DIY Stripper Pole! (Stripper Not Included)

So, my girlfriend was hosting a bachelorette party at our house, and the girls decided that they were going to be their own strippers for the evening. The girls: "Man, it sure would be great if we had a stripper pole..." Me: "A stripper pole? No problem!" My budget: $50. Total cost: $47.50. Your cost? Probably around $60. Why? The girl at Home Depot forgot to ring up the flanges. I didn't notice until I got home. If I hadn't already spent 2 hours there getting crappy customer service, I probably would have gone back and paid for them. I normally shop at Lowe's but their pipe cutter was broken. I do give a shout-out to Lowe's however, for the guy in appliances who helped me think out the plan.

Step 1: Measure, Then Purchase Materials

Make a plumb line, and measure from the ceiling to the floor where you want to mount the pole. It would be the best idea to find a stud to have something sturdy to screw into.

It is essential that you get an exact measurement, as your ceiling may not be exactly 8' at every point.

Purchase the following:

--A wooden board. I used 3/4" plywood.

--1 galvanized steel pipe. I used 1 1/4" pipe. The length should be: Ceiling height minus 2 X board thickness minus 1". (This inch will account for the fact that the pipe may not screw into the flange so that it is flush--something I learned as I was going). My ceiling was 8'1", so my pipe was cut to 7'11 1/2". I should've had it cut to 7'10 1/2". You can have the pipe cut and threaded to length at most major hardware stores.

--2 pipe flanges. Make sure that they are the same size as the pipe.

--4 X hex bolts and nuts. Make sure that they will fit through the holes in the flanges. Make sure that they are just long enough to fit through the board and flanges. I used 1/4" x 1 1/2" hex bolts, but later had to switch to 1" bolts, as you will see later.

--4 X long lag bolts. I used 1/4" x 3" bolts. Make sure they will fit through the flanges.

--12 X flat washers (same size as bolts)

--spray automotive primer

--brass spray paint

--clear enamel spray

--something to prevent skidding (if you have wood floors and don't want to attach the pole to the floor). I originally bought the no-skid strips for bath tubs. In spite of the brand name, these are not magic! They are actually very slippery on my wood floors. I got super ghetto and used jar openers, but you could probably use that stuff you put under rugs to prevent skidding...

--hopefully you already have ceiling paint, but if not, it might be a good thing to grab.

Step 2: Prep the Pole

Check to make sure that there are no burrs on the pipe (this could cause some unfortunate scratches). You should be able to smooth most burrs with either sandpaper or steel wool. Prime the flanges and pole. I used the posts for my horseshoe set to suspend the pole in the air between my cheap plastic outdoor side tables.

Step 3: Spray Some More

Add a coat of brass spray paint to the pole and the flanges, followed by a coat of crystal clear enamel.

Step 4: Tend to the Boards

Cut your boards to a reasonable size. I believe my boards were about 12" x 20". Paint one board with the clear enamel, and the other board with ceiling paint.

Step 5: Attach Flanges to Board

Drill holes in both boards to accomodate the bolts. I used a boring bit to sink the bolt heads and washers on the floor board. Attach a flange to the floor board, but NOT TO THE CEILING BOARD. The order should be(bottom to top): Bolt, washer, board, flange, washer, nut.

Attach your no-skid solution to the bottom of the floor board.

It was at this point that I realized the bath tub strips sucked. I went to the grocery store (it's now 9ish pm) to see if they had any jar openers. They didn't have the flat ones I wanted, so I got the rounded ones you see.

I split the jar openers, and superglued them on.

Step 6: Eat Something, Have a Beer

At this point, you need to remember to nourish your body.

I made a delicious grilled ham, egg and cheese sandwich.

There's something incredibly manly (at least in my world) about making a breakfast-like sandwich at 9 PM, served with beer, while building a stripper pole in your house.

Ingredients:

Multi-grain bread (Buttered)
Boarshead rosemary sundried tomato ham
Boarshead munster cheese
2 fried eggs.

suggested beverage: Killians or Yuengling

Step 7: Rethink Some Things

Ok, so at this point, I attached the pole to the floor board and flange, and tried to stand it up.

This is when I realized my pole was too long. Thinking that the pole wouldn't screw into the flange further because the board was in the way, I used my jigsaw to cut a hole in the board. Don't do this. It doesn't work.

Instead, I had to use a chisel to split my plywood down the middle, then I planed and sanded the board. At this point, now that my board was thinner, my bolts were too long, and I had to go out the next morning and buy shorter bolts.

Step 8: Attach to the Ceiling

Once you have the pole attached to the floor board and flange, screw on the ceiling flange, and, stand it up very carefully. I didn't have room for the ceiling board, but if you measured correctly, the board should slip between the ceiling flange and the ceiling.

Use a level to make sure that it is plumb.

You should have drilled holes in the ceiling board for the screws to attach the flange.

Stand on the floor board, and twist the hell out of the pole until the pole is super tight against the ceiling.

If you have stucco walls and ceiling like me, you will want to use a masonry bit to drill pilot holes to get to the studs.

Once you have everything up, use a washer, and screw in the lag screws, securing the pole to the ceiling.