How to build an Indoor Swing (on the cheap!)

The swing is my personal favorite of the tree house project and I’ve got great news, it’s easy. Like my-mom-is-so-amazing-in-an-hour easy. Buying a swing is around 50 buckaroos. This baby cost be less than $10! Follow the tutorial below.

Materials needed:

1. Strong board for the backside, I used left over floor board and cut it out to look leafy.
2. Rope. Buy it by the foot at any hardware store. It is sold in varying sizes by weight capacity. My rope holds up to 200 pounds (you never know) and cost around $7.
3. Support beam to hang from
4. Screw eye hook
5. Drill and drill bit
6. Sander (if your wood is rough)

Cut your bum board. Kids up to about 12 years old swing on ours comfortably and it measures 8 inches wide and 18 long. The length is 14 inches between the holes and extends another 2 inches from the rope holes to the edge of the board. I tried to keep with the tree house theme when considering my bum board.

Sand and paint board, if desired.

Drill four holes big enough for your width of rope, I used 3/4 inch drill bit and I think it was a little too big.

Pre-drill a hole in your support beam and attach your screw eye hooks to an overhead support beam (MUST be a beam, not just your ceiling or I guarantee this baby will rip right out) or in my case I used the support beams under the tree house. My beams were not strong enough so I strengthened the support beams by adding support brackets to each end and used wood shims between the floorboard and the beams where the carpet bulged (I drove nails through the carpet and flooring into the shims and the 2×4 below to make it really sturdy) That sentence is a mouthful, hopefully it makes sense, email me with any questions! Make sure you ask whomever is helping at the hardware store about the strength of your hooks and your rope before installing, you want it to be strong!

Attach the the rope. I used a figure 8 knot on the seat:

And a bowline knot on the support beam:

The Boy Scout website was the only way I figured these knots out! Check it out, the automated guides are awesome! I should note, when I first did this step I looped the rope through the bum board and made one knot. The board swiveled back and forth and did not work! I took it down and added knots to steady the board and it was magic. You gotta do this step. I had to play with it a little to get it even and the right length.The boys swing and swing and swing… I am now convinced every playroom should have one!

Happy Creating!

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