How I Built a Strong, A-Frame Swing Set from Scratch...

[@grammarhammer3817]

This is the most UNDERRATED swingset build video on KZbin. Thanks for the gusset idea!

[@shauncav]

Great video. I just spent a number of hours last weekend figuring out how to lift a 4x6x12 beam in the air for a swing set with 4x4x12 legs. I’m going to use your tips to brace it this weekend. Thanks!

[@Shontelsmith]

Great video. We are at home depot now. And once my husband gets done building this. I will update

[@DIYWithAaron]

Awesome, please let us know how it goes. Good luck and have fun with it.

[@A.pardocreations]

How'd it go

[@Shontelsmith]

@@A.pardocreations hi. Sorry for late reply. We live in a state where it rains alot. But yes. It came out just like his in the video. Very sturdy. Very very heavy. We live on a hill so husband had to dig holes on 1 side. And it is now leveled out. Saved so much money. I'm gonna put up a video on my KZbin page soon. Once this mud dries up.

[@Shontelsmith]

@@DIYWithAaron oh it went well. He followed ur video and it came out perfect. We have a saucer swing and regular swing. This thing is heavy and sturdy. U did a great job with this tutorial. Thanks so much . Oh and he did it by himself as well

[@DIYWithAaron]

@@Shontelsmith That's great. I bet your kids love it.

[@lycoris5942]

Some day I will build one of that for my grand kids. Thanks man!

[@davidkneubuhl]

Yup. This is exactly how i was picturing it. Thanks🎉

[@jeffbirkner5460]

Best DIY video I have ever seen. Thank you.😄

[@AgeofReason]

Excellent production.

[@petrasjonuska6305]

Great video :)

[@GundamGir1]

Is there a reason you didn't you the mitre to cut out the sliters and space the one at 2.42. The finished swing looks awesome. I'm looking at a few different ones to see what kind I want for the garden, it's for me.

[@DIYWithAaron]

Glad you liked the swing. I'm not sure what you're asking about the "mitre to cut out the slivers". Are you asking why I didn't use the miter saw to do that instead of the circular saw?

[@GundamGir1]

@@DIYWithAaron yes why didn't you use the mitre for the box cuts, not sure the name of the joint. On mine you can set the depth of the blade to cut the lines out to make the square.

[@DIYWithAaron]

@@GundamGir1 Can't do half laps with my miter saw. There's no sliding function on it and no functionality to control the depth accurately or uniformity across the entirety of the cuts. It's older and basic... more of a glorified chop saw then what they sell nowadays. If you have the functionality to do the half laps with your miter saw then you can do that instead of a circular saw.

[@We3KingsInc]

You did great

[@carloscespedes2726]

Building same design but attached to a playhouse on one end. I'm also very curious about whether a half-lap joint on the legs would weaken them. Haven't been able to find a good answer yet.

[@DIYWithAaron]

Yeah, I looked too. Although I'm sure the half lap weakens the joint, I could not figure out if it was that significant especially since the wood lengthwise will shrink more than the cross members really locking things together. In the end I skipped it just because the forces from swinging are pretty intense compared to a static build and I wasn't going to risk my kids getting hurt from a purely aesthetic design feature.

[@BenjaminLoos-zj3kz]

Thanks for this video. I am planning to use your essential plan here for a stronger swing set for our kids. They are now solidly preteen and have outgrown the smaller one we have. Question: what do you think if I would essentially double your design and add a middle A-Frame. So my main top beam would be 4x6x16 with everything at 18 in intervals. Enough for four swing spots. I would also set this with concrete and concrete anchor plates. Thoughts and the strength of this construction specifically thinking about the middle A Frame being enough to support the additional 2 swings? Ideally there would NOT be 4 swingers at the same time. I only have three kids. But purpose is variety and spacing.

[@DIYWithAaron]

An extra middle A-Frame is the definitely the way to go. The biggest issue is keeping the unsupported span of the 4x6 at a reasonable distance. You're spans between supports will be less than 8 feet so the stress on the 4x6 won't be bad at all. As long as you're using 4x4s for your A-Frame legs, I don't think you'll have a problem. Anchoring to concrete will be significantly stronger than my solution of setting into gravel and metal anchors. FYI, my swing set doesn't move at all even when I swing on it full force. With concrete at six points anchoring three A-Frames, I doubt you'll have any issues based on my experience.

