Introduction: Swing N Go
Here how to make a handy lightweight swing.
The concept is easy. This is a swing that you can easily take with you everywhere you go.
You can hang it on every branch of every three without using a ladder or climbing in the three.
It sits good so you can also use it to chill and read a book or drink a beer.
Hope you like it!
Enjoy
Step 1: Buy the Materials That You Need.
-one rope ( 20 meters long ), strong enough to hold a person in the air. (mine has a diameter of 10 millimeters)
-8 washers with a holes diameter circle of 18 millimeters (take your ropes diameter x 2 -2)
-one wooden plate, can be very cheap wood, it doesn't have to hold much force. size: 410mm x 840mm
-one old tablecloth, preferably of polyester
-one wooden strong stick, i got mine from a brush.
Step 2: Making the Wooden Cross ( the Top Part )
Take your wooden plate of 410 mm x 840 mm
--> 1)draw the diagonals with a pencil
--> 2)now take a drafting compass and draw circles with diameter of 80 mm on every corner(midpoint near the diagonal). So that the circle touches both sides of the wood.
-->3)once you have drawn the circles, draw lines from one circle to the opposite circle on the same diagonal.
This line touches one circle on the right and the other on the left.
Do this everywhere
--> Now you have to connect some of the lines to create your outline of the cross.
--> 4)on the small part of the cross, (where the lines are close to each other) draw circles with a diameter of 9 cm, so that these circles touch the lines that you've drawn from circle to circle. Normally the midpoint of the circle is 14,5 cm away from the midpoint of the cross.
--> 5)Now for the big parts of the cross, take a rope and draw a bow from one side to the other. So that the touches the lines of the cross.
--> this may be a lot of information, but everything should make sense if you take a look at the pictures above
--> if you have the outline like shown in the pictures and documents above, take your jigsaw and saw the outline.
--> take some sanding paper and sand the whole thing to make it more smooth
Step 3: Saw the Wooden Stick With a Diameter of 2 Centimeters in 2 Pieces of 84 Centimeters.
Step 4: Step 4 Contains the Connection From the Wooden Sticks and the Cross to the Rope
It is a very easy connection, and also very easy to adjust the height of the swing.
This is where the washers come in.
By putting the robe through the washer as shown in the picture, you can adjust the height of the washer.
BUT when you go sit on the swing, pressure provides that the washer stays in place.
By making grooves in the wood where we want to connect the robe to the swing, we can slide the robe in this grooves just as the washer is underneath the wood. Therefore the wood rests on the washer and will not go anywhere.
This is a very safe and handy connection and will not fail.
Step 5: Making the Grooves in the Wood.
1)For making the grooves in the cross we take the diagonal and on every corner we drill a hole 4 centimeters from the side. This hole needs to be just as big as the diameter of your rope.
Then you take your saw and saw a groove to the holes in line with the diagonal. This groove will be 9 mm so there's friction with the rope. This keeps the rope more in place.
Then sand the whole thing again for a nice finishing touche. You can also sand the cross on the sides so there is a little rounding on the sides for a finishing touche.
2)For making the grooves in the wooden sticks, it is the same principle.
Drill a hole with a diameter of 10 mm 4 centimeters from the side and connect with a groove of 9 mm.
Step 6: Stitching the Tablecloth
Take your tablecloth, and fold is so it is 75 wide and 115 long. You can choose which tablecloth, as long as you like it and as long as it is strong enough.
Take your stitching machine and stitch it al together. On the side of 75 wide, you stitch a sleeve in which you can put your wooden sticks.
As you don't know how to stitch, just ask grandma or your mother, i'm sure they know.
Step 7: Now It's Time to Cut the Ropes.
1) cut your rope of 20 meters in 2 parts of 10 meters, burn the sides where you cut through the rope to prevent is from falling apart.
2)make an eight knot in the middle of the 10 meter rope so that you have a loop and do exactly the same with the other 10 meter rope.
3)make an additional rope to the loop, this rope doesn't have to carry any weight so it can be just some rope that you have available. as lightweight as possible. take a rope of 6 meters and knot it to the loop
Do the same with the other rope.
here's an intructable how to make an eight knot. we need one with a loop. https://www.instructables.com/id/Figure-8-knot-and-double-8-knot/
Step 8: Everything That We Need Is Finished!
explanation of use:
First take robes that you can easily wind around the cross.
attach the loop of one of the ropes to one stick by sliding it through the groove.
Now you can throw the stick over a branch.
-> take the 2 ends of the rope and put them through the loop of the eight knot.
-->pull on the rope,- the loop will go to the top and secure the place of the robe and the connection between the branch and the swing.
--> do the same for the other rope.
(if you want to take it down, just pull on the additional ropes that we attached to the loops.
Now you have 4 ropes coming down.
--> take the washers and put 4 on the same height as high as you can.
--> then take 2 washers and put them at the height you want to sit
--> then take 2 more and put them a little higher as the previous 2 ( here you have to experiment what position suits you best)
The only thing we have to do now is putting the cross above the 4 upper washers, putting the sticks through the tablecloth and sliding the rope through the grooves.
This whole proces often takes less then 5 minutes and you're ready to go!
Here is a short video where i put it in the three :
Also check out my blog to see the whole designing and thinking proces. Maybe if something doesn't make sense here, you can find some additional pictures and explanations over there: http://joransomersswing.blogspot.be
