Free Plan: 1912 Mission Porch Swing
A straightforward build — and the hanging is the part worth getting right.
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- Full cut list and slat layout
- Frame dimensions and joinery detail
- Joist mounting, done properly
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Swing sorted. What's next on the bench?
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The swing itself is a bench that does not touch the ground. Two arms, a slatted seat, a slatted back, and a frame that ties it together. If you have built a bench, nothing here will surprise you.
What surprises people is what happens the first time somebody sits down. A swing does not carry a static load. It carries weight that arrives and leaves, over and over, pulling overhead — and because the swing travels through an arc, that pull comes in at an angle that keeps changing.
That is why this plan covers the hanging as carefully as the joinery. Cut list, frame dimensions, slat spacing, and the four suspension points that carry the load.
Project at a Glance
- Difficulty
- Intermediate to advanced (bench joinery plus overhead mounting)
- Main materials
- Weather-resistant stock such as cedar, cypress or white oak for frame, seat and back slats; four lengths of chain; four heavy eyebolts with washers and nuts; exterior glue and finish
- Build time
- Three to four shop days, plus finish and hanging
- Tools needed
- Saw, drill and driver, chisels, clamps, square, stud finder or probe for locating the joist, sandpaper and finish supplies
- Safety
- Overhead load — mount into structural framing only, never into ceiling boards
- Source
- Popular Mechanics Handbooks, 1912 (public domain)
Measure this before you cut anything:
Hang height and back clearance decide whether the swing gets used. Seventeen to nineteen inches from the deck to the top of the seat puts an average adult's feet flat on the floor — higher and it dangles, lower and it is hard to get out of. Behind the seat you want roughly three feet of clear space at the back of the arc, measured from the seat back to the railing or wall. Both figures depend on where your joist actually is, and the joist does not move. So find the joist first, work out where the seat will hang from it, and check both numbers on paper before a single board is cut. A swing that clips the railing is a swing nobody sits in twice.
The swing is one afternoon of joinery and one careful hour overhead.
What it needs is a covered structure to hang from — and that is where this project sends people looking for the next one.
Recommended Next Step
Your next project is already drawn up
Ted's Woodworking is a library of 16,000 woodworking plans with cut lists, measurements and step-by-step instructions — outdoor furniture, shop projects, cabinets and more.
It fits builders who finish one piece and want the next one waiting. If you only ever wanted this swing, the plan above is all you need.
Ted's Woodworking
16,000 woodworking plans with cut lists and step-by-step instructions.
Disclosure: I may earn a commission if you buy through this link. It doesn't cost you extra.
Start with the swing plan
Download the porch swing plan and build at your own pace. The plan is yours whether or not the library ends up on your bench.