How to Build a Grind Rail

How to build a very sturdy grind rail. This design is a bit more time/money/effort consuming than other, simpler ones, but generally produces far better results. It is a 7-foot long, 1-foot high rail. THIS HOW-TO INVOLVES CONCRETE. DO NOT ATTEMPT WITHOUT A PARENT PRESENT.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• 7 feet of 1.5 inch thick steel piping (Threaded on the outside on both sides).
• (2x) 10 inch long 1.5 inch thick steel piping nipples (Threaded on the outside on both sides). (Ask for them at Home Depot/Lowes). These will be the support beams.
• (2x) 1.5 inch thick 90 degree steel elbows.
• (2x) 1.5 inch thick steel threaded flange. (Ask for them at Home Depot/Lowes) These will temporarily hold the structure up.
• (2x) 8x12x6 (l,w,d) plastic rubbermaid boxes.
• A large bag of concrete mix.

1. Connect the 7-foot steel pipe to the elbows on both sides. Make sure they line up so that when you put it on a flat surface, the structure stands up a few inches off the ground.
2. Connect the steel nipples to the other sides of the elbows.
3. Screw on the flanges onto the bottoms of both the nipples.
4. Remove the lids from the Rubbermaid plastic boxes and place the "legs" of the structure into them, so that it looks like it is "wearing" a pair of buckets. Position the boxes so that they "cross" with the direction of the bar. The boxes should be "horizontal" while the rest of the structure should be "vertical" when looked at from a bird's eye view.
5. Leave that structure for now. Go and mix the concrete. Be sure to do this with an adult present because concrete can be corrosive to the skin and extremely toxic if inhaled. Take safety precautions like wearing a smock, safety glasses, mask, and gloves.
6. Pour the concrete into the plastic boxes. This will form a base for the rail. Be sure to fill the boxes to the top, but don't spill any because it's a pain to clean up, even before it's dry.
7. This part is fairly straightforward. Close the door of the room where the rail is. Try setting up a fan near a window to ventilate the room to dissipate any toxic fumes. Wait the required amount of time for the concrete to dry, according to the directions on the bag.
8. After the concrete sets, return to the room where the structure is sitting. If you ventilated the room correctly, there will be no need to wear protective gear. Test the rail's stability. If you did this properly, approximately one hundred pounds of dead weight are holding this thing to the ground. Enjoy your rail!

Tips & Warnings

• It is advisable to do this in a basement.
• Concrete is a very dangerous substance. Any mishandling of it while wet can cause serious skin damage. Always follow safety guidelines while handling dangerous substances.