The Swing Shop

Open the pages of the designer magazine and you'll see the latest in porch furniture, the bed swing. They vary in style and color, but all have a couple of things in common. They're a great place to relax and they're not cheap. Here's a way to create your own for a fraction of the cost. Oh sure, he gets to lay there. Guess who gets to build it? We do, and we're going to base the entire frame and support structure on these 5 u00bc inch deck boards. Here's how. We'll begin by squaring off the edges of a standard 10 foot long 5 u00bc board. Once both shoulders have been removed, rip the l This should leave you with two lengths measuring 2 u00bd inches wide. We'll laminate these to form a beam. Spread a uniform layer of exterior grade wood glue along the entire length of the wood. An old paintbrush works great for this task. Then align the boards facing the grain pattern against itself. Use your fingers to match the edges as you clamp the length of the beam. Use screws every 6 or 7 inches to secure. If necessary, you can use a clamp across the width of the wood to align the edges. Once you've installed screws along the entire length of the beam, wipe off any excess glue and set it aside to allow the glue to cure. Once the glue is set up, cut each beam to 83 u00bd inches. Then cut two more sections at 20 inches long. These will be the cross braces near each end. Measure back from the end of each beam 4 u00bd inches and mark the location for the cross brace. Use clamps to hold the braces in place while you drill pilot holes and install screws through the beam. Be sure to keep the braces square with the beam throughout the process and check the corners for square at each step. Next, square off and rip another 5 foot length of 5 u00bc board. Then cut 5 more cross braces for the support frame. If you have a pocket hole jig, this is the simplest and most accurate method for securing the bracing. Otherwise, toenail screws at each end of the braces. Distribute the bracing evenly across the frame, about every foot or so. Next, measure out 3 inches from the last cross brace and center mark the location for the rope hole. Use a 7 u00bd inch Forstner bit and drill completely through the frame. Next, lightly chamfer the hole to help prevent fraying the rope. You can also chamfer the ends of the beams at this point if you'd Lightly sand any rough edges. Now that the support system is done, it's time to add the frame around it. Now this is the part we'll see. So when you're choosing your l This is just a little bit more of the 5 u00bc board I've prepared. Cut the edges off and cut them down to 37 inches long each, one for each end. Here's how we install them. Measure and mark the centers of both the support structure and the frame end. Then align these marks and clamp the pieces together temporarily. Use a straight edge to mark the locations of both sides of the beams. Measure and mark the depth of the beams on the ends as well. Then use a jig saw to cut along the lines, being careful not to cut away too much material at first. Slide the frame ends over the beams and check for proper fit. Bile or sand away any obstructions and take your time on this step. Once the frame fits snugly, clamp it in place and use screws to secure it to the support structure. Do this for both ends of the frame. Next, measure and cut two more lengths of prepared 5 u00bc inch deck board for the back and front of the frame. The graceful curve along the finished swing is easy to create. Just measure down from the top edge an inch and a half. Measure in and mark from the end 7 inches. Now use a glue bottle or something similar to draw the first curve centered on this mark. Then shift the pattern over and draw a second circle. Use a jig saw to cut the pattern and then sand it smooth. Now draw a reference line along the two ends of the frame, level with the support structure. Transfer this mark to the front piece and draw a line the entire length. Use this as the location for a ledger strip along the inside front edge. I used a length of 1 by 2 cut to fit between the ends. Glue and nail it into place. It's also a good idea to install short support strips on the frame ends as well. Once the ledgers are in place, align the front, then drill pilot holes and install at least two screws at each end. Alright, we're done with the front section of the frame. I've also added a few additional little supports just because. Better safe than sorry and they took about two minutes to put in there. So just pieces of one line. The next thing we're going to do is attach the back of the frame. Before we do that, we need to make these. These are the backrest supports. Now they're going to bolt through the back and this is the template here. Very simple to make. Here's how. Start with a 21 inch length of 1 by 6 and mark these measurements. The two cuts