How to Build an Outdoor Swing

Sitting on an outdoor swing hung from a sturdy tree branch is one of life’s most effortless pleasures, best enjoyed on a balmy evening. You’ll enjoy your swing even more if you craft it yourself. Not only will you save money to spend on other outdoor fun, but you’ll feel pride in having constructed the swing from re-purposed materials. For your DIY outdoor swing, choose a chair with solid wooden parts and without padding, avoiding smaller, thinner dining room chairs in favor of the type of chair you would find in a living area or parlor--a chair with a wide base and a full back is crucial to a comfortable swing.

Thrift-store chair
Damp rag
Sandpaper
Exterior spray paint or stain
Polyurethane
Drill with ½-inch bit
Braided poly rope
Ladder

Instructions

- 1
  Wipe down the chair, making sure to clean all its exterior surfaces. Saw or screw off the chair’s legs.
- 2
  Lightly sand all exposed wood.
- 3
  Apply several light layers of spray paint or exterior spray stain, taking several passes and allowing a short drying time between layers. Allow the paint or stain to completely dry before proceeding further.
- 4
  Apply a layer of polyurethane to all the wood surfaces. Allow to dry and then apply a second coat.
- 5
  Experiment with holding up your chair in different ways to determine where to put your rope holes. Drill one hole on each side of the front of the chair. Drill two more holes into the top back of the chair, with both holes about a three-fourth of a foot from the center of the chair’s top.
- 6
  Drill two more holes, one at the back left of the chair and one at the back right; these two holes should be at a diagonal from the top holes you drilled. Drill into the wooden arms of the chair, near the middle of the arms, or the base of the chair: Choose whichever location looks like it would best balance the chair when hung.
- 7
  Cut six lengths of rope to match the amount of space between your branch or porch eave and where your swing will rest when hanging, plus a couple of feet of extra length.
- 8
  Insert one end of each rope inside each hole, pulling the end through the hole. Wrap the rope’s end around the section of rope just before the hole and back down through the hole it just created during the wrapping. Pull this knot, also known as the half-hitch knot, tightly closed and cut off any more than half a foot of excess rope emerging from the knot. Knot several more times to increase the strength of the connection. Repeat with all other rope ends.
- 9
  Hang your completed DIY outdoor swing from a sturdy branch that is eight inches in diameter or thicker. Set up your ladder beneath the branch and climb to the height of the branch. Wrap each end of rope around the branch, about 3-feet to 5-feet away from the trunk, and secure with a running bowline knot, leaving several feet of tail.

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