Kids love to swing. Will it be worth it with all the mosquitos, will they use it enough once we set it up, etc. This year ambition mounted and we went for it.
Of course DIY is the only way when one is dissatisfied with the configuration or robustness of commercial kits. Inspired by plans at The Design Confidential, among others, I drew plans in SketchUp, fretting over the height, angle, hardware, bracing, etc., until I was happy with it and ready to dive in. A weekend was enough to build it, then another weekend for the corner braces and a lunch break for anchors saw the job through.
I'd say it's a hit. They want to swing every day.
Specs:
- 4x4x10 treated posts, 18 degree angle front and back
- 4x6x10 treated beam
- Final height (ground to bottom of beam): 8' - 8'4"
- 5/4 x 6 decking A-frame braces
- 2x6 (treated) corner braces: 45 degree miter one end; 45 miter, about 33 bevel other end. Good luck with that. Glued with Gorilla Glue. I still need to trim the foam-out and probably should have skipped the glue altogether.
- 1/2" galvanized carriage bolts, 8" and 10" through the beam, 4-1/2" through braces (McMaster has that length, and they end up perfectly flush)
- 3/8" x 6" galvanized lag bolts and #10 x 2-1/2" galvanized deck screws through corner braces
- heavy duty swing hangers and swing seats (of the big box stores, only Home Depot carries these)
- 1/2" x 4' rebar anchors
Epilogue
Eight years later, the swing still gets used a lot! Now it's swappable with hanging egg chairs.
