

[–]CaptainChipDog 0 points1 point  (5 children)

This is awesome! How do you determine how much weight it can hold?

[–]godintraining[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

This thing is really strong, I am 20” points and I can jump on the side bars and they do not even feel it. This is full Teak wood with really nice joinery. I’d say it is stronger than most steel squat cages

[–]CaptainChipDog [score hidden]  (0 children)

That’s so cool! How much does that wood run?

[–]Sudden_Toe3020 11 points12 points  (2 children)

When it falls on you, it's too much.

[–]Larrydp72181Basement Gym 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Not going to lie, all I saw was that doggo 😍

[–]addtokartHome gym Enthusiast 7 points8 points  (3 children)

Squat cage or curling cage?

[–]godintraining[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can easily fit 45s, maybe the angle of the picture is not clear. I will try to take more photos if anyone is interested

[–]Elflow420 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Yea I’m trying to consider the size of at least a 45 and it is not fitting on that rack lol

[–]addtokartHome gym Enthusiast 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah honestly it would be perfectly usable if the hooks were on a middle upright about 40cm in or so.

[–]brucevillettiMod Team - Upscale chalk bowls 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Beautiful

[–]Cessna152RGGarage Gym 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I absolutely love the look of that cage!

You really have an eye for details with the corner-fittings and overall finish.

How are the safeties fitted? Are they adjustable?

[–]godintraining[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! No they are not adjustable to ensure maximum strength. but they work well for me.

[–]Puzzleheaded_Side_28 1 point2 points  (13 children)

pretty epic dude. how much weight have you loaded up in that puppy? Heaviest squat I've ever done was mid 400s, always wondered if wood racks could hold that type of weight

[–]godintraining[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This thing is stronger than most home squat cages. It is Teak wood, a very hard wood, termite resistant, used mostly in high end marine environments. I am lucky as I am living in Bali and this is a local wood, so even if it is expensive, it is ok. I think I spent around $600 in raw materials at the time.

Also the joinery is really good, I wish I had photos of when this was getting built.

I am 200lbs and I can literally jump on it and it would not even feel it. I am confident that it could hold over 600lbs, but I am not strong enough to test it haha

[–]__Beef__Supreme__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Supposedly the average 2x4 can hold 1000lb vertically so using 4x4s on each side I imagine they can hold quite a lot? But yeah I'm also really curious what the actual limit is

[–]loftier_fish 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've dropped 455lbs on my pine wood rack, and it was fine. Granted, my safety bars are steel pipe though.

[–]JeCroisQue 3 points4 points  (5 children)

This could definitely hold 400 plus pounds no problem if it was made correctly.

The concern is the safeties and the hooks look like they are for show, I don't see how that design could be good for anything heavy unless there is something I am missing or the angle the picture is at is hiding some support. A racking mechanism that is up against the ground using support like this design would most likely be a better option if your goal is to move a lot of weight.

[–]godintraining[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Originally I was going for something like this, but the hooks are actually really strong. This is hard wood, and the joinery of the hooks go 2-3 inches inside the columns. I never heard a sound coming off those hooks, even when fully loaded. The safeties are fixed and made in a similar fashion, each one of them could hold 400lbs easy, probably double that.

Playing with hard wood is not fun, I broke several drill bits just to get through it. And the whole structure is probably 300lbs, but it lasts forever if looked after

[–]JeCroisQue 0 points1 point  (1 child)

I could see that about the hooks if they are insert. That's why I mentioned unless there was something I'm missing. The problem with the safeties is that holding weight is irrelevant. It's all about taking dynamic force which a 200 lb bar dropped from shoulder height can well exceed 800 lbs.

[–]godintraining[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I never dropped such a heavy weight on them yet luckily. I am sure the safeties would hold, but they would get damaged quite badly. Because of the box construction they would be also incredibly difficult to replace, as all the joinery is glued together. so that is definitely a limit of the design.

[–]addtokartHome gym Enthusiast 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Yeah I don't know how to unload a back squat onto those hooks. But I have a human head.

[–]godintraining[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

You are right, I see what you mean. This is a new room setup. I have to move the cage few inches away from the wall. I use it mostly for cross training as I am an ultra runner, and I do front squats, but this morning I tried to fit a 20kg plate and I hit the wall

[–]thesausboss 1 point2 points  (3 children)

So, I'm no expert but my understanding of teak wood specifically is that it's some seriously strong wood. I tried googling it but I get a bunch of numbers that I'm unsure of how to translate to this specific setting as a rack. But theoretically something built like this SEEMS like it should hold a lot more than 400 provided you aren't slamming the weight into the rack consistently

[–]huskersax [score hidden]  (1 child)

I'm just thinking this rack has to be heavy af being primarily wood.

[–]godintraining[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

It is a nightmare to move haha, and it is one piece, you cannot take it apart as the joinery is also glued together

[–]godintraining[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I can confirm that. See my message above

[–]treswm 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Good lord this is beautiful

[–]Sweet-Tea-DrinkerHome gym Enthusiast 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Wow. This is classy