It has been some time since I wanted to build my own parallettes. To be honest I have written it on paper and it took me almost a year to start with it. The problem was I was searching for the best design. I was considering many variations for example only steel, only wood, high/low, foldable/static,... But in the end.. it all comes to your possibilities... if you have a welding machine or other tools... Finally, I have decided to make a steel/wood combination with adjustable height. I had a great advantage since my dad is a self-employed metal worker and we have a metalworking lathe at home. This type of parallettes has its pros and cons. The height is adjustable, which is great especially for the beginning where it can be quite scary being up. It is also press-fitted so you will never pull the wood with rods from the base. The second advantage is its compactness which can be beneficial especially for people living in flats. However, this also comes with some drawbacks. This design is quite hard to make and only a bunch of people will have the required tools at home. So I have come up with a simpler design- only one fixed height.

Supplies

Material

2x wood rod- 500mm long 38mm diameter

4x sheet metal- 320x50mm, thickness of 5mm

1x steel tube- 1100mm long, outer diameter 33,7mm, thickness 3mm

1x steel tube- 350mm long, inner diameter 38mm! (same as wood), outer diameter 44mm

8x wood screw- 4 x 16mm (approximately)

paint in your favourite colour

oil for wood impregnation- Teak oil/ olive oil/ vax/....

Tools

grinder or steel saw

CO2 welding machine

steel brush

paintbrush

drill with drills

sanding paper

Step 1: Cutting the Steel

1) At first, we will need to prepare desired lengths. We will start with sheet metal. We will need to cut 4 rectangles with dimension according to the attached drawing (320x50). We can make a radius with a file or grinder on the edges and also trim any sharp edges to avoid injury.

2) Now we will make a sleeve. First, we need to cut tube with 44mm outer and 38 inner diameters and 80mm length ( we will need 2 pieces). Now we will cut these full tubes into halve (something like moon crescent) so we will have 4 halve tubes. The last step is to drill two holes into each tube. Here it depends on the screwes you will use so adjust the hole according to your needs (for 4mm screw drill hole 4,5mm). The last step is to make a countersink for the bolt. This is done by choosing a wider drill, but be cautious and make sure you won't drill entirely through.

3) Last part will be a long tube. We will need to cut 4 pieces of length 260mm but this is up to you. It depends if you want high, middle or low parallettes. After having 4 tubes we will need to notch the tubes in order to fit with the pieces from the previous step.

Step 2: Welding

This step requires a welding machine and some experience. If you are not sure about your welding skills or you don't have a welder try to ask your friends or find some local welder. If your parts are prepared it's a matter of few minutes and it won't cost you much money. Sadly I am not skilled in welding so the welding part was done by a friend of mine. If you have a welder and want to try it, here is a short video which could help you.

Assembley drawing.pdf
Download

Step 3: Painting

Now we will need to paint our weldment. Make sure, that the sheet metal that is making the base is not bend and if so, use a rubber hammer and straighten it a little. The next step is to remove grime from welding. This can be done with a grinder or file. Also, check the entire structure and sand it with sandpaper thoroughly and clean the tiny dust with an old rug. The last step before painting will be degreaser since any grease would make the paint easy to peel off. Now we will paint our 4 pieces with your desired colour. Here you can use paint from a can and brush or you can go with paint in a spraying can. Make sure to follow instruction declared in labels.

Step 4: Final Assembley

The last step is to sand the wood. Trimming of the edges is also a great idea. It will look nicer and also reduce the possibility of injury. If you are satisfied with it impregnate the wood with any oil. This will make the wood longer lasting and also repel dirt (finely sanded wood gets dirty very easily). Now just use your drill and screws and the parallettes are done! I hope that this was helpful for you and I am interested in your own versions and designs :)