He Makes Building A Relaxing Garden Swing With Wood Pallets Look Easy

There are a number of things to think about when choosing a garden swing for your space and the options that are available in stores. However, there's something tremendously satisfying about making your own, and over on YouTube, the Woodworking Skill channel builds one with wood pallets that not only looks easy, but it can be very affordable, too.

You can make this garden swing with a minimum of tools. You'll need a drill driver and some kind of saw. A handsaw would do it, but a circular saw is ideal, as it takes a lot less effort, and some models cost less than $40. In the video, the creator also uses a miter saw. Miter saws do make life easier, and they're one of the top tools worth investing in to start woodworking at home, but this DIY can be done without one if budget is a factor.

There's no fancy joinery in making this pallet garden swing, so construction is straightforward. The whole thing is held together with wood screws. Don't be tempted to use nails, as they don't offer the same strength. You'll also need some sandpaper (note that if you wrap it around a scrap block, you don't need a sander), some hooks, lengths of strong chain, and your preferred outdoor wood finish. A few clamps are useful to hold pieces in place while assembling, or you could ask a buddy to lend a hand.

It's clear quite early on that although the main seat and some of the supporting structure are made from pallet wood, other lumber is also used. You may have some scrap pieces lying around, but if not, a trip to the local home improvement center should provide what you need. Both whitewood (a catch-all for any softwood) and SPF (spruce pine fir) are usually low cost, and there's no need to buy more expensive materials for this project. It's a good idea to go through the video, look at which parts you can make from breaking down pallets, and work out what extra you'll need. You can usually find free pallets near you if you don't have enough.

Unfortunately, no dimensions are given by Woodworking Skil, so a little guesswork is required. It can help to line the swing's pieces up against each other before cutting or screwing, and you might want to sketch things out on paper first. Watching the video (and pausing it) will also show you a couple of times where cutting pieces before assembly will make life easier. Bear in mind the video is a useful guide, but you can modify the design if you like. The most important aspects are ensuring that joints are well braced (he uses lots of angled pieces to do this) and firmly attached using plenty of screws.

In the video, screws are driven straight through the pallets and lumber to join pieces together. It's better to pre-drill pilot holes, as there is less chance of you slipping and hurting yourself. Further, driving the screws takes less effort with pilot holes, and you won't risk splitting the wood. A miter saw is used for much of the repetitive cutting, particularly angles. While it's faster, these cuts can be done with a circular saw if you clamp the material to a bench to keep your hands away from the blade. Give all the edges a quick rub with sandpaper (wrapped around a block).

It's a good idea to finish the swing seat and supporting frame before adding the hooks and chains. Woodworking Skill has spray equipment, but it seems to get varnish all over the plants and patio. If you don't have a dedicated area or a bunch of tarps, then a brush is slower, but much less messy. You could also use exterior wood paint if you wanted to add some color. Once dry, you can attach the hardware.

This DIY garden bench swing doesn't have a canopy, but using the techniques shown, it would be relatively easy to build sturdy, well-braced supports on either side and then fix a simple, lightweight rectangular frame between them for fabric. Also, if it were fixed at a slight angle, most rainwater should run off.