Has anyone ever seen plans for or made a hanging bench (porch swing) with benches facing both ways i.e. away from each other. You know for those of us that don’t know which way we want to hang/look.
I can imagine balancing the thing getting the hooks and chains right could be tricky. May even need to incorporate some weights that could be shifted when used by people on only on side or when little people are on one side and heavy duty is on the other.
Another concern is if hung from a 10 beam the pendulum action with that much weight of it in full swing could be tooooo much fun for the kids (and me) until someone gets clobbered. Oh well, Might have to go with two gliders placed back to back.
Replies
I can see how to fix the balance issue. Don't hang the swing from one vertical chain. Instead, hang it from two. That is, if you look at the swing from the end, you'd see two chains. They'd be the same lengths, and hang from one hook in the ceiling. However, they'd spread away from each other at the bottom. Maybe they'd connect to the swing at each seat-front.
Tom,
I'd suggest a quick full scale plywood/dimensional lumber prototype to test the action before investing in building an intensive project. My guess is that you won't be all that pleased with the swing action unless there are people on both sides of the swing at the same time. The center of gravity with only one side weighted will force the unloaded side to swing very high on the back swing and prevent the loaded side from getting a full glide. Also, I can see the potential (depending on design) of the unloaded side on the back swing going slack on the chain on a big push and having a jerky motion. This might create a rather bizarre feel as opposed to the smooth full arc of a one-sided swing.
Might be worth a down-and-dirty prototype. Just a thought.
Best,
Seth
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled