DIY No Weld Loadable Circus DB

[quote]Aero51 wrote:
Just giving you that info because I work with that stuff all the time at my job (fluid systems engineer) and we do welding and the like frequently. Have you thought about building a similar system that uses lead shot or BBs for weight instead? You can pick up a carton of a few thousand BBs (get the zinc plated because they don’t corrode) for like $5. Id imagine that would really make the load difficult if it were sloshing around in a container. [/quote]

The idea had crossed my mind (my plan was to use sand). The issue I see is that loading the bucket with the weight would actually put strain on the bucket itself. At present, the buckets are just acting like a shell, while the pipe is what is actually bearing all the weight.

With the holes drilled in the bucket, my fear would be that the bucket would just collapse under it’s own weight once it is full of something. That said, you could always fill up the PIPE with BBs/lead shot in order to increase the weight, and just cap each end with rubber stoppers.

Would also be an awesome choice with a more stable loadable product. I know Kalle Beck has a propane tank circus DB that could be loaded in that fashion.

Thanks for the idea!

I’m 99% sure that it was 1.5" ID schedule 40, which put it at around 1.9" OD.

Honestly, I’m not sure I’d trust that setup myself – I’m not a huge fan of plastics in general, and even less so when it comes to supporting weight, even indirectly – but it sounds like it was fun to make. You’ve got me thinking of how I would do it differently though.

DIY stuff is always cool.

[quote]LoRez wrote:
I’m 99% sure that it was 1.5" ID schedule 40, which put it at around 1.9" OD.

Honestly, I’m not sure I’d trust that setup myself – I’m not a huge fan of plastics in general, and even less so when it comes to supporting weight, even indirectly – but it sounds like it was fun to make. You’ve got me thinking of how I would do it differently though.

DIY stuff is always cool.[/quote]

Pretty much the only thing that allows me not to worry is knowing that the weight is on the pipe rather than in the buckets. It’s exactly why I was iffy of the idea of loading the buckets with sand, especially once you’ve drilled a hole in the bucket.

Absolutely spin the wheels and see if you can find a better solution. This was just something that hit me as I was falling asleep one night, and I woke up the next morning and gave it a try. I also thought about making a bell out of wood, and might give that a go sometime too. Would probably just wrap the whole thing in gorilla tape to take care of splinters, and maybe even roll it in some carpet padding or something.

[quote]T3hPwnisher wrote:

[quote]LoRez wrote:
I’m 99% sure that it was 1.5" ID schedule 40, which put it at around 1.9" OD.

Honestly, I’m not sure I’d trust that setup myself – I’m not a huge fan of plastics in general, and even less so when it comes to supporting weight, even indirectly – but it sounds like it was fun to make. You’ve got me thinking of how I would do it differently though.

DIY stuff is always cool.[/quote]

Pretty much the only thing that allows me not to worry is knowing that the weight is on the pipe rather than in the buckets. It’s exactly why I was iffy of the idea of loading the buckets with sand, especially once you’ve drilled a hole in the bucket.

Absolutely spin the wheels and see if you can find a better solution. This was just something that hit me as I was falling asleep one night, and I woke up the next morning and gave it a try. I also thought about making a bell out of wood, and might give that a go sometime too. Would probably just wrap the whole thing in gorilla tape to take care of splinters, and maybe even roll it in some carpet padding or something.[/quote]

I think the only problem with wood would be it not being heavy enough. I think it is a good short term solution.

I was lucky enough that someone donated a 12" slater circus DB to my gym. It can be loaded with lead shot to something ridiculous like 250lbs. One of those brand new is like $700. I think your $10 solution is ingenious for the price, brother!

Not to derail, but you said you wanted a car deadlift frame. So do i. I am thinking it may be cheaper to buy the material and weld one yourself than drop the $2,000 (or whatever it is) and pay the shipping. Since you said you can weld, I am sure you can find some specs online.

I appreciate that Alpha. Weight is definitely going to be limited. This is more for us mortals at the 200lb weight class and below most likely, haha.

