Wooden Swing

For Christmas in 2006, I gave my brother and sister-in-law a coupon for a wooden project out of my shop.  They were expecting their first child that January and I couldn't decide on a project to make for them.  It took them 3 years to redeem.  I had already started on the piano project for them when they asked to redeem their voucher for this Christmas (2009).  They said they wanted a swing to hang from their wooden swingset frame that they picked up from craigslist.  I got the basic design from looking at wooden swings online, I won't tell you how I estimated an appropriate length for the swing to fit an average adult.

I used some old 2x4's in my garage and planed them down with my electric hand planer.  I had no idea how pretty a 2x4 was inside.  (A lesson in outward appearances I guess.)  With a couple thick coats of marine quality varnish, this swing will hold up against the elements for years!

The swing was designed to hang from four 3/4" nylon ropes inserted through the holes in the top and tied off under the swing.  I reinforced the swing with two strips of 1" poplar, glued to the three planks and fastened with a nut & bolt on the middle one.  It makes for a very sturdy and safe swing.

I routered all the edges of the swing so there would be no sharp edges and to eliminate the potential for slivers.  I imagine slivers from a swing being quite unpleasant!  I routered out the top and bottom of the rope holes to protect against rope wear from excess rubbing after years of use.  This was a super fun project to work on, and again look at how beautiful the wood really is!  It was a fairly simple project, but it was solid and turned out great.