Door Frame Monkey Bar
It’s summertime, and time to find fun indoor and outdoor activities for kids of all ages. I’m on a mission to make ten pieces of PVC equipment for kids to play with (some indoors, some outdoors), and this doorway chinup bar is one of them. The design is based on a metal version I saw in a sports equipment store, but made out of PVC. Not as strong, but definitely strong enough for kids up to 120 lbs. The inner section can support up to 150 lbs per our tests at home. I DO NOT GUARANTEE SAFETY, so make this piece of play/exercise equipment at your own risk. It is advisable to put a mat on the floor under the monkey bars in case your child falls.
I bought all my PVC pieces at a junk yard, and the bicycle handle covers were given to me, so my cost was about $5 for this chinup/monkey bar.
For a list of pieces, click on the detailed drawing below and print a larger size, then take it with you when looking for PVC. I used 1″, thick-walled PVC for all but the extended handles (which are optional and made out of 5″ irrigation risers–covered with bicycle handle rubber).
Notice in the video below that I reinforced the bars with two straps made out of tight-weave ribbons (non-stretchy). This allowed a few grownups to use it as a chinup bar as well.
