PVC/Metal Pipe Weight Capacity

[JoeThomas]

My daughter is in ballet, and we were going to make Do your own (DIY) Ballet Barre. Also my 10 year old son wants to do pull ups (or just hang his weight, he's around 100 pounds). Just curious what is the weight capacity, if someone were to hang on this DIY ballet barre, before I start making this. I assume metal pipes will holder stronger than plastic/PVC. These are pretty standard in the dance/industry, and lot of College students in the Arts do this.

See videos,

We plan to make Width: 3-4 ft wide Height: 5 ft

 

[JoeThomas]

a) Just curious what is the weight capacity, if someone were to hang on this DIY ballet barre, before I start making this.

b) Additionally, would it be stable or shifty/wobbly?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Jeff H Young]

no way

 

[Jadnashua]

You could do this with steel pipe, but you'd need to probably paint it otherwise you'd get rust, or if it were galvanized, residue and dirty hands. You might need an angle extension at each end to become a brace to prevent it from moving along the length. Maybe not if you used setting pipe dope, or used epoxy on the threads so it couldn't turn after setting. If you had access to a welder, that would work, too.

It wouldn't cost all that much to mock up one with PVC, but I think you'll find it is too flexible. If it gets bent too far, it can shatter, and the shards can be sharp. It would be worse if used outside in the cold, but that probably wouldn't be an issue. You could probably get by without securing the horizontal bar with epoxy or welding so it could be taken apart for transport as long as the upright supports couldn't come apart and slip.