DIY Garden Swing
Download our free porch swing building plan and instructions
Photo by Jay Graham
This high-backed swing hangs securely from sturdy, 5/8-inch-diameter nylon or hemp rope that runs through the swing’s arms and frame.
A yellow transparent stain emphasizes the grain of the wood; it is also protected with several coats of an exterior, satin-finish polyurethane.
The average woodworker can build the swing in a weekend; staining and sealing will add several more days, due to drying time between coats.
Most cuts can be made with a circular saw, handsaw, or saber saw, but the angled back support would be more easily cut with a table saw. A full-service lumberyard can generally do this for you.
Materials
- Two 8-foot 2-by-4s
- 220 1¼-inch deck screws
- 32 2½-inch deck screws
- Nine 10-foot 1-by-4s
- Countersinking bit
- One 10-foot 1-by-6
- Two 10-foot 2-by-4s
- 5/8- or 3/4-inch-diameter rope
Cost: About $150
