well i got lucky and had an old printer stand layin around....it was the right size rod and covered in plastic so i started choppin it up.....welding was kinda messy but so far im really happy with it....i need to add a few diagonal braces to support the rack and find something to use for the mounts, the washer idea didnt work...sorry for the dark pics

i used the sides of the stand for the supports and the top and bottom parts combined to make the rack part.....i also wanted a larger rack than ive seen around but i think i could still get panniers of some sort onto it