Porch Swing

I built this porch swing because my wife wanted a place that we could sit and watch the kids when they're playing in the front yard. It's not as comfortable as I would have hoped, but I think it turned out great for the space. The framing is built from pressure treated lumber, and the bench slats are made from pine.

I made the frame first, from 4x4's and some 2x6's for support. I used 8" bolts to connect the 4x4 pieces, which actually felt like it would have held together without any lumber for structural support. I didn't want to risk my wife and I falling on our rear-ends the first time we sat in the swing though :-P 

To make the bench, I freehand drew an 'S' curve in a 2x6 to create the shape I wanted in the bottom of the bench. I made two more copies of that to provide the frame for connecting the pine slats. It just so happened that the other side of that 'S' worked out for the back of the bench. I connected them with 2x4's, and started laying down the slats.

Once I got the bench fully assembled, it was time to hang it. I used (4) 4" eye bolts as anchor points on the bench, and (2) 6" eye bolts as anchor points on the frame. I ran a single piece of chain from each anchor point on the bench to one of the two bolts on the frame.

I'll need to let the pressure treated lumber sit out for about a month before staining and sealing it, to make sure most of the moisture gets out of the wood. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the colors in the frame and bench to match. Staining pine can be pretty tricky! Also, at the request of my wife, I'll be adding some small surfaces to the frame to set drinks on. All in all, I think this was another successful project!