DIY garden swing

Recommendation points

• Swing made of wood
• Making the basis for the swing
• Bench
• Final assembly
• Metal swing

Swings are loved not only by children, but also adults are not averse to remembering childhood and feeling that very sensation of flight. There are many types of swings that you can build with your own hands without significant costs. Our priorities are simplicity and reliability, so we look towards wood and metal.

Swing made of wood

The most stable structure is the one in which the posts are made in the shape of the letter “A” with a crossbar, and we will make it. This is a family type of swing, also called a hanging bench. They are made from softwood, since pine is the cheapest material and the most malleable. Special tools and fixtures are not required for processing pine lumber. The simplest ones, which are in almost every home, will do..

Instruments:

1. Drill with a set of drills.
2. Saw.
3. Jigsaw.
4. A hammer.
5. Plane.
6. Roulette.
7. Pencil or marker.
8. Gon.

Materials:

1. Beam for supports 4 pcs. about 2 m with a section of 100×50 mm.
2. Beam (log) for a crossbar 2 m.
3. Bars for making a bench with a section of 50×80 mm, a length of 500 mm and 8 bars of 1500 mm, a section of 40×60 mm for sitting.
4. Chains with a good anti-corrosion coating and a load capacity of at least 500 kg.
5. Bolts with wide washers.
6. Self-tapping screws long.

Making the basis for the swing

To begin with, we need to fold the A-shaped structure of beams 2 m long.You can simply fold the bars crosswise and tighten them with bolts, but this looks rough and not aesthetically pleasing, so we use a half-wood connection with grooves.

We make the point of their intersection 300 mm from the top and set the angle to 40 degrees.

The lower jumper does not carry a strong load, it only prevents the racks from moving apart, so here you can use a bar with a smaller section or a board.

During the assembly process, it is necessary to carefully sand all the beams in order to subsequently avoid splinters and process with weather-resistant impregnation or varnish.

We fix all joints with bolts and washers and fasten them with metal corners.

After that, we transfer the racks to their permanent location and mount the upper beam, fastening it rigidly with corners. After that, we screw the eye bolts into the side racks, we hook the carbines and the chain to them.

If there are materials and desire, we make a canopy for the shop. There can be many solutions, from a simple canopy to the construction of a mini-gable roof on which an awning is stretched.

Bench

The bars are connected in pairs at an angle of 110 degrees. You can use the same half-wood or tenon-groove joint. The joints are glued with PVA building glue and fastened with M10 bolts.

With self-tapping screws, we attach the seat bars to the supporting base, at small intervals. This will lighten the weight of the structure and will not fundamentally affect the strength of the bench..

If desired, armrests are made with the same half-wood connection.

The bench is also sanded and varnished. Eye bolts are screwed onto the supporting structures of the bench (the upper part of the back and the outer part of the seat). This is necessary for subsequent attachment to the chain..

Final assembly

Once again we check and tighten the bolts, we hook the chains to the supports and hang the bench.

Metal swing

Much more freedom of choice is provided by the presence of a pipe bender and a welding machine, as well as the ability to use them. Well, if you don’t know how, then this is a great reason to start learning. You can make a swing, a gazebo, awnings in the same style so that they are in harmony with each other. In addition, metal is a more durable material than wood, although it will cost a little more. However, metal swings can be made collapsible and at the end of the season taken to the barn.

The design of a metal swing is not much different from a wooden one, only the method of fastening is different. It is more troublesome, but also more reliable..

Materials:

1. Swing frame – profile pipe 40×60 mm 4 pcs. length 2000 mm.
2. Bench frame – profile pipe 40×20 mm.
3. Bench bars 15 pcs. by 150 cm.
4. Chain (about 7 m).

Instruments:

1. Bulgarian.
2. Drill and drill bits for metal.
3. Welding machine.
4. Pipe bender.
5. Bolts with nuts.

If you decide to make a canopy, then you will need more profiles of a smaller section, as well as a sheet of polycarbonate.

Profile pipes are more convenient for making swings, but cutting at an angle requires some skill so that all 4 pipes have the same cut angle and it will be easier to weld them later. You can make a template for cutting from a section of a metal profile of a larger section, and then simply apply it to the blanks and cut off according to the marks.

So, we bend the pipes a little, check if the arcs are the same, cut the ends at the right angle and weld them with electric welding. We do the same with another pair of pipes. We weld the crossbar, put it in and tie it with pipes from below along the perimeter. The base is ready.

The bench can be made exactly the same as in the case of a swing made of wood, it doesn’t matter. Although the presence of a pipe bender and a welding machine greatly expands your possibilities.

Another point is the suspension mechanism itself. You can’t put a bearing on a square tube, and it takes a long time to come up with a complex structure. And why? This design is not designed for active riding with a large swinging amplitude, so you just need to throw the chains over the crossbar and pick up the bench.

All designs are individual, they vary in size and material. There are only general recommendations and tips that you can use in your work and create something of your own, unique and beautiful..