We report on a laboratory-based facility for in-house x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements. The device consists of a conventional x-ray source for the production of the incident polychromatic radiation and a von Hamos bent crystal spectrometer for the analysis of the incoming and transmitted radiation. The reliability of the laboratory-based setup was evaluated by comparing the Cu K-edge and Ta L 3 -edge XAFS spectra obtained in-house with the corresponding spectra measured at a synchrotron radiation facility. To check the accuracy of the device, the K-and L-edge energies and the attenuation coefficients below and above the edges of several 3d, 4d, and 5d elements were determined and compared with the existing experimental and theoretical data. The dependence of the XAFS spectrum shape on the oxidation state of the sample was also probed by measuring inhouse the absorption spectra of metallic Fe and two Fe oxides (Fe 2 O 3 and Fe 3 O 4 ).