Create your own diy porch swing for under $100!

Who doesn’t love a porch swing?

From a hot summer night to a rainy winter day, a porch swing is perfect for almost any occasion. They epitomise Australian culture to the point of it almost being a crime to not have one!

Understandably, porch swings are expensive. So if you can’t afford one, or can’t justify buying one, why not make your own!?

Obviously, to make your own porch swing, you’re going to need wood. Cedar is recommended, because it is a wood that is naturally rot resistant. However, cedar is expensive, so something like pine works also.

Expect to spend around $100 building this.

Materials

10 – 2 x 8

3 – 4 x 8

2 – 6 x 8

14 – 1/4″ flat washers

14 – 1/4″ nylon nuts

12 – 1/4 x 2 carriage bolts

2 – 1/4 x 3 carriage bolts

2 – small S hooks

2 – large s hooks

1 – box of 1 5/8″ exterior screws

17′ of chain

Tools

sander

bandsaw/jigsaw

drill press

router

Step 1: Sand your boards

Sand the back of all your boards. Cedar is is very powdery so be sure to wear a respirator.

Step 2: Trace the templates

Take the templates and trace them on your boards until you have the correct number of each piece. You will need:

4 bottom Supports

4 back Supports

2 cup holder bottoms (optional)

2 cup holder backs (optional)

2 arm fronts

2 arms

1 footer

Note: The footer is not included in the templates since it’s a big rectangle, however the dimensions are 43″x 2 3/4″

Step 3: Cut out the pieces

Once everything is traced, cut it all out using your bandsaw/jigsaw.

Step 4: Make holes in the arms

Using a drill press with a 7/8″ paddle bit, drill a hole that will be used for the chain. If you don’t have a paddle bit, use a regular drill to make a starter hole, then use a jigsaw to cut the hole. If you want your porch swing to have cup holders, use the drill to make a starter hole for them also.

Step 5: Round over edges

With all the pieces cut, put a round over bit on your router and go over everything except the bottom and back supports. On the arms, go over both sides, but on the vertical arm support, cup holder pieces and footer, make sure you only go over the smooth side.

Step 6: Assemble

Now start joining things together. Take the footer and one vertical arm support and line them up so the bottom of the vertical arm support is flush with the bottom of the footer. Then use your drill press to drill two 1/4″ holes.

Place a 1/4″ x 2″ carriage bolt in each hole, then use a hammer to tap them into place. Then put a washer and a nylon nut on each carriage bolt and tighten them down.

Now it’s time to join the bottom and back supports. First grab one of each and align them so their angles matched up with one another. Then drill two 1/4″ holes. Once all four supports are drilled, tap in the 1/4″ x 2″ carriage bolts, then put on a washer and nylon nut and tighten the whole thing down.

To join the bottom/back support to the footer, use a speed square to make sure you attach it straight. Once the speed square is flush against the bottom support and the footer, hold it in place then use a screw to attach it.

Before attaching the arms, take them to the drill press and drill a hole in the back portion in order to give yourself a way to attach it to the back supports. Then insert a 3″ carriage bolt.

Line up the arms so the chain hole is just in front of the vertical arm support, then drill a hole where the carriage bolt hit on the back support. You can use a hammer to tap it into place, then put on a washer and a nylon nut. Repeat the steps on the other side. Next, screw the front arm support in place by using two screws going in from the top.

Step 7: Making the slats

When you are buying the boards to make up the slats, you can either purchase 1 x 2 boards and use them as is, or buy 1 x 6 boards and use a table saw to cut them down to 1 1/2″. The advantage of doing it this way is a slightly lower cost, but it’s also easier to find straight 1 x 6s than it is 1 x 2s. Before cutting any of the boards, first go over the edges on one side with a round over bit.

Set up a stop block at your jigsaw/miter saw and start cutting your slats to length. Attach the front slats first, then move to the back and attach the last one.

Step 8: Adding the slats

Now go through and attach the rest. Once the seat is finished, start on the back and repeat the steps. Attach the bottom most slat first, then move to the top and screw in the top most slat then fill in between.

Step 9: Finishing and adding the chain

To give the wood a little protection, apply a coat of teak oil.

Once the swing is dry, add the chain. Cut two lengths of eight links each (each link being two loops) then drill a hole in each side near the top. Then attach the chain to the side with the carriage bolt, washer and nylon nut assembly. Before tightening down on the nut, be sure the link is positioned like in the above photo.

Next, divide the rest of the chain in two equal lengths and cut the middle, then stick them in their respective places on the footer. The chain goes through the hole in front of where your cup holder might be. Now you can connect the chains by way of an “s” hook.

Now comes the fun part: finding a spot to hanging it, and of course, testing it out!