I am SO excited to share this last build with you! I teamed up with my good friend, Miss Ana White to design and build this porch swing!
I have wanted a porch swing for FOREVER. My Meme and Papa have one at their house that we grew up on… So many memories on it! I wanted to give my kids and home the same thing. This is a VERY basic build. It really is a great beginner Kreg Jig project.
**Exclusive Feature**: Click here to download Ana's blueprints for this How-To! I attached all of my short pieces to the long pieces with 1 1/2″ pocket holes and 2 1/2″ Blue Kote pocket hole screws. I put 2 pocket holes in the ends of each small board like this…
Next I built the back support of the swing. Again, I used 1 1/2″ pocket holes and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws just like this!
To attach the back support of the swing to the base, I used the same Blue Kote 2 1/2″ screws but did them through the 2×4 on the base and into each brace. I also used Gorilla Wood Glue in between every joint!
Now for the arm supports! Before attaching the arm supports, I did 2 pocket holes at the top of each piece. This is how I will attach the arm. I used the same screws to come through the base and into the back of the arm support like this…
For each arm I also did 2 pocket holes on the side that would attach to the back support of the swing. Then I used pocket holes to attach the front and the back. Easy peasy! (thanks to the Kreg Jig!) This is a shot of where the arm attaches to the back support of the swing.
To attach all the 1x boards on the seat and back rest I used Gorilla Wood glue and my Ryobi 18v Cordless Airstrike Nailer. I LOVE this tool. So easy and cheap too! You can find it at the Home Depot.
DONE! My final step before hanging it was to finish it. I used the same stain I used on my outdoor dining table to finish my swing. Because this swing needs to stand up to the elements outdoors, I used 3 coats of Rust-Oleum Spar Varnish on top of the stain after it dried! This stuff is super easy to apply and doesn’t smell strong. It goes on white and dries clear.
After that dried it was time to hang! Before giving you tips here, I must say this…. I am telling you how I hung my swing. I am doing this to provide tips. Every house is different and each swing will be attached in different places. I am in no way responsible for any injuries that may occur from you hanging your own swing improperly. I knew that I would have precious cargo swinging in this. I did a lot of research on tips to hang my swing. I met a great helper at the hardware store who pointed me in the right direction. This is the hardware I used on my swing.
I originally added 2 on each side of the base, but found it to be a bit tippy. I added a 3rd to the top of the back of the swing. It may seem like overkill, but you haven’t met my kids ;-) This is how these look on the inside of the swing…
And this is what they look like on the outside…
I used chain to attach it to 2 S pieces and then up to the ceiling. To attach mine to the ceiling, I found heavy duty swing hangers. You can also use eye screws with a large enough weight limit. We also made the back hang just a tad lower (like 4-6 chain links) to give it a slight recline. It’s perfect! That’s it! Now it’s time to swing!
I am SO excited to share this last build with you! I teamed up with my good friend, Miss Ana White to design and build this porch swing! I have wanted a porch swing for FOREVER. My Meme and Papa have one at their house that we grew up on… So many memories on it! I wanted to give my kids and home the same thing. This is a VERY basic build. It really is a great beginner Kreg Jig project.
**Exclusive Feature**: Click here to download Ana's blueprints for this How-To! I attached all of my short pieces to the long pieces with 1 1/2″ pocket holes and 2 1/2″ Blue Kote pocket hole screws. I put 2 pocket holes in the ends of each small board like this…
Next I built the back support of the swing. Again, I used 1 1/2″ pocket holes and 2 1/2″ pocket hole screws just like this!
To attach the back support of the swing to the base, I used the same Blue Kote 2 1/2″ screws but did them through the 2×4 on the base and into each brace. I also used Gorilla Wood Glue in between every joint!
Now for the arm supports! Before attaching the arm supports, I did 2 pocket holes at the top of each piece. This is how I will attach the arm. I used the same screws to come through the base and into the back of the arm support like this…
For each arm I also did 2 pocket holes on the side that would attach to the back support of the swing. Then I used pocket holes to attach the front and the back. Easy peasy! (thanks to the Kreg Jig!) This is a shot of where the arm attaches to the back support of the swing.
To attach all the 1x boards on the seat and back rest I used Gorilla Wood glue and my Ryobi 18v Cordless Airstrike Nailer. I LOVE this tool. So easy and cheap too! You can find it at the Home Depot.
DONE! My final step before hanging it was to finish it. I used the same stain I used on my outdoor dining table to finish my swing. Because this swing needs to stand up to the elements outdoors, I used 3 coats of Rust-Oleum Spar Varnish on top of the stain after it dried! This stuff is super easy to apply and doesn’t smell strong. It goes on white and dries clear.
After that dried it was time to hang! Before giving you tips here, I must say this…. I am telling you how I hung my swing. I am doing this to provide tips. Every house is different and each swing will be attached in different places. I am in no way responsible for any injuries that may occur from you hanging your own swing improperly. I knew that I would have precious cargo swinging in this. I did a lot of research on tips to hang my swing. I met a great helper at the hardware store who pointed me in the right direction. This is the hardware I used on my swing.
I originally added 2 on each side of the base, but found it to be a bit tippy. I added a 3rd to the top of the back of the swing. It may seem like overkill, but you haven’t met my kids ;-) This is how these look on the inside of the swing…
And this is what they look like on the outside…
I used chain to attach it to 2 S pieces and then up to the ceiling. To attach mine to the ceiling, I found heavy duty swing hangers. You can also use eye screws with a large enough weight limit. We also made the back hang just a tad lower (like 4-6 chain links) to give it a slight recline. It’s perfect! That’s it! Now it’s time to swing!
