What is the wood used in O lift platforms ?
Can you buy it for home use without it having special treatments ?
SeanJos
It reallly depends on what you want and what kind of use your platform is going to get.
Many home platforms simply use plywood, as is.
Larger facilities may use wood ranging from plywood to oak or hickory, with a polyuerethane finish over the top. This could be simply for aesthetics; also many colleges have logos placed under the finish…
At our facility, we have all 3 types of finish/wood listed above. They’ll all work; obviously the plywood version is the least expensive.
Of note also is what kind of footwear you will be using. If not lifting in OL shoes, some of these surfaces may get slippery!
Good luck
Here’s a good article describing wood types and how-to-build. I followed this plan and built a platform for about $175.
http://www.ironmind.com/ironcms/export/IronMind/Main/homesweathome6.html
With regards to the platform, do you have any tips on how to keep the platform flat on the conrete?
Gez
I’d like to help you, but I’m not sure what you mean…
Is your surface not level? Or do you mean that when you drop the barbell, the wood/rubber sections seperate?
Just post back here and I’ll try to help as best I can.
Good luck!
I lift outside on the lawn when it is sunny. Just need something firm and flat under your feet. Olympic lifting platforms are very expensive in the UK £500 or so. That said an Eliko bar is pretty bloody expensive as well.
A decent platform here in Canada cost $1200-1500.00 CAD
Yeah I didn’t think I had explained myself very well. What I was trying to say is that I have a thick piece of plywood that I am going to surround with rubber tiles (both the wood and rubber are the same thickness), however the wood doesn’t sit flat on the concrete and wobbles a little.
I was thinking that maybe screwing it into the concrete may be an option as I have the tools necessary.
He is a pick of how it will be worked in between the 1m sq rubber tiles in my gym.
Thanks for your help.
Hmm, interesting.
First of all, I’m extremely skeptical about bolting a platform sheet into the floor. With any kind of heavy usage, I think the plywood will rip apart if it doesn’t sit perfectly flush with the floor. Obviously, get the least warped piece possible! Here’s some other thoughts:
You might not be able to do this, but most platforms - even at home - have more than one layer of plywood, and either multiple layers os rubber mats or plywood covered by rubber mats…Are you going to have just one sheet of plywood? How thick is the rubber?
Can you screw the plywood sheets together, but not to the floor? It’s OK if a 4x8 sheet of plywood has a little give to it, as log as you’re not running over the seams where the rubber mats meet the wood…
More expensive pre-made platforms also have a “frame”. This helps to keep everything tight together as well…
It appears from your diagram that the platform will sit flush with the rest of the floor. Is this correct? If so, this could be most of the problem if not done with excellent craftmanship. You could think about making the platform NOT flush with floor as well. Then, you could do the “multiple layer” thing that I described above.
Let me know more about the floor situation, and I’ll do my best to help.
Good luck!