North Dakota State University Agricultural Department

These building and facility plans were developed over many years by engineers at Land Grant Universities. They provide conceptual information that is excellent for planning purposes.

A lot of the plans are mid 1900. This is great if you are looking for inspiration from the past. I was thinking of printing some of the really old plans out and using them as art.

Some cool plans I ran across in the Miscellaneous section are

• Make An Adjustable ½ HP Tablesaw (ND 72-4-1)
• Drawing Table Design from 1937 (ND 72-6-1)
• How to Build a Brick Incinerator (5198)

LSU Biological and Agricultural Center

• Barbecue Section
• Looking for Free House Plans? Residential Section has free construction plans for 2 – 4 bedroom homes.

The University of Tennessee Extension

It maintains a collection of over 300 building and equipment plans, and all are now available in electronic format for download.

• Free Greenhouse Plans
• The Fruit and Vegetable Plans include a smoke house, solar fruit dryer and an electric forced air fruit dryer.

Lowe’s Creative Ideas

Indoor Spaces

• Herringbone Headboard
• Luggage Rack For Guests

Outdoor Spaces

• Tomato Cage Light Display
• Build a Deck Top Pond

Woodworking

• Make a Fold Down Table
• Make a Wine Rack

Power Tower Review

I had the following criteria when shopping for a power tower.

• Sturdy construction
• Be able to handle side to side movement
• Have the functionality to do pull ups in a variety of position
• Comfort when doing the pull ups

Notice I’m more interested in the pull up functionality than the dips and Roman chair part.

After reading reviews online and going to 3 different sports stores and trying all the power towers they had, yes I am that guy on the equipment, I purchased the Gold’s Gym Platinum Assisted Power Tower. It is made by the same company that makes most consumer fitness equipment, ICON Health and Fitness.

The reference for comparison of the Gold’s Gym Power Tower is what I use in the gym. This is a welded heavy gauge steel construction power tower that takes the abuse of at least 50 – 75 people per day.

Sturdy construction – (4 / 5) The ‘A’ frame design, wide base and bent tube steel makes this power tower really sturdy. The score isn’t a 5 because it is bolted construction and not welded like a gym one.

‘A’ Frame For Strength

Be able to handle side to side movement – (3 / 5) This is where the Gold’s Gym Power Tower excelled compared to other power towers I tried. When testing this I rotated and changed grip on the pull up bar causing my body to shift around. This movement is within the normal range of use. What I didn’t do was play jungle gym and see if I could launch my body sideways from the power towers. Other power tower pull up bars flexed up to ⅜ – ½ inch, but the Gold’s Gym Platinum stayed pretty solid.

Have the functionality to do pull ups in a variety of position – (4 / 5) Most power towers I tested only had straight bars and could only allow for a close grip and wide grip pull up. This is the case with gym power towers too. I like the way the bar turns to a 90 degrees on the inside allowing you to do pull ups with your thumbs facing you. Switching grips to this 90 degree position is part of the Asylum training and was important in my decision. There were only two positions I had a hard time doing, a close grip chin up and alternating hands pull up. This is because of the distance between the separate pull up bars and the angle of the grip.

Pull Up Handle Configuration

Comfort when doing the pull ups – (4 / 5) I consider myself average height, 5 ft 10 in. (Not really sure, haven’t measured how tall I am. Maybe I’m shorter and am wishing I’m 5 – 10), with an average arm span. All regular pull up positions felt natural without strain on my wrist except when I tried to do chin ups, which is possible by facing away from the power tower.

Other Features:

• Like most consumer power towers the maximum user weight is 300 lbs (136 kg).
• The assisted chair portion works pretty good and folds away easily, once you figure out the up and out motion. It uses a 4 band system that helps offset the person’s weight.
• The dip arm moves up and out of the way. This is really nice when doing pull ups.

Power Tower Setup and Assembly Notes

I’m not going to recreate the User’s Manual, download the Gold’s Gym Platinum Assisted Power Tower Instructions in PDF form. What I am going to do is hopefully clarify some things so that when someone else puts this together it will be easier.

