Swing Into Fall with a Tree Swing

Enlarge Image Image Gallery The Freedom of Flight: There's a real pride in knowing I helped to put smiles on children's faces — a pride everyone should know.

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My childhood was graced with an older generation that knew how a kids' swing ought to be built. No flimsy metal frame sets with cramped plastic seats hung on thin, palm-cutting clothes line. No thigh-squeezing rubber slings on finger-pinching chain either. Instead, there were stout wood seats that little knees could lock on to, and boat-mooring line, suspended from sturdy tree branches, and that was fat enough to give a firm grasp. At the old family homestead, a swing at the river bank was fastened so high that the rope disappeared forever into the canopy of a huge black oak. Pumping hard, we could swing 15 feet above the water ... let go and fly almost to midstream ... and land in a cannonball worthy of the name.

I've built old-style swings on my own country places for over 20 years now. I can tell you that an awful lot of children (and adults) have shared the joy of swinging and creating a nice breeze during those sticky summer days. There's a real pride in knowing I helped to put those smiles there — a pride everyone should know. So I've decided to teach all of you the craft of building a sturdy swing that your children and grandchildren will remember you by.

There's several materials that go into building a tree swing. You'll need a hand saw or electric Skilsaw (try square or other right angle), wood rasp, sandpaper, screwdriver (an electric power driver is best), a drill with 1/8" and 3/8" wood-bits, lumber, rope, fasteners, fittings (as specified), plus a can of wood preservative and a brush. However, you'll need no great carpentry expertise, and I'll demonstrate some marlinspike seamanship so that you can fasten the rope securely.

First, there's the matter of picking the right tree. You should look for one that is in open ground, and that has a thick, live-wood limb which is growing parallel to (and not inaccessibly high off) the ground. A limb much less than ten inches in diameter will bounce, reducing the young swinger's stability. A solution might be to attach the swing close to the trunk, but too close and the swing will carom off it. Deadwood branches will break, and limbs that angle upwards will skew the arc of the swing.

The higher the limb, the longer the swing's pendulum motion and the higher it can go before gravity overpowers momentum. Playground swings are six to ten feet high, and a gradeschooler can get five to six feet above the pavement. Your yard will provide a softer landing for any slip, and your swing's ropes can be attached fifteen feet off the ground to give a good but not too-high ride. For a real cloud-duster, you can send a good tree climber up to fasten your ropes to a limb 25 feet or more high. Make a point of supervising those children under 12 years of age. Measure or estimate the height of the limb off of the ground. Then go to a quality lumber yard and a good hardware store and purchase the following weather-resistant materials:

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