Quick & Easy Indoor Omni-directional Rope Swing

Winter in Saskatchewan can be long & cold. Kids can't always go outside, especially when it gets colder than -40°C with windchill.

Indoor play time can be more fun, & physical, with an omni-directional rope swing. Simple, easy to build, & can be mounted in many places. For us, our basement was the perfect because of the many exposed engineered I-joists.

Supplies

• 5/8" Polypropylene Rope
• Top &/or bottom of a rope reel
• D-Ring
• Wood
• Robertson Screws
• Bolts, Nuts, Washers
• Drill with drill bit & Robertson Bit
• Heat Gun
• Painters Tape
• Saw

Step 1: Make a Monkey's Fist Knot

Two 2x2 boards were used (instead of my hand) to ensure the rope held it's shape as it was wrapped & looped. To keep the wood separated, a roll of painter's tape was placed between them, using the rope reel's top & bottom pieces for weight (to minimize movement).

Rope length will be dependent on trial & error plus where the swing will be hung. I tied the monkey's fist knot once, then decided on the extra length needed, undid the knot & extended the rope the required length. The approximate length of rope I used was fifteen feet (only because this swing will get moved outside during the summer so required extra length).

Fig 1: Starting at the left back bottom (this will be known as the "standing end"), wrap the rope from left to right, three times around both pieces of wood. Half wrap once more around the first piece of wood so the "working end" is pointing down.

Fig 2: The working end now wraps under/back then up & over/forward (wrap 1). Wrap fully a second time then for third wrap, only wrap the top ropes so that the working end runs through the center & out the back.

Fig 3: Take the working end from Fig 2 & move it left. Then bring it through the center, along the inside of the left wood (between the wood & the start of the first wrap in Fig 2) so that the working end comes out straight forward.

Fig 4: Starting at the inside top, wrap left to right, front to back, three times around the inside sets of rope. The working end should end up at the (inside) bottom, going out the back.

Fig 5: Leaving enough rope to tie a basic knot, tape off the standing end & trim it. Use heat gun to melt the polypropylene rope to prevent it from fraying. Once cooled, tie a basic knot (Fig 6). Also melt the end of the working end to prevent fraying.

Slide the rope carefully off the two pieces of wood. Tuck the standing end knot into the center of the knot. Slowly & carefully start tightening the monkey's fist knot, beginning as close to the standing end as possible. Continue tightening until you reach the working end. Repeat the tightening process as you see fit (I tightened three times).

Once the monkey's fist knot rope is ready (Fig 7), slip the working end through either the top or bottom piece of the hose reel (to now be known as the seat).

Step 2: Mount the Swing Between the Joists

Cut a piece of 2x4 to fit between the engineered joists. In my case it was 19-3/4". Use four Robertson screws to secure the 2x4 to each joist.

Use D-ring as a template to drill two hole where the D-ring is to be located. Attach D-ring to 2x4 with two bolts, washers, & nuts.

Attach swing to the D-ring. Note that polypropylene rope has a fair amount of stretch, so I recommend putting your weight on it to stretch it according prior to letting kids use it.

Now sit back & watch your kids have fun swinging anytime!!