Help with Swingset

[bmac]

My daughter wants a swingset for Christmas. Neither my wife nor I want one of the metal pole type things that you see at WalMart. Rather, we want one with a wooden frame. There is a place here that sells the redwood and cedar playsets (with towers, tube slides, climbing walls, etc.). We stopped in there recently to price a swingset. My wife almost had to pick me up off the floor. It was going to cost over $1000 for a 4-seat swingset.

Next, I went online. Found nothing at Lowes or HD website. I bought one of those tower playset kits from Lowes about 10 years ago, but found nothing on thier website. So, I looked on the web some more around and found plenty of places that had stuff similar to the $1K set I found locally, but they were still pricey.

Today, I made a visit to my local HD and found the harware kit for a DIY swingset. Included, swings, brackets, hardware - everything but the wood.

Now, the easiest (and cheapest) thing is to just by pressure treated lumber and get to work on it. But, I was wondering if there is any advantage to going with redwood or cedar for the frame. Aside from the esthetic differences, would either of these 2 species offer any improvement in longevity or strength over the PT wood? One might argue that the cedar or redwood does not have the chemicals infused in them, so they might be a healthier choice. But, the playset I built 10 years ago was made fom the old style, arsenic-infused PT wood and my kids crawled all over that for years and I haven't seen any evidence of mutations, hair loss or anything else that would suggest that it affected their health. And they won't really be climbing on the swingset frame (I hope). So, I'm really asking about the comparison of strength and insect / rot susceptibility between PT and cedar or redwood.

Anyone have an idea about this?

Thanks

 

[thcri]

About 15 years ago at Menards (Big Box Store) I purchased a kit for a glider, 2 swings, and a slide that included the pre-treated lumber. Well the kit just had the hardware and a list of wood required, Menards just added the lumber to the kit. I put it together and the kids used it for years with no problems. I also bought just a swing for out cabin out of a kit from Menards, had it now 8 years and has not bothered anyone yet. The kits are much cheaper and you don't even have to be a handyman to put them together.

murph

 

[EddieWalker]

Howdy bmac,

You didn't say what size lumber you needed and that might make a differnce. New PT wood is twisting and bowing really bad almost as soon as you get it home. I'm not sure if it's the chemicals, or just a local problem from the wood they are using. Your area might be different.

If you can find some PT wood that wont move on you, I'd use that first. Cedar is just too much more money and redwood is so full of knots or grown so fast nowadays that it's just not very strong. Back in California I used it on a few decks and had allot of trouble getting my joist's to be stiff. I ended up using a larger size than I'd normaly use.

Thompsons Waterseal has colored sealants. You can spray PT wood with the red color and it looks like new redood. You can also spray it with the grey color to look like old redwood. hahaha

If it was me I'd use PT. First, I'd look over the wood real good before I bought it. I might even buy an extra board in case I had one twist on me. If it didn't twist, I'd just return the extra the next time I was there.

Also be sure to get ICQ rated screws and galvanized bolts. New PT is very caustic and it rusts metal very quickly.

Don't forget to post pics,
Eddie

 

[bmac]

Eddie,

The main swing beam is 4" x 6". The plan calls for 12' long beam, but I'm thinking I'll make mine 16', with 4' cantilevered on one end for another accessory. That will provide activitied for up to 4 kids, while keeping the flex of the beam between the A-frames to a minimum.

The A-Frame legs are made of 4" x 4" x 8' . The cross brace of the A-frame is 2" x 12". The kit I bought has all the metal braces to attach the A-frame to the main swing beam.

You would knock this out in a couple of hours or less. I'll plan for a day to complete it.

Attached is a very crude drawing.

 

[EddieWalker]

Sounds like a PT wood should do the job for you.

Your diagram didn't show any bracing. Is there some angle bracing to prevent the frame from racking to the sides? Or do the brackets do this?

I forget how old you kids are, but this might be a good project to let them work on. You can supervise and step in when needed, but put them to work buiding it and give them a sense of accomplishment.

Have fun,
Eddie

 

[bmac]

The kit has the angle brackets included.

My daughter would probably help without hesitation. But at 9 years of age, she's not quite ready for power tools and the parts are probably too heavy for her. My son will help, if asked. But, because this is for his sister, he wouldn't think of volunteering (typical sibling stuff). However, if I use the tractor to help erect the structure, you can bet he will offer to help, sister or no sister. I never have to ask him twice to do anything that involves tractor work.

I'll go with the pressure-treated wood. Thanks for the reply.

 

[fenneran]

Bmac,

Just a short story. I did exactly what you are doing about 15 years ago when we lived in Florida. In fact, I built the thing on Christmas eve so the kids wouldn't get a hint until the morning.

The only thing I did wrong was use sistered 2X6 as the main beam instead of getting a real beam. The centilevered portion held a tire swing, and it swayed like the dickens when they got it going. It just didn't have the side-to-side strength to keep it steady.

I built it so the center beam was 12' high (I wanted them to have a great arc when they swung) and they loved it.

Like Eddie said, don't forget to post pics. (unless you do it at night like me)

 

[bmac]

I built it so the center beam was 12' high (I wanted them to have a great arc when they swung) and they loved it.

Frank,

The plan calls for 8' 4"x4" legs for the A-frame. Obviously, this will give me a swing beam height of something less than 8'. Don't know that I need to go 12' high (would probably have to get longer chains for the included swings), but maybe I should get 10' 4x4's for the legs for a little extra swing arc.

Thanks for getting me to think a little about this.

 

[EddieWalker]

bmac,

I'm a big fan of overkill and rarely follow instructions, but I also pay for this with hours and sometimes months of frustration at making something work. Its a mental sickness that I've had all my life, so please don't laugh at my hypocracy. hahahha

If you build it exactly like the plans call for, it will probably work exactly like it's supposed to. If you modify it and start doing things different, you may very well end up with something you don't want or can make work properly. I know it's just a swingset, but with 8 posts, there's more to it then I thought.

Change one aspect of it, and you will affect every other aspect of it. Maybe you can forsee what will be effected and adjust for it, after all, it's just a swing set, but what will an extra two feet really give you?

Eddie

 

[Farwell]

bmac,

I'm a big fan of overkill and rarely follow instructions, but I also pay for this with hours and sometimes months of frustration at making something work. Its a mental sickness that I've had all my life, so please don't laugh at my hypocracy. hahahha

If you build it exactly like the plans call for, it will probably work exactly like it's supposed to. If you modify it and start doing things different, you may very well end up with something you don't want or can make work properly. I know it's just a swingset, but with 8 posts, there's more to it then I thought.

Change one aspect of it, and you will affect every other aspect of it. Maybe you can forsee what will be effected and adjust for it, after all, it's just a swing set, but what will an extra two feet really give you?

Eddie

Eddie,
I have that same mental illness and as I read this thread I kept thinking, "why not use 3 inch galvanized pipe and make a real swing set like I had when I was in grade school". Remember them? An adult could use the swing and it would be as solid as a rock.
David B