Weekend Project: Build a Swing

Image by Lars_Nissen_Photoart from Pixabay

A porch swing lends wistful ambiance to your home.  Below are a few options on how to construct your own porch swing from 3 wood pallets, which local stores may be able to give you free of charge.  Upcycling materials keeps useful scraps out of landfills and saves money.  In addition, your weekend project will be all the more treasured because you can design it yourself and tailor it to the style of your home.  Take a look at these ideas:

4-Foot Bench Swing

You’ll need to harvest wood from around 3 pallets.  For the frame of the swing you’ll need pieces trimmed to sizes similar to the following:

3 4-ft lengths of 2x4

4 18-in lengths of 2x4

4 19 3/4-in lengths of 2x4

2 11 1/4-in lengths of 2x4

2 22 1/2-in lengths of 2x4  

1 45-in length of 2x2

Beyond these, harvest as many slats around 2 ft long and 4 ft long from the pallets as you can to fill in and support the frame.  

Using 2 of the 4-ft 2x4’s as the long sides of the swing’s seat, stand them up on their sides and connect them using 2 of the 1.5-ft 2x4’s, also on their sides, completing the rectangle.  Add the other 2 1.5-ft 2x4’s for support, laid flat and equidistant from the sides and each other.

Position the 45-in 2x2 down the center and attach it to the inside of the 2x4’s. 

Build the back rest with the third 4-ft 2x4 forming the top edge and the 4 19 3/4-in 2x4’s laid flat and attached to it at the same distances as the 1.5-ft seat supports.  Secure the open ends of the 19 3/4-in 2x4’s to the edge of the seat.

Attach each 11 1/4-in 2x4 to a 22 1/2-in 2x4 at a right angle to form the armrests, then attach ends to the seat corners and midpoints of the back rest edges.

Fill in the frame with evenly-spaced slats across the back rest and the seat.  Use 4 long screws with eyeholes at the end and attach in the vertical edge of the back rest near the top and on the seat edge near the corner on each side.  

Use primer before painting, then finish with a weather-resistant coating.  

Simple Half-Pallet Swing

For a simpler method, cut a pallet in half long-ways.  Set the back rest portion on top of the edge of the seat portion and attach.  Using harvested slats from a second pallet, you can lay down another layer of wood for a sturdier seat as well as a more finished look.  Use another 4 harvested slats to build armrests, connecting them at right angles and affixing them onto the sides of the seat and back rest.  

Daybed Porch Swing

If you’re looking for a cross between a porch swing and a hammock, use one entire pallet for the seat/base of your swing and a section of a second pallet or harvested slats from one to add a back rest.  This makes a luxurious daybed swing you can decorate with accent pillows.