Normally these safety frames are made from steel, but construction grade timber can be more than strong enough. It’s also nice and quiet in use. Commercial versions have adjustable-height parts to suit different users, but my design is tailored for me, with no moving parts to fail.

Speaking of which, any of the load-bearing supports failing could have lethal consequences, so I was sure to give them two coats of yellow paint.

I knew the bench would not only have to support a large weight plus my body weight, but also remain stable under load. I went through a few iterations before I settled on the final over-engineered design.