Deadlift Jack

Things You've Made
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While I do a lot of CNC related projects, it’s been awhile since I actually made anything on my LR3. I think I’ve reached the point in my life where exercise is no longer optional, for both physical and mental health reasons. So, I’ve been working out again since the beginning of the year, primarily weight lifting in my basement.

Putting plates on and off the barbell can be annoying if it’s not on the rack. I learned that such a thing as a deadlift jack exists which would make that a lot easier. I’ve had a couple offcuts of 24mm plywood that a friend gave me that was perfect for this task. While wood wouldn’t damage the barbell, the knurling on the barbell would slowly damage the wood, so I designed it with a 3D printed insert that I can replace if needed. I also added some 3D printed parts to the base to make it more stable.

I think this is probably the first time I’ve designed a project that combined wood cut on the CNC and 3D prints. It is pretty awesome how having this kind of accuracy makes this possible. Those 3D printed inserts to protect the wood couldn’t have fit more perfectly.

Since this was 24mm plywood, I needed an endmill with a longer cutting area. So, I got this 1/4" Spetool one off Amazon with a 1 1/2" cutting length. While I typically use 1/8" endmills, I figured for something that long, 1/4" was probably better. It worked great.

What angle can I take this picture at that makes my shop look the least like a disaster? :laughing:

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No, I can’t lift that much but needed to do some testing. Lifting those 160 lbs (~70 kg) of plates required next to no effort.

They fit so perfectly.

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Mmmm. Chips. Since this was a pretty quick cut no matter what, I took it pretty conservative. This was at a 20 mm/s feedrate at 4mm depth per pass with a full depth 0.4mm finishing pass. I used Estlcam 12. This was the first time I used the rounded holding tabs. They are so much better.

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FluidTouch was handy.

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I’ve been pretty happy with FreeCAD v1.1.0 RC2 lately. I seem to learn a thing or two with every project. Getting a DXF from FreeCAD is so much easier than Fusion.

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Putting that fluid touch into real world use.

The jacks look great,

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How timely! I’ve been off the home gym since I busted my knee while busting moves at my daughter’s wedding in September last year. I’m now wanting to get back into the home gym, but every time I think about it I also think about how much I hate loading plates onto the bar. I’ve seen jacks before but really like what you’ve done. I’d love to borrow from your work if you don’t mind sharing files. :wink:
p.s. I’m also a freecad fan.

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Sure. Here’s the FreeCAD file.

DeadliftJack.zip (110.4 KB)

You probably want to make sure the sizes work for your barbell and plates. You’d also need to modify the pad depth for the protection inserts if using a different thickness material. That’s why I didn’t include my exported files. Note that when exporting the DXF of the main part, I used a face and not the main sketch since I cut out for the inserts in a separate sketch. I only included the holes in the 3D printed parts so I used those as guides for drilling into the main piece.

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Thanks!

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Agreed. I’ve made quite a few FreeCad designs the last few weeks. The last two have gone really well. I was even proficient enough that I could make a design while the wife watched and provided input on what it is she wanted from me. She’s an art teacher and always coming to me to print little gadgets and gizmos for her students to use.

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