I have made two porch swings from your magazine (May/June 1993). The second one I made is made from ash and walnut. I made a few changes to the plan. Basically, it is a great design. What I did different was on the seat of the original plan the seat was curved so that the front and back were the same height. That caused a pressure point on your leg near your knee, so I made a curve in the back and then flat with a 10 degree angle at the front. The other issue I has was that the back was a little high so I found it uncomfortable when I rested my arm on the back. So I brought the back strait across and I added a ledge on the top to make it more easier on your arm when you rest it on the back. I made tenons on the back slats and mortises in the rails.
The mounting system has been a fear of mine because I had a friend that had one fall from the ceiling and break their ankle. I did not install that one. So, I am getting a little fancy with the ceiling mountings. I am using bearing rod ends with a screw in clevis to install the chain and springs on. The swing is attached to the porch ceiling with 1/2″ – 13 bolts through 4 x 4 in the ceiling framing. I used a rod end for the pivot. My wife didn’t like the squeaking when in use. The bracket has a 1/2″ hole in it which you can’t see. That is where the 1/2″ all thread gets drilled through a 4×4 in the ceiling between the trusses. The brackets get mounted to a 1″ thick oak plate and are held there with 3/8″ carriage bolts. I also safety wire the swing in case the spring breaks with air craft cable. All of the fasteners on the swing are stainless.
– Dan Martin
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