The DIY Equipment competition keeps growing. As promised, Clay Johnson has completed his Farmers’ Walk bars (for only $10, I might add). Here’s how they were put together (from Clay) :

1. I made a set of Farmer’s Walk Bars for under $10. I mainly used left over items from other projects and some old Pro-Style dumbbell handles.
2. I have a slew of old standard weights out in my garage so I made them for 1 inch plates. 2 inch pipe or Olympic adapters can be used too.
3. I started with 2 4×4 four feet sections. I think if I was going to be doing very heavy weights, I would use 6x6s.
4. For the weight holders I just used some old pipe and 7/16 inch threaded rod.
5. For the handles, I used some Pro-Dumbbell handles that I never use (they had rubber handles and I put some pipe over them and now they are about 1 1/4 inch in diameter. To connect the handles, I uses some hardened 1/2 inch threaded rod and solid conduit hangers I picked up for $1 a pound.
6. These things are made to hold industrial pipe so they should hold a few hundred pounds. I used blue Loctite on everything.
7. I just counter-sunk the holes.

They work well and are well balanced and all this for just a few dollars!