DIY Swing Part Four

We are moving right along. Part One was in the developing stage. Part Two started the build. Part Three made a lot of headway. Today, Kevin will finish the pergola and hang my swing.

With the 4x4 posts in the ground, he ties it all together with two 4x4's front to back. 

Pilot holes keep the wood from splitting. He drills them on a bench...

and sets them in place. These pilot holes are the guide for the new pilot holes needed in the bottom board. Eight inch lag bolts are used to anchor the 4x4's together. 

The same is done with another 4x4 halfway between front and back to hang the chain on. 

To help secure it all, he's framing all the way around with 2x8's. 

A 45 degree corner gives it a nice clean look. 


We picked up some heavy duty chain at a hardware store and experimented with the length. He will cut the extra links off with a die grinder.

The top is next. We decided on six 2x6x8's across the top, front to back. 

He's sawing the marks four inches deep, leaving two inches on the top.

His saw blade won't cut deep enough, so he uses a drill to make pilot holes.

A wood chisel is used to smooth it out so that it will fit snugly to the 4x4.

Since he put a load-bearing beam from side to side, he notches out the 2x6x8's to fit over the top of the 4x4 supporting the swing. 

After putting them in place, he uses lag bolts to secure the beams to the 4x4. Therefore, all six beams support the swing. 

A mattress and some pillows will finish this off. One more blog post and the project is complete.