When our grandfather closed down his own home, my older sister asked for and received the white oak porch swing that we all played on whenever we visited his house. For the past 20 or so years she has used the swing at her homes. In her current home she does not have a roofed over porch or deck so the swing has been out in the weather. This spring she was sitting on the swing and when she leaned back some of the back slats fell out because the bottom rail supporting them had failed and dropped down. Also one of the long eye bolts that connected the support chains to the bottom frame also failed. She asked me to look at it to see if it could be repaired. Unfortunately the 80 or 90 year old swing was a total loss. All of the mortise and tenon joints were badly rotted, the seat and back slates were damaged and the metal eye bolts which are far longer than any available today were all on the verge of failure.
She asked me if I could make her a replacement swing. After a couple of material considerations she decided that one made from treated lumber offered a long enough life expectancy and a low enough price. I completed the swing yesterday, delivered it and mounted it on her pergola.
Here is the completed swing in my shop.
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Here is the swing mounted in her pergola. Yes there is a complete swing there and a supporting structure. Her Clematis vines have gotten out of control due to the absence of the swing.
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The swing is made with treated lumber carefully selected to minimize knots. There are three laminated wood frame pieces that hold the seat slats and give the swing structure that you can't see in the back. They were glued up using Titebond III glue. It is unfinished and will get a treatment of Thompson Water Seal each spring before it goes back outside. It will be stored indoors for the winter. It is a copy of a design I came up with over 25 years ago for a swing made for my wife's parents which now resides in our front yard.
Thanks for viewing.
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