Our first house in Springfield had a huge oak tree in our wild, rambling backyard, so I made Sebastian a tree swing once he was big enough to enjoy it. We were so sad to leave it behind when we moved, especially since our second house had absolutely no trees large enough to support even a family of squirrels much less a toddler. Our new place came with a good-sized apple tree right in the middle so as soon as the weather warmed up I decided it was time for another swing.
-1 2x4x8 piece of wood for the seat
-1 1x2x8 piece of wood for the top rope (long enough to hang from your branch and strong enough to support adult weight, just in case. I suggest at least 40 ft.
-wood glue
-2 clamps (or substitute heavy objects), drill and drill bit wide enough for your rope. I used a 3/4″ drill bit and my rope fit through nicely.
-8 wood screws 1 1/2″ long
-2 3/8″ chain quick link
-sand paper
-paint
Cut your 2x4x8 piece of wood into two cuts measuring 2.5′ long. Cut another 2 pieces measuring 8″ long. Place the two longer pieces side by side and glue the long sides together. Then, glue the two shorter pieces to the ends as shown making sure they are flush with the edges, not overlapping. Clamp immediately or carefully place heavy items on top of your glued pieces. Be sure everything is in place.
Wait 20 minutes until dry and then pre-drill screw holes in each of the four corners of each short piece making sure not to get too close to the edges. Add screws. Drill two holes in the outer corners of each end as shown. Again, be careful not to get too close to the edges and split your wood. Sand and paint (or seal) if you like.
Cut two lengths of rope about 5′ long for to attach to the seat. Tie a double overhand knot at one end, push the rope up through the bottom and back down on the other side. Tie the same knot at the other end of your rope. Repeat on the other side. Cut the remainder of your rope in half so that you have about 15 ft. of rope for each (obviously you need more if you have a high branch). Hold your rope with one hand at the end and the other about four feet up. Fold it together and then tie a knot so that there is a loop left at the end (as shown above). Attach that end to the loop on the swing with one of your chain quick links. Repeat with the other side.
Cut your 1x2x8 piece so that it’s 2.5′ long (or as long as your swing seat if you choose longer). Drill a hole in each end about 1″ in and centered. Measure about 5′ above your seat and tie a knot in each rope. Slip the loose end of each rope through the board as shown above. Tie to ends to your tree branch using a taut line knot.
Disclaimer: Please check all knots with your weight before allowing anyone to use it. Make and use at your own risk.
The kids and I love having a swing again and it adds a lot of charm to our backyard. Don’t have a yard or a tree? Make one to use inside your house! Friends of mine have one in their playroom that they attached to a beam for support. It’s sure to provide hours of fun! –Rachel
These are stunning tree swings for my garden. I love those wood tree swings for my fancy vintage looks. I guess the one I bought from treeswingstore.com can be good addons to this list.
This tutorial needs to be updated, because it is clear that the person who wrote this has no clue as to what they are doing. The pictures do not match the lumber item list or cut wood given. Pictures shows what appears to be 1×3’s or 1×4’s used. 2 cuts of 2×4 measuring 2.5” long, and 2 pieces 8” long. The two 8” pieces of 2×4 laid parallel to each other would have a width of 7 inches. The 2.5 inch cut 2×4 suggested would have a dimension of 2.5 inch x 3.5 inch. How is that supposed to line up flush on the ends of the swing top? My suggestion would be to actually know what you are doing and talking about before you create an article about a diy swing that gets picked up by the Bob villa website, since the people who have commented on this post clearly also have no idea what they are doing as well.
It still works—it’s just not written clearly. She means cut the 8 foot (1×4) board into pieces measuring 2.5 feet (X2) and 8 inches (X2)—but YOU are right about the actual measurements being less than 4 inches—so it should be 2 pieces 7 inches long. What is not made clear is that the board isn’t being cut into pieces equaling 8 feet—there will be almost 2 feet of (1×4) board leftover. What I find confusing/inaccurate are the rope lengths. Both the rope pieces that go through the seat are supposed to be 5 feet—and the top piece of wood is supposed to be 5 feet from the seat—but the distance to the top piece looks much longer than 5 feet and the seat rope pieces look much shorter than 5 feet…but neither the supply list or the photos are very detailed or clearly organized so I would suggest determining the rope lengths and distances yourself. And how did she get those knots tied in that thick rope so perfectly—that’s what I’d love to know! It’s always the little details that get left out which make you look at your creation and wonder why it looks nothing like the picture!
Hi, what paint did you use for the mint green swing?
exterior paint but sadly we no longer have the name / code for the color
I’m in the process of doing this tree swing project . So far it’s awesome and I can’t wait to get it hung in the tree. I’m making two so the kiddos will not have to take turns.Thxs
That is such a cute swing. I really like the color and the old looking rope, but I really want to make one that has the rope braided through like you can see on www.treeswingstore.com/adulttreeswings/ Do you know what that’s called or where I can find out how to do that?
How thick is the rope used?
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That’s terrific!!!
congratulations for the idea!
http;//pizquitasdevida.blogspot.com.es
It was excited to come across your site a short while ago. I arrived here today hoping to learn interesting things. I was not upset. Your well thought out ideas with new strategies on this subject matter were enlightening and a great help to me. Thank you for making time to create these things and for sharing your mind.
This makes me so happy!
http://clochedeletoile.blogspot.com
Lovely 🙂
Amazing work 🙂
Great for photoshoots! ♥
xo
THIS IS AMAZING. Thank you.
www.eatblogpray.blogspot.com
xo
Beautifully done.
Hey, Today is 1st day I have read your blog but believe me you are ready good in writing.I love reading blog and your discussion. I really learned a lot and what you shared is really useful.I really learned a lot and what you shared is really useful. thanks for sharing.
So cute! I’ve always wanted one. Maybe someday we’ll have a tree in our yard.
I love tree swings. Check out my blog to see a lovely romantic session on a tree swing! 🙂
http://sztukastudiowania.blogspot.com/
Makes me feel like a kid again! I wanna swing!
This is the type of project that makes me which I had a house! Another downside to apartment living. *Adds to home bucket list*