DIY Transform A Bed to An Outdoor Swing Bench
How to build an outdoor swing using a head and foot board from a bed.
Save Money in your home and build your own out door swing.
Great backyard fun
Photo by Suzzycue
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More DIY projects to save money in your home.
Supplies You Will Need
Tools for Project
Phot by Suzzycue
Why did I build this Swing?
My favorite thing to do is to Up-cycle trash into usable things or backyard Treasures. Today I am using a wooden head board and foot board to make a bench swing. This project serves a load of purposes.
First- I reuse an old bed so I don’t have to pay to have it hauled away.
Second- at the cost of lumber today, I figured this project saved me close to one hundred dollars to build.
Third- There was almost no sawing and very little to assemble, so I saved a lot of time.
Fourth- you don't have to sand or even stain it... it is already weatherproof and done.
To purchase a wooden swing already made, with the hanging chains and a frame to hang it to is anywhere from $169.00 up to $321.00. So you are saving a ton of money using your old bed and it is so easy to do.
I used a 3/4 wooden bed so my swing is four feet wide. For those of you that don’t know what a ¾ bed is. It is the middle size bed between a twin bed and a double bed. I don’t even know if they make them anymore. They are a more comfortable bed than a twin and they don’t take up the whole bedroom like a double bed does.
Supplies you will need are:
Headboard and Foot-board from any bed
2 -12 foot galvanized dog chains with clips.
Jigsaw or hand saw and an Electric screwdriver or drill
A square head screw bit
12 Galvanized- 2 inch outdoor deck screws
One- Big Backyard Tree.
Out door Swing
How to build out door swing
Photo by Suzzycue
Swing Chains
Properly cut chains for hanging the swing
Photo by Suzzycue
Building the Out Door Swing
First: Disassemble your bed to acquire only the headboard and foot-board parts.
Second: Using your jig saw cut the foot board exactly in half (down the middle)to be used for the arms of the out door swing. Also cut the head board off, halfway down( or just under the part that you would see above your mattress if this was still on your bed) to be used for the back of the swing. (See picture.) You should be cutting only the two legs of the headboard. The board that is holding the other half of the headboard to the remaining legs will be removed to make the seat of the out door swing.
I left the legs on the foot board to face the front of the swing. Take your electric drill and using two -two inch deck screws, screw the top of each piece of foot board , top and bottom to the headboard. You can us two screws for each top and bottom attachment to the headboard. Then lay the board you saved that was below the fancy part of the head board across the two fastened foot board arms and you should be able to screw it onto the foot board arms with two deck screws each.
Now you have made an out door swing in no time at all. To hang it in the tree we looped the twelve foot dog chains through the arm pieces and under the bottom of the back of the swing. This supported the swing and also two adults that could cozily sit in it. We hung it this way so we wouldn't damage the tree by screwing one inch eye screws into it.
TIP: If you want to properly hang this swing cut your chains in two three foot sections and four two foot sections and join them together with S hooks . They can be attached to the bottom of the swing and a frame or your front porch roof with two more two inch eye hooks.
Happy swinging. If you enjoyed this hub please use the share buttons up top to share this hub. Thank you for reading.
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Comments
Susan Britton (author) from Ontario, Canada on January 24, 2013:
Thanks Lipnancy you should build one for your backyard. These are great swings for next to no cost.
Nancy Yager from Hamburg, New York on January 24, 2013:
What a wonderful reusable idea! You are very creative.
Susan Britton (author) from Ontario, Canada on January 08, 2013:
I like it too. Thanks a lot for sharing on pinterest nikkiwikki.
Nikki Wiks from Ireland on January 08, 2013:
Love this - going straight on my pinterest :)
Susan Britton (author) from Ontario, Canada on January 08, 2013:
Thanks for your comment Ericdierker. They are quiet reflective havens and I love to sit in them. I like that expression reflective havens. It would make a great title for a poem.
Eric Dierker from Spring Valley, CA. U.S.A. on January 08, 2013:
Very well done. I think my mom had at least four of these she had my brothers and I put up, along with hammocks. These are quiet reflective havens.
Susan Britton (author) from Ontario, Canada on January 07, 2013:
Thank you always exploring. Your's is the best compliment ever! I appreciate your comments.
Ruby Jean Richert from Southern Illinois on January 07, 2013:
This is unbelievable. Who would ever think of this? You...I think it's a great idea, plus it looks good. Thank you for sharing..
Susan Britton (author) from Ontario, Canada on January 07, 2013:
Thank you NatalieSack. I appreciate your comment.
NatalieSack from Pittsburgh, PA on January 07, 2013:
Cool idea.
Susan Britton (author) from Ontario, Canada on January 06, 2013:
Thank you jtrader it was a hoot to build.
jtrader on January 06, 2013:
This is a good idea. Thanks for sharing the steps.
