How to make a swing with your own hands
Coming to the country, it's nice to sit and relax, looking at the boundless sky or stars. For such a pastime perfectly fit swing. And how much joy they bring to your children! In addition, simple models of swings can be made independently from very affordable materials.
DIY swing: photos and materials description
Today's market of garden equipment offers a huge selection of swings, and ready-made. It remains only to come and choose your favorite model. But not many are willing to give a serious amount of money for the store product. To make a swing yourself, in fact, is not so difficult, and the final cost will pleasantly surprise you.
The choice of models is wide, they can be children, which are designed for low weight, including small tots. There are products that are designed for a large number of people, for example, for the whole family.
Materials for swings can be completely different, and the shape of the more diverse. It is possible to use metal, wood, plastic, automobile tires.
Before you start making the actual design, you must determine the model, and those on whom the swing is designed. After all, the choice of support will depend on the expected weight.
In the selection of materials for the manufacture of swings, it is necessary to focus mainly on your taste. After all, almost any of them, be it plastic, wood or metal, is almost the same in strength. It is possible to use combinations of these materials, with the addition of twisted ropes or even metal chains.
Features of making a garden swing
To construct the most simple garden swing, which will be designed for a pleasant pastime for the whole family, you need a more stable support that can withstand a lot of weight.
It is recommended to use 4 support racks, which are best made from metal. During the preparation of metal structures, all the cut edges of the pipes must be carefully machined and ground using a special grinder. Otherwise, there is a risk of injury.
In addition to the racks, you need a crossbar, which must be attached to the racks by welding. Racks are installed in the spacer, at an angle to each other and welded to the crossbar. Their height may be different. Universal is 2 m. The width of the future swing and, accordingly, the distance between the supports will also depend on many factors, namely the number of people who will rest on them. The standard is the length of the swing from 1.5 to 2 m.
In order to assemble the seat, you need to make 2 frames. One of them will be directly sitting, but the second will play the role of the backrest. And on 1, and on the 2nd frame it is necessary to attach the plywood, and only after connecting them to each other at an angle of 120 degrees. Connect at a right angle is not recommended. It is not comfortable for relaxation or even for simple seating. Fix need special corners. If desired, you can install armrests, for this you need to fix the bars at right angles.
After the manufacture of the stand and the seat, it was the turn to combine the design into a single composition, i.e. hang the swing to the bar. Usually special reliable brackets are attached to it, through the formed space they pull a cable, ropes or metal chains. It is at this moment that the fitting of the seat height is being fitted. Checking the ideal height is quite simple; the person’s feet should touch the ground only with their fingertips.
Of course, the model is not perfect, and it is worth working on it, especially on the seat. In fact, it is very tough. There are several options for correcting this misstep. First, immediately before attaching the seat to the main structure, sheathe it with foam rubber and a durable, waterproof fabric. Secondly, you can make a cover or individual seats, which will be temporarily attached and easy to clean during bad weather.
In any case, in order to prolong the life of any plating option, it is recommended to install an awning that will protect from the sun, rain and fading of the fabric.
Master simple
The original and at the same time the most "lazy" version of making a swing can be called the Western version. Many of us have seen in the films of children, who with delight ride on tires from cars that are attached to the tree with the help of chains.
Surely, many people have a tall, strong tree in the yard, but we don’t have to say anything about old tires. They are quite easy to find. It is necessary to hang the tire on 3 - 4 chains, while it should be located horizontally. In this case, several babies can ride a swing at once.
The 2nd version of the swing is slightly different, the tire will hang vertically (designed for the 1st child). For hanging in this way, they do not use metal chains, but ropes.
Whatever design is chosen, it is not as complicated as it seems at first glance. The most important thing when working is to choose suitable durable materials and firmly fix the swing. Another important point is comfort. Take care of comfortable soft seats and protection from the bright sun or rain. Self-made swings will not only help save money on the purchase of a store product, but also better fit into the individual design of your garden or plot.