Relax in style
with a classic
bench swing
Build a Porch Swing
By Monte Burch
Porches have become increasingly popu- lar, and an old-fashioned porch swing is reminiscent of the romance of yesteryear. You can build your own “classic” porch
swing and match it to your décor. Porch swings
are often exposed to some weather and they
must be sturdy. The swing shown was constructed of red oak, cut and dried from the author’s
farm. Sikkens Cetol SRD in Cedar Tone was used
to provide weather protection and also added a
“golden glow” to the swing. Although the swing
shown looks fairly easy, it requires some special
tools and skill to build. The swing support pieces
are all cut from 3/4-inch solid red oak, while the
back slats and seat slats are of 1/2-inch red oak.
You can purchase wood in these thicknesses or if you
have a planer, you can plane materials down to the
correct thickness. The swing is constructed in four
steps: the seat assembly, the back assembly, the arms
assemblies and installing the support chains.
