RusticReps
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Bringing the Wood Aesthetic to Premium Gym Accessories
Working on a product I've been sitting on for a while. I made the original on a 3d printer and thought, "man this would look a lot classier in wood!"
But mistakes happen so I gotta be disciplined and use the cheap woods first.
05/05/2026
Finally adding color options to our cable accessory grips!
- Olive Drab
- Midnight Blue
- Imperial Red
- Lilac/Purple
-And of course, Jet Black!
I'll have to order more olive after swapping out my grips with the new color! 😁
Got any other color recommendations?
04/13/2026
Back in 2017 a friend of mine was working to get his NASM certification. It was a big deal because he had suffered a horrific accident a couple years before that shattered his upper arm. He wondered if his arm would ever go back to normal. It greatly affected his fitness and likewise his mental health. To fix this, he took an interest in weightlifting and loved it so much that he wanted to help others with their fitness journeys and decided to become a trainer. I wanted to celebrate this achievement by making him a "trophy" of sorts to commemorate the year he got his cert. I free hand routed the numbers "20" and "17" into this giant wooden dumbbell I crafted for him and waited for him to announce he had passed....
After busting his butt he finally got his cert...... THE FOLLOWING YEAR IN 2018!! 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
04/01/2026
Feeling like a noob at everything right now.
In this case, using a rotary attachment for a laser to personalize handles. I had a spare handle that had a flaw so I used it to test the settings (which were way off apparently). After I ruined that handle I realized I could have just used some trash and painters tape to calibrate with. I'm gonna label this as a smart improvement I thought of rather than a dumb thing I missed 🎉🤦♂️
Been wanting to make a deadlift wedge for a while and after fighting my bandsaw for a bit yesterday (frozen bearing 🤦♂️) I cranked one out. A quick test during my morning workout confirms that it won't explode with a heavy weight on it so it's going on the site!
Any other combinations of wood I should consider?
Yes, I do actually make these handles vs sourcing them from a factory. I really enjoy making creative and unique items but I'm realizing how nice and relaxing it can be to make one thing repeatedly and refine the process. Creating jigs, improve sharpening, batch processing steps. Didn't think I'd enjoy that aspect of woodworking till now!
I'm also trying to improve how I document my workflow. This went much better than the first attempt where I stood in front of the camera half the time 🤦♂️
03/29/2026
Wax vs. Tung Oil 🤔
I decided to run a little side-by-side test on these tapered maple grips. On the left, we’ve got a standard paste wax. On the right, a coat of tung oil.
I knew there’d be a shift, but the extent to which the oil ambered the maple surprised even me! I keep trying to get "fancy" with finishing techniques, but this was a good reminder that simple is usually best.
Next time I'll try some new woods. Any requests?
03/29/2026
RusticReps started as a pandemic project, born out of necessity when gyms closed and equipment prices went crazy. I picked up some tools and built my own squat rack (swipe to see! 🏠).
Still, I was excited to return to my commercial gym. Quickly after I remember something… I HATE the rope grip cable attachment. But, I realized I could use those same tools and my design skills to make something better!
After two years of daily use and a few rough iterations, the Maple Cone Grips are finally ready to be shared. I designed them with the same attention to detail I apply to my UX work, focusing on ergonomic feel and natural grip, all while keeping the soul of handmade woodworking.
I’m Mike, a woodworker and maker based in Austin, Texas. I’m excited to finally share these with you. Check the link in the bio to see what we’ve been building.
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