Swing Into Fall with a Tree Swing

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Thread the rope ends down through holes in the seat, slip washers over each end. Now, leaving a good four inches of tail, tie simple but self-tightening overhand "granny" knots in all four ends. Adjust the knots until the slings are of equal length. With the fence staples, tack the tail of each rope to the end cleats.

Then, cut off and sear the ends of four two-foot lengths of the 1/16" nylon twine. Locate the center of each seat rope sling, and twist 180 degrees into a 1-inch loop. Untwist the sling ropes where they cross just enough to open the strands. Then thread twine through both, and twist them back tight. Pull one end of the twine short (about six inches). Tie the twine ends tight to hold the loop together.

Now, bind (in nautical jargon, "whip") the loop together where the ropes cross. Form the short end of the twine into a loop with a good tail. Binding in the tail of the twine loop as you go, wrap the long end as tight as you can a dozen times around the "X" where the rope crosses below the loop. Thread the end of the wrapping twine through the twine loop, then pull the end of the loop's bound-in tail until the loop disappears under the wrapping. Trim and sear the loose ends of twine. Nylon twine is limp, and keeping it tight it takes dexterity, but with a trial or two you will lay on your wrapping tight and evenly spaced, ending up with a seaman-like rope eye or "becket":

Attach Rope to Limb

Fasten the swing ropes seventeen inches apart on your tree limb. (Spacing the ropes a bit wider than the seat gives lateral stability so the swing won't skew or twirl easily. If the kids are small, and you want to reduce and further stabilize the swing's travel, experiment with even wider spacings.) Where it circles the limb, you may want to run the rope through a length of old garden hose to protect a thin bark such as beech, or notch rough hickory or maple bark to keep the rope in place.

For easiest attachment, toss the rope over the branch, throw a "bowline" knot in one end (see the illustration: Knots) leaving a three inch tail. Then, for good measure, whip the tail to the adjoining swing rope. Pass the other end of the swing rope through the loop and cinch what is now a running bowline tight up on the limb.

An even better method is to attach the ropes to the eyescrews in the limb. Drill 1/8" pilot holes 17 inches apart on the under side of the limb; insert a screwdriver in the eyescrews and turn them into the holes. Then make whipped-tail bowlines in one end of the rope and hang it from the eyescrews with secure, but dismountable "S" hooks. This way you can unhook the swing and store it over winter. Keep those rubbing metal parts (which are up at the tree limb) greased and the swing should last for generations.

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