For the camp's porch swing, I alter my usual general design of the backrest . The oval sides of the upper backrest are not appealing, as I had though t they might. I can always trim more off of those oval shapes, once I see where the chains run.
The purpose of those wider than usual sides was to hide the support chains. Typically, the chains are run through the armrests. I don't want the c hains to run through the armrests, but to run outside the arms....and frami ng. Anyway, those oval sides will be trimmed, some, at least.
The seat is comfortable and the arms are a good height and comfortable, als o.
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Yesterday was Mom's 92nd birthday. The family took photos, then we all we nt to Prejeans (eatery/live music) for dinner. Mom still likes dancing to the Cajun music. The pic is of Mom and I.... at our best.
Congratulations to your Mom, she looks like she has a strong sparkle in her eyes, there.
Enjoyed the joints in your swing, you're going to need two strong men and a boy to carry that out of there. Should last a lot of years.
In photo below
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I noticed a lot of great looking wood in the background, I'm a bit jealous, but on the left behind a big screen there looked like a huge propeller fan, there, and I mean HUGE! Does it run and is there a story behind that?
Yes, the back does bring to mind a mushroom cloud. But looks like a well-made swing. Looks a little heavy, it would look heavier if I was in it. I like the arm rests. Just run the chain through them like you're supposed to--it makes the swing more stable.
Made of old cypress, which is a light weight wood, so the swing is not that heavy. The through tenon joints are for looks and, hopefully, stronger s upport/connection. Screwing or nailing the joints (with glue) has a tende ncy to split the wood, especially near the ends. The arm panels are 7" wi de and, as is, they may crack/split, so the prospect of underside bracing ( corbel-like) is still optional.
Yeah, I have lots of lumber, sometimes more than I like, in that, I end up moving some, now and then, to access other pieces, for specific use. I sal vage when and what I can. On those racks there is walnut, pecan, cypress, cedar, white oak, ash, cherry and some pine.
The fan is an attic fan, installed in a double doorway. Great for removin g dust and for cooling in the summer. During the initial shop remodel, it was originally sitting on the threshold....
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I don't have the dust collection attached to that unisaw and I do lots of h and work on that outfeed table, so the fan facilitates dust removal out tha t doorway. Every now and then, when the wind is blowing right, I open all the doors and windows and blow out the shop... the fan (and the wind blowi ng through) facilitates that dust removal, also.
I agree ... running the front chains though the arm rests, and down to the seat frame along the front two posts, makes it very difficult to flip the swing, something we were good at as kids.
That aside, Sonny's cypress swing is an absolutely beautiful swing design. Gonna have to keep the photo away from Linda, or I'll be copying it before this week is through.
We are currently battling on whether to keep this one.
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I want to replace it with a smaller, modern, metal yard swing with canopy, but she wants me to either make one out of wood that suits me (this frame is too big for the location for my tastes), or salvage it in some manner.
Damnit, Karl... I am so sorry. I just sent Linda this, thinking I was help ing you out...
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Sonny's design could certainly compete or outshine any of those, but you kn ow... a lady has to have choices!
I rarely tell Kathy about anything you or Leon make as it is bad enough whe n we leave from a visit and I have the next two months of listening to "is that something you could make?" and "I want one of those, but made out of r eal wood" when she sees something in one of her magazines.
The first time she saw "la petit atelier" behind your house where you have turned out so much fine custom work, I heard about all the things she wante d built for a year. (No kidding...) My excuses for not wanting to take awa y time from my business work to make her furniture almost evaporated as she saw me working all week using my time and skills to make a living transfer red to exactly to spending my whole weekend using my time and skills for fu n.
I have been in the "let me knock this out as fast as possible and get paid and move on" so long I haven't done any woodworking for fun in years. I bu ild a one off cabinet now and then as needed when folks want a new vanity o f a peculiar size, or a filler cabinet. There is no joy in that; it is sim ply part of the job. And truthfully, since it takes me too long to make pa nel doors, when I have a more complicated design I take it to my little old fashioned cabinet shop and he can knock it out a deliver it to me for fini shing with much less time and effort than I could do it for myself working out of a garage.
What I would like to do someday is start making antique reproduction pieces . When I was learning finishing, one of the elements was of course, matchi ng the finish to the piece. And one of the books I was studying put out th e idea of making new pieces and "antiqueing" them (as opposed to "distressi ng") them. I had a lot of fun with that. I made a hanging tea station/cab inet that had a glass door on it with a small drawer and hooks on the botto m to hang cups one time, and wound up making several for sale when the coun try style of decorating was at its height.
I had a lot of fun picking out period type pulls and simulating the muted o range color of old shellac and burnishing the edges and grain with differen t colors of stain to simulate the old age that a well cared for piece would acquire. It was my own design based on something I saw on a period piece on PBS. But after I built a few of "I want one just like hers" I got prett y bored with it. I was glad to fill the last request and stop.
When I get my vision lined back out and can actually see more of what I am doing, I hope to rekindle the great love affair I had with wood turning. I enjoyed that enough I used to do demos and teach, and turned for f un when I had a chance. I was obsessed! At this point, I don't know where I found the time...
I will be interested in what you decide with your swing. Have you thought of an outdoor stationary glider instead of a swing? Then you could build/b uy a lightweight canopy that could me moved or used as needed that wouldn't take up must space or take over your design elements. Just thinking out l oud over here.
Path of least resistance. Going to move the whole shooting back toward the fence behind it ... IOW, back two legs will be off the platform onto paving stone piers the same height as the platform, leaving the front legs on the platform ... by moving the whole thing back about 3' will give me the space I want, and it hopefully will look less like the Titanic sitting on a fishing pier.
That will put the swing "in the trees".
Also going to put two wooden platforms below the existing struts on either side to hold drinks and to give it more of a woody look.
Then, going to steal Sonny's design, and make a proper swing to replace that one.
A few thoughts I keep in mind, when making swings, rockers or similar seati ng:
1)Backrest Angle I feel/find, that, the most comfortable recline for a backrest angle is abo ut 7 degrees. The seat-to-backrest construction angle may be 90 degrees, but the seat's *resting back-tilt (recline) is about 7 degrees.
*Resting back-tilt (recline): For a rocker at rest and for a hanging (at re st) swing, the backrest angle, relative to the floor, is about 7 degrees. Your comfort angle may be different. I like my seat-to-backrest construct ion angle to be about 7 degrees.
2) Where the seat (contour/profile) meets the backrest, there is often a sl ight upturn of the seat profile. Make sure that upturn, if one, does not start too far from the backrest and that the upturn is not too high. If t he upturn is large (in length or height), your butt will feel it.... it bei ng an uncomfortable bump at the back of the seat. Does this make sense? If possible, make that upturn as short and small (height) as possible, with out compromising the seat frame's structure/strength.
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