It took about 3 1/2 hours to assemble this power tower. Of course I was taking pictures along the way.

Tools Used

• 2 Adjustable Wrenches (I used a 17mm socket, an extension and ratchet for one of the wrenches)
• 1 rubber mallet (all out of those so I just used a hammer. Gently of course)
• 1 standard screwdriver
• 1 Philips screwdriver
• Step ladder (some of the final bolts are really out of reach)

When unpacking, separate the plastic from the cardboard so the cardboard can be recycled. I didn’t see any recycle symbols on the plastic. Too bad.

One more thing..You are not crazy. There are some steps like #1, ‘Attach two Base Pads’, where part of the has been completed by the factory.

OK, now that some ramblings are out of the way spread out all the parts to make it easier to find everything.

Gold’s Gym Power Tower Parts Spread Out

Do not tighten any locknuts until step 8 is done.

There are numbers on the bolt and small accessory package only. Don’t waste time looking for numbers on larger pieces.

Power Tower Bolts

If you see any LEFT or RIGHT indicators on the pieces, the reference is if as if you are looking towards the widest portion of the legs, at least it was with mine. See the image below and the one for Step 5.

Identifying Left And Right Side

In step 1 and 2, I used some Scotch Blue Painter’s Tape to hold the bolts in place.

Blue Painter’s Tape Holding Bolt In Place

The feet on the front will most likely not sit flat on the floor. Gently tap them so they sit flat. I cheated by tightening the locknuts a little and the loosening them after I finished tapping the feet. It is a lot easier to straighten these no when the other 100 lbs of the power tower isn’t on them.

Feet Not Flat From Factory

Adjusting Power Tower Feet With Hammer

Just Tap It In..Place

I couldn’t help the Happy Gilmore reference.

Step 5 is where the Left and Right reference orientation became clear. It only makes sense that the bars angle inward.

Step 5: Support Bars Angle Inward

Power Tower Support Left and Right

Step 8 is where you put the pull up frame on the top frame. I had to pull out the step ladder on this one to make it easier to tighten those top bolts.

Step 8: Inserting Pull Up Frame

Time to tighten all those M10 locknuts from the previous steps. Since I was putting this together by myself, I used some small pieces of wood to lift up the front legs one at a time to get to the locknuts.

Shimming Legs To Tighten Locknuts

The biggest pain in step 9 was aligning the pull up handle cap. I tried two methods when attaching the pull up handles to the pull up frame.

First method was to align the pull up handle in place and slide the pull up handle cap in place from the side.

Attaching Pull Up Handle: Side Method
Positioning Cap

Attaching Pull Up Handle: Side Method
Sliding Cap In Place

The second method was to put the pull up handle cap on the handle and bring it in place from the top.

Attaching Pull Up Handle: Top Method
Positioning Handle Above

Attaching Pull Up Handle: Top Method
Moving Handle With Cap In Place

The tether in step 12 was already attached to the back support. All I had to do was push the adjustment pin in place.

Already Attached Tether

Inserting Adjustment Pin Into Tether

In step 11, 17 and 18 the upholstery pieces, knee pad, armrest covers and backrest, are bolted in place. Make sure these go in straight. If it even feels like the bolts are going in crooked, take them out and try again. One of the bolts didn’t seem like it was going in as smooth as the other one on the knee pad. I swapped the bolts and it seemed OK.

Attaching Knee Rest Pad

Attaching Arm Rest Pad

Backrest Attached

Lastly go back over all the bolts to make sure they are tightened.

Power Tower Final Thoughts

The hard thing about shopping for a power tower is

• finding one that fits the exercises you want to do now
• also is design in a way that it will not be restrictive expanding your routines with new exercises

For me the Gold’s Gym Platinum Assisted Power Tower does a good job of balancing price with functionality and good construction.

Gold’s Gym Power Tower

During my research I’ve only heard a couple complaints

• The cost to replace the 4 assist bands is around $80. I will have to make sure I use some automotive rubber rejuvenation product to see if I can make these last longer.
• The dip arms are a little wide for some people. They are a little wide, but this focuses on working the chest more than tricep isolation.

