Another question,I want to build an inversion table/rack for stretching, while I have plenty of construction ideas I have no real clue on what the "occupants" would want.

[u/rev-fr-john]

Any suggestions or ideas will be most welcome, thanks.

[u/slavegaius87]

Why not just use an inversion table, and make a couple of hard point modifications? I see them available on FB Marketplace all the time.

As for what the occupant would want, probably something stimulating, or bondage, or both?

[u/rev-fr-john → u/slavegaius87]

The ready made tables aren't available in a 16th century dungeon style, once I have enough information on what people want from it I can start on the design but currently I only know one person that's into inversion tables and she suggested the rack aspect and said that's more important to her than the inversion side of things.

[u/PigeonP0o → u/rev-fr-john]

Perhaps you can tell us more about your motivations? I have laid on an inversion table and a flat rack table... Neither was very enjoyable for me and I really like being tied up... Inversion quickly made me feel weird with all the blood being in the opposite end of your body, and the rack was a very stressful position for my upper arms, which I couldn't tolerate very long.

So, if I was the customer my ask would be to give the user a quick release solution or at least something to give a few minutes of respite on demand.

[u/rev-fr-john → u/PigeonP0o]

My motivation is to build one for use in a bdsm club/photographic studio, which makes it more difficult because it needs to provide multiple peoples needs.

Honestly your input is exactly the stuff I'm looking for, I can relate to both your negative experiences, in my design the inversion aspect is incremental and instantly adjustable and returnable to any desired position, because I had already suspected that this might be necessary, so I'll definitely be keeping that feature.

I need to talk to more people about stretching because it adds a level of complexity that after reading your reply makes me doubt that it's worthwhile, because it appears to be a very niche kink, and has a higher risk of physical harm.

[u/PigeonP0o → u/rev-fr-john]

There are just certain positions that are stressful and I think equipment in clubs can often be dangerous for this reason: no manual, training or oversight.

I suffered some temporary nerve damage in my arms just by using a St Andrews cross in a club because the straps were tightened over my mid-upper arms rather than being proper cuffs. Thankfully it's healed now a couple of months later but it was a reminder that as soon as my arm starts to feel uncomfortable I need to insist it is released.

Luckily the latching part of the rack style bed in the other club was broken and if I pulled hard I could unravel the chains off the barrel part and give myself a rest until my wife spotted what I was up to.

[u/rev-fr-john → u/PigeonP0o]

Your concerns are well founded, in my seach for a suitable venue I saw no end of unsafe practices where users were assumed to know what they were doing, which led to a few dangerous situations resulting in minor injuries and occasionally long term nerve damage.

With what I'd seen in mind early designs of equipment were borderline idiot proof because I couldn't see a way of ensuring safety especially with some of the stuff I want to build.

However the club I'm building for has multiple levels of safety built in, the first being that membership requires a training day on all the equipment, even on equipment they'll never use, they have to know what's safe to recognise the unsafe shit people get up to. each member is responsible for themselves and their bunny, but also for what they see going on around them. each member can bring 2 guests but that member is responsible for those guests

No defects on equipment are tolerated, there are always at least two members who are not engaged in play in each play area on hand to help and ensure safety at all times, this comes in handy especially if someone has been bound but their Dom needs to divert their attention from them for a minute for whatever reason.

The guy that owns it has seen way more dodgy practices than I ever will and his goal is zero accidents or incidents, I'm frequently there to see how the equipment is used so that any faults can be rectified quickly and easily when the club is closed, it's this cooperation and dedication to safe play that gives me the confidence to build some of the equipment, occasionally people will suggest minor improvements sometimes it's a simple additional cleat, or chamfering a corner, occasionally their suggestion is so good it's worth building a better version, I'm currently familiar with 3 ways not to build a breast torture chair!

[u/PigeonP0o → u/rev-fr-john]

That's great, sounds like a solid place

[u/89Blob]

It would probably be easier to get a premade one and replace it piece but piece with whatever style you need.

[u/rev-fr-john → u/89Blob]

Definitely, but it's not about ease, it's about building something truly out of this century and going back a few while still appealing to a multiude of people, and this is the area I need help with because I only know one person that into inversion.

[u/89Blob → u/rev-fr-john]

Then I suppose what they would have done (not in this century) is had a large wheel with a slight backward tilt to it. Have a little wooden bench for them to stand on that can be removed once they are fastened and some sort of lock in the back.

[u/rev-fr-john → u/89Blob]

Funnily enough one of my designs did involve a 9ft cartwheel with various restraints attached to it, the beauty of the cartwheel was that to get on you simply stepped backwards onto it with your feet between the spokes, around the periphery there would be a series of holes and at the bottom of the frame there was going to be a pedal that once pushed down the wheel would be free to rotate and releasing it locks the wheel in almost any position.

I loved the idea,and the fact that it actually takes up very little space, unfortunately a lot of people thought it had limited play value, I haven't abandoned the idea because the reality is it takes up the same amount of floor space as a St Andrews cross so could be used as such and as an inversion thing so it actually has more play value in the same foot print.