How to Turn Your Bench Into a Porch Swing

Cut the legs off the bench. Lay the bench on its back and mark the top of the legs, just below the seat, with a pencil and straight edge. Cut off each leg with a circular saw, and discard the legs.

Attach the eye bolts to the bench swing. Position the eye bolts at both ends of the bench, locating one on the arm rest and one on the top of the back rest support. Mark the location with a pencil, drill a large pilot hole – use a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the eye bolt's screw end – and twist the eye bolts into each hole with the pliers.

Attach the eye bolts to the ceiling of the porch. Locate a support beam in the ceiling, and position the swing's hardware to be in line with it. Measure the space between the eye bolts on both sides of the swing, and use this measurement to mark the positions of the eye bolts for the ceiling, making sure both eye bolts land on the ceiling beam. Drill large pilot holes for the eye bolts, then twist them into the ceiling with pliers.

Attach the swing chain to the bench. Connect one end of a chain to one eye bolt on the swing, and another end to the other eye bolt using the pliers to open up the link. Repeat on the other side of the bench with a chain of equal length.

Then on one side of the bench, connect another chain to the central link of the first chain that is connected to both of the eye bolts on that bench's side, and do the same for the other side of the bench, matching the length of the chain used to connect the swing to the ceiling on the other side.

Connect the ends of the chains to the eye bolts screwed into the ceiling. Use the pliers to open the end links and connect them to the eye bolts. Another option is to use chain loop clips or S-clips that link the chain to the eye bolt by clipping onto the chain and then to the eye bolt.