Some of the features I really love are

• The Roman Chair folds out of the way
• There is little side to side movement
• Assisted pull ups and dips
• Comfortable pull up position
• Sturdy tubular construction

If you found this article helpful please share it with others. Also, the Amazon links in this article help me maintain this site. Please use them to purchase the power tower if you do decide to purchase one. Thank you.

I am by no means a pro when it comes to concrete, but I love being inspired by the vendor displays and getting a chance to use tools from manufacturers like Bosch, Dewalt, Hilti and many others.

Thanks to the Tilt-Up Concrete Association, you can register for the Exhibit pass for free.

Pour In Place Concrete Counter Display

Being able to go to shows like the World of Concrete is one of the best perks to living in Las Vegas. Maybe I’ll get another rebar star.

Hope to see you there in January!

World of Concrete Exhibit Hall

Show Information:
World of Concrete 2011
January 24 – January 27
Las Vegas Convention Center
Free Exhibit Pass

That’s One Huge Concrete Saw

Bodum Coffee Press Replacement Glass

Bodum Coffee Press Replacement Glass Dimensions

and the BonJour French Press Replacement Glass Carafe 8-Cup Universal Design

Boxed Bonjour Replacement Glass Carafe

Both will fit the 8 cup Starbucks coffee press perfectly.

At the time the BonJour Replacement Glass Carafe was cheaper thant the Bodum Coffee Press Glass Replacement Beaker. When researching, problem I was running into was that I couldn’t get an accurate description of the ounces the coffee press I have holds. Finally, I got this from the guide that the Bodum coffee press replacement glass information. According to that, most coffee presses are measured in European sizing. This means

1 European cup = 4 ounces

therefore

Starbucks 8 cup coffee press = 34 ounces

Like I said earlier I purchased the Bonjour Replacement Glass Carafe for my coffee press.

My Starbucks coffee press looks like a skeleton without the glass.

Skeletal Remains Of My Coffee Press

Fits perfect.

Bonjour Fits My Coffee Press Beautifully

Time to brew some more coffee

Time To Brew Some More Coffee

Recently we found out someone shot her with a BB gun before we got her because an x-ray revealed a BB in her back. We have always been advocates for the humane treatment of animals ,and wanted to help out by hopefully driving more traffic to the APSCA site.

My Little Helper

I’m not sure how things would get done without her .

Also, there are a lot of great pets at shelters and rescue organizations waiting to be adopted .

• Pet Finder – Petfinder is an online, searchable database of animals who need homes. It is also a directory of more than 13,000 animal shelters and adoption organizations across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Organizations maintain their own home pages and available-pet databases.
• Animal Shelter – The AnimalShelter.org web site was created in an effort to place homeless animals throughout the United States.

Luckily I was able to find a free registration for the exhibits through the American Concrete Institute. Just use the click through on thier site and you don’t have to pay the $40 entrance fee.

Hope to see you there.

Bosch Booth From 2009 World of Concrete

From what it looks like AutoZone has put pieces of the Chilton Repair Manuals – Chilton Jeep Wrangler/YJ Repair Manual on their site. The down side is that you have to register with their site to get access to it. At least its out there.

When I went into town, the electrician I bought the pull string from had a great tip for getting the pull string through a long run.

• Tie a small piece of a plastic bag, a piece of plastic grocery bag worked best, on the end of the pull string.
• Hook up a shop vacuum on the other side of the conduit run. We ended up using some irrigation pipe to downsize the hose to the 1 inch conduit.
• Turn on the vacuum and the plastic on the other end is pulled through.

We ended up getting a pull string through 300 feet of conduit this way!

Just wanted to say THANKS SO MUCH!! for the ratcheting screwdriver kit I won in the Home Depot & Adventures in DIY giveaway. It has already been borrowed once. And a close family friend (a retired engineering executive at Mack Truck) is quite envious. It is so nice not to have to hunt (usually without success) for the exact size needed – They’re all in one place. Thanks again.

Sincerely,
Jeanie Myers

There were some really great sayings that people posted, everything from funny to some great projects people finished. I’d like to thank everyone that participated in the contest, and Home Depot for sponsoring it.