I DIY DO – How to make your own Love Swings

When we went to see our venue for the first time one of the things I loved most about it was how beautiful the scenery was. The mountains in the distance, the heritage cottages with their years of history and the lush nature everywhere.

There was a huge gum tree with the most amazing branch calling out for something special to be done with it but I wasn’t really sure what.

The decision to try our hand at making some love swings for it was a bit last minute but resulted in one of my top five favorite photos from the day (scroll down to check it out). They were super popular with our guests too.

I cannot wait to hang them in our new home once it is built too, they are so lush!

Tip: Make sure you test the branch / beam you are hanging them on for stability before getting started. We don’t want any accidents!

What you need:

1 x treated pine sleeper (200x50mm 1.8M)
Electric Sander & Sandpaper
Sikkens Cetol Timber Finish in Dark Oak (or your preferred shade)
Wide paintbrush
Drill & 16mm drill bit
2 x Sisal Twisted Rope (10mm x 10M)
4 x Load rated snap hooks
2-4 boxes of Copper Wire Lights
Double Sided Tape or Velcro

How To:

Head to your local Bunnings to grab your supplies. While there ask to have your pieces of treated pine cut to size. We used one piece cut into three 600mm lengths.
Once home start preparing your sleeper. If damp, place it in the sun until dry. Once dry, sand the top bottom and all four sides until smooth and the corners are slightly rounded.
Measure in roughly 50mm from each corner and mark the space in pencil.
Drill each hole using a small drill bit as a guiding hole then re drill with the 16mm drill bit.
Wipe down with a dry cloth to remove any dust from sanding.
Paint each piece with a coat of timber finish using the wide brush.
Cut each piece of rope into 2 x 1M pieces and 2 x 4M pieces (assuming this is long enough for the branch or beam you want to hang it from. If not you will need longer ropes).
Once dry, feed the rope through the first hole from underneath and then back through the top of the second hole to create a loop on one side.
Repeat on the other side ensuring that the loops are even in length then tie simple double overhand knots at the end of each piece of rope to prevent it sliding through the holes.
Tie the top of each long piece of rope securely to your branch or beam using a taut line knot, evenly spaced out and leaving enough space between the two middle pieces of rope so that you can comfortably swing without bumping each other.
Leaving about 200mm of rope free, fold the loose end of rope around your hand to create a loop then tie a knot above your hand loop. Attach your snap hook and repeat at the end of each piece of hanging rope. Wrap the loose rope at the top each loop around the rope tying more knots as you go.
Connect the swing seat to the snap hook and then loosen and retie the knots under each seat as required to make them level.
Tape the light batteries under seat using the double sided tape / velcro and then wrap the lights up and around the ropes and you are all done.