Sunday, August 26, 2007

Searching For Swing Set Plans

Last night I started searching for a set of swing set plans on the internet. I did this because it was clear to me that I would not be saving much money using the well worn equipment. Many of the fasteners were rusted, the brackets all needed painting, all the lumber needed to be sanded and painted plus some would have to be replaced completely. I might as well set up a swing set rebuild shop in the garage! I was hoping to find plans for free, but all of those were very, very basic, and we all know once your child has seen what their swing / playhouse should look like there is no way you are going to pass the Jr. swing set by them. I found out quickly that there were basically three types of entries into the world of swings and playhouses.
  • The first would be a good set of swing set plans. These would include a lumber and materials list, the hardware (nuts, bolts) swing seats, slide, etc. There should also be a detailed cut list included which is where the fun begins. Once you cut it and it doesn't fit, there isn't anyone else to blame!
  • The second is a kit that includes all of the necessary hardware and accessories (except the lumber). I have found Plan-It-Play swing set kits here. I'll post a link for those kits once I get a bigger hammer.(I'm having technical problems)

  • The third is a swing set package. This includes everything from the lumber that is sanded & finished, pre-drilled and cut, to all nuts, bolts and accessories which makes it the easiest to assemble but the most expensive. I found a site with a great selection and end of the season deals running right now. SwingSetSource.com
I have provided links to two different sites. The third will be here soon. Each site has a good selection for each of the three categories that I have outlined. I hope this helps you find the right swing set for your family.

Let me know what you think.
Mike

What...No Swing Set Plans?

I have all the pieces of an old swing set in my backyard, given to me by a friend of the family. I truly wish I had the swing set plans, because when I say it is in pieces, I have a bucket of old bolts and brackets with a bunch of lumber that has no markings left on it. Some of these will need to be replaced or painted. I am having flashbacks to when I received the antique Brunswick Billiards table that had been in our family for the last 60 years. It turned out amazing, but that free table cost me over $6,000 to restore and refelt. This was back when I thought I was going to have a "Man Room" to shoot pool and watch games on the big screen....This, however, was before children. Now I am trying to figure out how to rebuild a swing set for my four year old daughter who thinks that I can do just about anything!

She was a little confused this morning when she woke up as she fully expected her swing set to be ready to use. She said, "Daddy where is it?" I told her it would take quite awhile to put it all back together, she said "that's o.k. Dad, we can swing after lunch."


I knew my mission for the day, if not the rest of the week. I needed to assemble this pile of lumber into something that looks like the picture I took of it, or risk disappointing my daughter. I am now thinking I may have been way ahead to have ordered a book of
swing set plans or a kit, so I would just have to assemble and play...I mean watch my daughter play on it. I think I'll have a look around to see what my options are.

Hope you have enjoyed my ranting. I feel better now. I'll be back another day with my progress.
Let me know what you think.

Mike