[@clydehirt9867]

great job and a good well put together video

[@DIYWithAaron]

Thank you very much!

[@MrOwaisk]

Great job. Can you please paste the link of swing hangers?

[@DIYWithAaron]

Thank you. Do you mean these hooks? www.homedepot.com/p/6-5-in-Screw-Swing-Hanger-With-4-in-Snap-Hook-Set-of-2-SWHWD-SCWSH/301101905

[@Do_not_assume]

Can't you set the mitre saw at 30 and 90 degrees? I know 45 and 90.are possible

[@DIYWithAaron]

Yes, but angles on the miter saw can sometimes be confusing when not cutting at a 45 or a 90 degree angle. I always mark stuff up first to not worry about making mistakes. When you cut on the 30 degree line on the miter saw, you'll workpiece will actually have a 60 degree angle to it.

[@sunnydays5661]

Brilliant !

[@mashalconnect1754]

Great video.

[@DIYWithAaron]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@mandolinka29]

what kind of wood do you use ? and how does it hold up to outside conditions (i.e. rain and snow)

[@DIYWithAaron]

Pressure treated, ground-contact rated Southern Yellow Pine. Should last for at least a decade (Northeast weather). Paint or stain it after it dries out in the sun for a few weeks if you want to make it last longer. All materials I used are in the description of the video if you want to use it for reference.

[@Valuiskihh]

Can you tell me, do I need so much horisontal Woods, if I use 1.2m anchor screws?

[@DIYWithAaron]

Are you talking about the 2 cross members on each a-frame or the large 4 x 6 beam that hold the swings and span the 2 a-frames?

[@Valuiskihh]

@@DIYWithAaron horisontal ones on A-frame. In complete sets there were not so many of those.

[@DIYWithAaron]

@@Valuiskihh The cross members for anchoring the gussets were relatively high, so I added additional cross members lower on each A-frame for more support. You may be able to get away with just one cross member per A-frame particularly if you anchor the legs to concrete or dig them into the ground. You could also use 2x4 material to cut down on the cost and bulk as well. The 4x4s I used for cross members in my build are overkill structurally. The fasteners for the horizontal members are not as important as the beam to leg connections as the force on them is far less. There's also metal beam and leg connectors that you can buy that eliminate the need for cross members and gussets entirely. www.amazon.com/Frame-Brackets-Complete-Mounting-Hardware/dp/B01M28VV0N/

[@ThinnkTwicce]

I want to copy this!!!!! I’m a woman and have never used a saw though haha might be difficult

[@DIYWithAaron]

Feel free to copy... I'm sure you could do it if you take your time. There are plenty of instructional videos on operating power saws here on KZbin if you need to learn how to use them properly.

[@ThinnkTwicce]

@@DIYWithAaron Aw thanks for the reply! I want to add a slide and maybe a jungle gym!

[@lisabullock-dh9vq]

Where is the material list needed?

[@DIYWithAaron]

Look in the description of the video.

[@Do_not_assume]

You didn't explain why you measured 30 degrees. Please explain.

[@DIYWithAaron]

I wanted all the angles to be 60 degree angles to make a very stable equilateral triangle. So the leg bottoms create a 60 degree angel to the ground and the two 30 degree parts will be on either side of the beam. 30 + 30 will give me that final 60 degree angle at the top of the swing set.

[@Do_not_assume]

@@DIYWithAaron Thanks. I didn't think of that.

[@anxietyrecoverycom]

How much did this project cost you to do??

[@DIYWithAaron]

Can't remember exactly how insane the price of wood was at the time. But you could probably build it for $200 - $250 for the wood, anchors, screws and hardware excluding the price of the swings themselves. The swings are probably like another $150 or so. So around $400 give or take.

[@johnross-sc4zd]

Using an old fashioned cross cut saw instead of the multi tool to finish the cuts on the gusset might give you less grief

[@DIYWithAaron]

Not use a power tool? Surely you jest. Although in retrospect, a simple saw might have been a good choice.

[@We3KingsInc]

Play my music while you work brother

[@mrbmp09]

That is a speed square, not a rafter square.

[@DIYWithAaron]

Whoops... guess I misspoke. Good catch.

[@sbz8620]

What a legend