How to convert an old swingset into a guillotine prop for Halloween

Step 3 Let the material determine the size of the prop

This series of pictures shows how I began designing and laying out the prop. This is where i got to break out my trusty reciprocating saw.

I separated the 4x4 vertical posts from the base. I had to sacrifice a few inches of the posts because the bolts securing them to the base had rusted and would not break free. However, this still left me with uprights just shy of seven feet tall. The wood from the base was cut in half in order to be used for the two base supports of the prop.

Once I separated the uprights from the base I cut the climbing rungs that still joined the two posts together. I realized after all of the rungs were cut that the nails that had been driven through them had rusted away, allowing me to push the remaining sections of dowel out of the posts.

I scavenged a section of the base from another section to use as the upper crossbar. I cut the base section just ahead of one of the parts that had been notched to join it to an upright, leaving me with an outside width of just over 35 inches.