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I am looking to set up a vertical practice station in my shop. I was hoping to anchor to an I beam to practice ascending, change-overs, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions on what hardware to use to clamp onto the bottom of a 6 inch, steel, I-beam? The rated clamps that I have found so far are quite pricey. I was hoping for something practical, safe and economical.

Realize that this is not for catching a fall, just almost static loads (ascending and rappelling) in the 1-2 kN range plus a good safety factor.

I can't go all the way around the beam as the ceiling touches it and the beam would hide the condition of the anchor. I was hoping to clamp onto the bottom lip with something permanent that I can clip a steel crab to.

Thanks,
William

Poke a hole through the inside of the lip and stick in a great honking hardware store eye-bolt. Or if you're nervous, put two such bolts on opposite sides and make a Y anchor.

???

I agree that drilling in the bottom of the I beam and putting a solid eye bolt. Using a large washer on the far side to distribute the weight slightly more if you're worried about the nut pulling through.

Can't say for sure what would work in your case, but I'm actually have a bracket crafted to fit around a ceiling rafter.

It's basically an H shaped bracket made out of 1/4" steel with some holes drilled in it. Cost came in at $75.

For my needs quite reasonable.

William Tucker wrote:I am looking to set up a vertical practice station in my shop. I was hoping to anchor to an I beam to practice ascending, change-overs, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions on what hardware to use to clamp onto the bottom of a 6 inch, steel, I-beam? The rated clamps that I have found so far are quite pricey. I was hoping for something practical, safe and economical.

What about something like this for $55? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001QI2HEC/

Thanks all.

I wasn't too keen on drilling into the I-beam; but, I do appreciate the frugality of the idea. I instead ordered some clamps.

NZCaver, that is basically what I got except I got them from Northern Tool (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... eam-clamps). They came in today (I ordered more than one). I installed them and they seem perfect for what I want. I plan to try them out, soon.

I will let you know if I have any issues with them; but, I seriously doubt it. They seem a good fit.

William

Instant Krazy Glue should work... at least in their ad it holds a construction worker by his hardhat. That's somewhere around 1-2 kN.