I actually can’t weld, but I have considered getting some schematics to a welder. Monster Rings and Cages sells a rig for less than $400, but shipping always kills.

concrete
turn your bell on end half bag concrete when hardend turn bell over half bag concrete
i put 80 pound bag in 5 gallon bucket when hard turn over set in sun slides out soon i got 80 pound odd obect to play with in my back yard
found a propane tank filled with concrete works great dont break

[quote]cavemansam wrote:
concrete
turn your bell on end half bag concrete when hardend turn bell over half bag concrete
i put 80 pound bag in 5 gallon bucket when hard turn over set in sun slides out soon i got 80 pound odd obect to play with in my back yard
found a propane tank filled with concrete works great dont break[/quote]

Yup, concrete is another viable option for sure. Vinny mentioned it as well. I’d be worried about dropping it in my garage, but that just means you have to get good at pressing, haha. Thanks for the post.

I saw an article while back on home gyms
the authour said use horse stall mats
he stated there cheaper than gym flooring
more durable
i havent tried them
i do my odd object lifting outside

[quote]cavemansam wrote:
I saw an article while back on home gyms
the authour said use horse stall mats
he stated there cheaper than gym flooring
more durable
i havent tried them
i do my odd object lifting outside[/quote]

Yeah, I use rubber patio pavers myself. Does a great job with deadlifts.

You could consider making another one from concrete .
I have a concrete bucket 55kg or 120lb that I use for swings sometimes.
You get a ridiculous one 250lb if you used 5 litres per side.

The metal handle/s sets in the concrete. I have considered making some plates for some scaffolding (2 inches) I have laying about. I know others have made concrete plates with some success. The bucket works well , as it absorbs some of the force . To be honest as long as your not slamming them , they are fine.
I have welded a 90kg (200lb) dumbbell before for cheat /kroc rows with straps.

[quote]decimation wrote:
You could consider making another one from concrete .
I have a concrete bucket 55kg or 120lb that I use for swings sometimes.
You get a ridiculous one 250lb if you used 5 litres per side.

The metal handle/s sets in the concrete. I have considered making some plates for some scaffolding (2 inches) I have laying about. I know others have made concrete plates with some success. The bucket works well , as it absorbs some of the force . To be honest as long as your not slamming them , they are fine.
I have welded a 90kg (200lb) dumbbell before for cheat /kroc rows with straps.
[/quote]

I dig that idea of a concrete bucket for swings. That’s pretty brilliant. Thanks for that.

Got some video of the DB in action. This is with 2 25lb plates per side, for a total of about 113lbs

Full disclosure, the rims of the buckets where I drilled the holes are showing signs of cracking. Just slapped some gorilla tape on it. This is the second workout it’s survived, so even if it breaks tomorrow I got my $5 worth, haha.

So as an update…

You saw the above video of me using the bell in training. In the first part of this video, I hit a Rogue CDB.

I took second in that event btw, missing out to someone who managed 14 reps but beating 3rd by about 6 reps.

The Home Depot bucket bell did an amazing job of prepping me for a CDB in competition. You can see that the Rogue bell looks comically small compared to the Home Depot buckets (or the Home Depot buckets look comically oversized, take your pick), and in turn it felt really easy to press compared to my ghetto bell. The Rogue had a thicker handle, but it was a non factor for me.

Training with the Home Depot bucket bell really smarts, because you’re basically slamming metal plates into your shoulder with a thin/hard layer of plastic to “cushion” the blow. My shoulder would be tender about a day or two after training. Additionally, I was lazy and left my weights in the buckets, which meant the buckets started cracking pretty early. I just kept patching up the cracks with gorilla tape, and the bell still held up for 2 months of training/abuse, but if you want even more longevity for your $5, take the weights out between training sessions.

I still don’t think I really trust this bell for a lot of cleans versus presses, just because the weights are attached to the pipe and can slide around. If you can find a way to make sure the plates don’t go anywhere (once again, gorilla tape is most likely the solution), then I seen no problem.

All in all, I’m calling this a huge success. For how little money I spent on it, I got a massive return on my investment.

Dude i think they shorted you a rep on the car deadlift…i counted 34. The guy counting out loud missed a rep.

Turn off the volume and count. He missed one between reps 9-12. Just sayin… Good shit though. Strong MF’er.

[quote]Beast Status wrote:
Dude i think they shorted you a rep on the car deadlift…i counted 34. The guy counting out loud missed a rep.[/quote]

Thanks man. Someone else pointed this out to me. Thankfully, it didn’t matter, as second on the event had 20 reps, haha. If it had come down to it though, it might’ve been upsetting. Instead, I just take pride that I was moving so fast that he lost count.