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

Step 4 Reuse any available hardware

While moving the sections of the swing set I noticed some nice, heavy-duty corner brackets on the monkey bars that were ideal for the top section of the prop. I removed them, along with their rusted (but still usable) hardware to be recycled into this project.

The new bolts, washers and nuts that I used were nice for getting things to fit together easily, but the look of the rusted bolts on the frame really helped to give it a more creepy look. They also saved me a bit from not having to purchase new hardware for every joint in the project.

Notice the bolt hole in the center of the crossbar. It just worked out that it was there and that I didn't have to drill my own hole. Behind the hole is a notched section that will allow a rusted eye bolt to be almost directly in the center of the frame, allowing the appearance of the blade to be raised and lowered without having it off-center.

I made every attempt to use existing holes in the lumber as mounting points rather than having to drill new holes. Since most of the lumber I was using had multiple copies of the same layout, it simplified the build.