How to Make a Drawbridge for a Tree House

Construct your tree house approximately 4 feet off the ground -- with a 3-foot-wide and 5-foot-tall doorway on the side.

Cut the plywood into a 3-foot-by-6-foot sheet, using the circular saw.

Cut two 6-foot boards with the circular saw.

Attach the boards along the length of the plywood, on the outer edge -- using the screws, spaced approximately 1 foot apart. This section will serve as the drawbridge.

Drill two holes, using the drill at one end of the drawbridge -- one in each 1-by-4 beam and through the plywood.

Attach the hinges to the drawbridge, using the screws. The hinges should be attached to the opposite side of the board -- at the end opposite the holes.

Attach the other side of the hinges to the floor of the tree house in the doorway, using the screws. You'll now have a drawbridge in the downward position, allowing a child to climb up into the tree house. The drawbridge on a tree house 4 feet above the ground should rest at a 45-degree angle.

Push the drawbridge up as if closing it. The bridge should cover the doorway and extend 1 foot above the top of the doorway. Place a pencil into each of the holes on the drawbridge to mark where they hit above the doorway, then set the drawbridge back down.

Drill a hole, using the drill, through each of the spots where you made the pencil marks.

Slip a piece of rope through one of the holes in the drawbridge, from the topside to the underside. Tie two or three knots on the underside of the drawbridge, being certain that the rope will not slip through. Repeat with the other rope and the other hole in the drawbridge.

Place the free end of the rope on the left side of the drawbridge, through the hole on the left side above the doorway. Do the same with the right side rope and the right side hole above the doorway. Your child can now draw the bridge up from the inside by pulling on the ropes.