Bathroom towel post

This bathroom towel post has been around my home for at least 30 years, and I think it’s one of the slickest ideas ever, though I can’t remember whose idea it was nor where the parts came from.

It is simply a post that extends from ceiling to floor and is held in place by unscrewing (extending) a bolt from the bottom, thus creating plenty of tension.

It is made from a 4X4 post, a bolt, two nuts, an electrical box cover (or some other light scrap metal), a scrap steel base from an old bumper jack or something similar, four screws and some coat hooks.

One nut is tack-welded to the box cover, the other nut is tack-welded to the bolt about 3/4-inch from the end. A hole big enough to accommodate the bolt is drilled into the center of the post at the bottom.

The end of the bolt with the nut welded thereon is inserted into the hole in the jack base and wrenched to extend the bolt and put as much pressure on the ceiling as is needed to keep the post in position.

This idea could be adapted for a variety of applications in the home or shop.