Purpose of a Swing Stick for Siding

Purpose of Swing Sticks

• Swing sticks are custom-built layout tools that help you establish an attractive siding installation pattern. The purpose of swing sticks is to align the bottom of siding planks or shingles with the bottom of exterior window sills or casing. This arrangement places the line created by the bottom of the siding horizontally level with the window's bottom, which gives the overall installation a congruent, professional look. Although it's not strictly necessary to align the bottoms of siding materials with the bottoms of windows, the aesthetic effect is worth the effort.

Swing Stick Lumber

• You can make a swing stick from nearly any type of solid lumber, as long it's long enough to stretch from the base of the wall that you're siding to the bottom of the lowest window. Professionals usually use thin, narrow lumber, such as 1-by-3-inch boards. The swing stick needs to be straight and true, so you should purchase new lumber to make your swing stick instead of using scrap lumber you find on-site.

Swing Stick Layout

• A set of equally spaced lines covers the swing stick's face, similar to a standard ruler. The spacing between the marks equals the reveal of your type of siding. The term "reveal" refers to the portion of siding that's exposed. For example, plank siding has a reveal of 4 to 4 1/2 inches, so the marks on a plank siding swing stick are 4 to 4 1/2 inches apart. You can create the marks with a tape measure, carpenter's square and a permanent marker.

How to Use a Swing Stick

• Before placing your swing stick against the wall, you need to lay out the position of the window's bottom. Using a chalk snap line, you can lay out a line from one side of the window's bottom edge to the corner of the building. Align the bottom of the swing stick with the butt-edge of the first course of siding. While holding the stick's end even with the first course, tilt the swing stick until its marks align with the chalk line, and transfer the stick's marks onto the wall surface.

Acceptable Types of Siding

• In general, swing sticks are only useful for clapboard or shingle siding. Other common siding materials don't benefit from alignment with window sills or casing. For example, swing sticks don't apply to vertically oriented siding materials, such as board-and-batten or vertical tongue-and-groove. Additionally, a swing stick won't improve the appearance of stucco or plywood siding.