we'll make are parallel. Once you've drawn out the pattern, an easy way to cut it out is by attaching a scrap of wood aligned with one of the marks. Run the assembly through the table saw to cut the first edge, then remove the scrap and run the pattern through to cut the second line. You can use this pattern to create five exact copies by attaching it to blanks in the same way. Use a guided router bit to cut the remaining backrest supports. Once you have all five supports made, set them aside for a moment and let's turn our attention back to the rear piece of the frame. Measure in from the edge 1u20442 inch and drill a pilot hole for the screws. This is easier to do now than it will be after the backrest supports are attached. Then draw a line 3 u00bc of an inch from the end to align the first backrest support. Clamp the support in place and drill pilot holes from the inside of the frame and into the support. Attach the support with glue and screws, removing the clamp as necessary. Repeat this process at the opposite end of the frame and space the other three supports evenly across the rear of the frame. Attach a ledger strip across the length of the back in the same manner as in the front, aligning it with the support system. Then attach the entire assembly to the rear of the frame, being careful to align the corners. Install screws at both ends. It's actually starting to look It'starting to look Our next step is to make the armrest supports. They are going to attach along the side. There's going to be four of them to a side. They're very simple design and you have to have a nice little design element to them. So here's how we do that. The supports are created by ripping 14 inch lengths of 1 by 6 down the middle. The triangle is made by drawing a diagonal line along a 6 1 half inch length of the same width. Cut the triangles and sand the edges smooth. Then use glue and fasteners to combine the two elements into the arm support, aligning the top of the triangle with the top of the support. Measure, mark and drill the pilot holes about an inch from each edge. Then use glue and screws to attach the arm supports across the width of the end. Align the two outer supports with the edges of the frame and space the inner supports equidistant. Be sure to align the tops of the supports so that the arm fits snugly. The arms are simply a length of 1 by 6 cut to 47 inches. At the forward end, use a paint can or something similar to draw the curve. Then cut it using a jigsaw and sand any rough spots. At the rear of the arm, measure out from the inside 3 inches and forward along the outer edge 5 1 quarter inches. Then cut along the line. Align the rear edge of the arm with the back of the back support. Use a block of 1 by material to properly space the inside edge of the arm from the supports. Clamp it in place and attach with screws and glue. Installed fasteners along the top. If you'd Be careful though as this has the potential to split the wood. Once the arm is attached, you can ease the edges with the chamfer bit to give it a smoother feel to the touch. It's looking pretty good, h Next step, the back slats. This is just another 1 by 6. I've ripped in half, softened the edges again with the router and we're going to tack them onto the supports. The upright supports with a scrap of 3 quarter inch that will act as our spacer at each connection point. Use glue and finish nails or staples along each back support. The slats should fit between the end supports. If you need to spice one together, just bevel cut the ends and join them directly over one of the supports. Use glue in the joint and it will become almost invisible. Finally, clean any sawdust and debris from the surface of the support system and frame. Then spread an even layer of glue over the entire support framework and install a sheet of quarter inch plywood that to fit. Staple or nail the bottom in place, starting in the center and working toward the edges. Install the fasteners every few inches. Alright, you are looking at what is probably going to be the most expensive piece, single piece It is the foam and this one cost about $130. So if you can find it cheaper, great. If you can't, that's about ballpark. You'll need to drill a couple of holes in the arms to allow the rope or chain to pass. Remember to chamfer them as well to prevent splinters or rope abrasion. Choose rope or chain to hang the swing. Be sure to pay attention to the weight limits of either and hang the swing only from framing members on the porch that are designed to accept several hundred pounds of downward force. If you are unsure, check with an architect or structural engineer before you hang the bed swing. Once it is in place though, you have the perfect excuse to relax and enjoy every minute of it. Remember realoutdoorliving. com for great workshop projects using wood. It's real.