Swing into fall with a family tree swing

  • By Kyle Valentini
  • September 3, 2013
  • 403
                        
Summary: A tree swing is easy to install and something the whole family can enjoy. For me it was a giant silver maple over a hundred years old that held the well-anchored tree swing in the back yard when I was a kid. It was a simple board with two ropes that took me away from the world for a while. From the swing you could see corn or soybeans in the field across the road, depending on what was planted that year. You could see groundhogs, the occasional deer and skunks from a safe distance. Spinning was the best, twisting and twisting until you couldn’t anymore and then releasing! When you are a kid it is fun to be dizzy. With a giant canopy of maple leaves above you and the well worn dirt below you, the tree swing was a place to go, to think, to dream or simply go back and forth. A tree swing can be a simple wooden board or disk, a tire or perhaps something fancier. If you choose to make a swing rather than purchase one, your kids can help. It will be something they treasure for years to come. Here are instructions you can use to make a tree swing with and for your kids. You will need: Board for the seat at least 17 inches long by 8 inches wide by 1 inch thick Sandpaper Drill Measuring tape Knife 3/8-inch braided nylon rope Matches or lighter Two lag-screw eye bolts, about 4 1/2 inches long Screwdriver Ladder Select a branch from which you will hang your tree swing. It should be sturdy enough to support the weight of a grown person without danger. It should also extend sufficiently far from the tree that you can use the swing safely. Sand the board with sandpaper until it is smooth, comfortable and suitable for sitting. This is a great thing for the kids to do. Drill four holes into the board for the rope, two on each side. They should be close to the corners and be an equal distance from each other, so that you will be able to sit on the swing comfortably when it is assembled. The size of the holes should match the nylon rope: about 3/8 of an inch. Cut two 4-foot lengths of nylon rope, using a lighter or matches to melt the cut end. If you don't melt the ends the rope will unravel. Thread each end of the first rope through the two holes on the right side of the board. Tie the ends off beneath the board in a knot. Repeat with the second piece of rope on the left side of the board. You will attach these two pieces to the rope hanging from the tree. Climb the tree using a ladder, taking the drill, the eye screws and a screwdriver with you. The kids should stay on the ground and act as your cheering section. Measure a spot on the branch where you want the swing ropes to hang. Make two holes in the lower end of the branch with the drill, slightly further apart than the width of the swing seat. Insert the eye screws in the holes, tightening them with the screwdriver by inserting it into the eye of the screws and twisting. Take two lengths of rope long enough to stretch from the branch to the ground. Tie each length to the eye screws, securing them with a tight and sturdy knot. Cut the other end of the rope to fit the desired length of the swing, about 1 foot off the ground. Loosely tie the ends of the rope to the smaller pieces of rope extending from the board. Adjust the swing to fit the size of whoever will be using it. It should be far enough off the ground so that the tallest user can sit in it and just touch the ground with the tips of his toes. Tighten the knots securing the board to the rope after you have made all the adjustments you need. The knots should be firm and unyielding and able to support the weight of whoever uses the tree swing.


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