Swingset

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After looking at the junky swingsets you can buy (thin material, poorly made, easy to turn over), I decided to just build one.  The seats and chains I bought off the internet.  The frame is 2-7/8 drill stem with some 1/8"x6" flat.  The pivots have oillite bushings and cross+lengthwise drilled bolts with grease fittings.  Should last several lifetimes.I challenged a friend to break it.  With the two of us combined at 450+lbs swinging like madmen we didn't tip it over or break anything.  He said... "Yep, that's fatboy approved right there!"The blank spot at the end will get a swinging see-saw or something similar in the future. Attached ImagesDynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:I agree, this baby should outlast several generations.  Well thought out and well constructed!  Come on, kids, climb on...(Retired) Professional firefighter, amateur everything else I try to do...Oh yeah:  Go Big Red!   (You know: one of the 12 members of the Big 10 cuz we left the 10 members of the Big 12...)
Reply:No slide ?  Looks perfect. Kids should love it. Maybe add the cross members to finish out the A's on the ends. Not necessarily for strength so much as it is one more thing that kids like to hang on. Good job."The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living and the get rich quick theory of life." -Theodore Roosevelt
Reply:No amazing find of a big stainless sheet at the scrapyard, therefore no slide I've thought about using mild steel with some good paint, but I didn't know how slick it would be or how long it would last.  I've also considered trying to find some 18" or bigger pvc pipe.No A-braces since I can drive the mower under there.Last edited by AndyA; 08-13-2011 at 12:41 PM.Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:the only thing I though about besides it being a nice build would be to put some of those swimming pool long flexable thingies on the uprights in case a kid runs into it then they wont bang there head so hard.
Reply:Originally Posted by AndyA....No A-braces since I can drive the mower under there.
Reply:Gasp! Metal playground equipment!   Brings back memories of many a swingset when I was a kid. Seemed like every playground had one of those big heavy industrial swingsets. Somehow we managed to survive playing on and around them. Thanks for the memory reminder..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSW Gasp! Metal playground equipment!   Brings back memories of many a swingset when I was a kid. Seemed like every playground had one of those big heavy industrial swingsets. Somehow we managed to survive playing on and around them. Thanks for the memory reminder.
Reply:Yep. I remember those. We had one as well, plus a huge steel pipe "monkey bars" made up of threaded pipe and fittings as I remember. That and a "giant" steel slide. I remember how hot that thing was if you were wearing shorts. Don't remember any coating on the steel. Us kids kept it polished pretty well using it non stop. And the huge 12' long teter totters were you could get 6 people on at once.Ah the good old days before liability....No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:PVC for a slide.........wouldn't that build up a hellava static charge by the time you got to the bottom?!?!No one will play Tag with you after that discharge....200amp Air Liquide MIG, Hypertherm Plasma, Harris torches, Optrel helmet, Makita angle grinders, Pre-China Delta chop saw and belt sander, Miller leathers, shop made jigs etc, North- welders backpack.
Reply:Originally Posted by AndyANo amazing find of a big stainless sheet at the scrapyard, therefore no slide I've thought about using mild steel with some good paint, but I didn't know how slick it would be or how long it would last.  I've also considered trying to find some 18" or bigger pvc pipe.No A-braces since I can drive the mower under there.
Reply:Do kids still use that kind of stuff. I didn't think that they went outside for fear of the sunlight monster. I can hear most kids now "what is it? how do you turn it on? can I go back to txting my friends? Kidding  that is nice work there.Miller thunderbolt 250Decastar 135ERecovering tool-o-holic ESAB OAI have been interested or involved in Electrical, Fire Alarm, Auto, Marine, Welding, Electronics ETC to name a just a few. So YES you can own too many tools.
Reply:So true unfortunately today. My helper was just given an old swingset / fort by one of my customers who's kids are grown and she was moving. He says thats the best gift he's ever gotten. His two kids, 3 and 5, just love it. His 5 year old daughter just wants daddy to push her on the swing as soon as he gets home while his 3 year old son fearlessly climbs all over it. If it stops raining I'll have to remember to take a few picts of the treehouse and slide for life another customer just had installed..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan