I am going to take a break from "fine" woodworking for a few weeks and build
my 2.5 year old a swing set / slide / fort.
I don't mind putting in a little extra effort for something that looks kind
of cool or has some cool features. I am leaning toward designing something
with a little bit of victorian style, maybe with some gingerbread and stuff,
but I haven't really decided yet. My number on requirment is that it is
going to have a real roof, and not a piece of canvas wrapped of the top.
(Not that there is really anything wrong with that, I just think a real roof
adds a lot.

Does anyone have any cool ideas for a project such as this that you have
seen, or built yourself? Pictures or just a short description would be
equally helpful. I don't need plans, I can figure out the details myself.

Thanks for any help or ideas.

Joe in Denver
my woodworking website:
http://www.the-wildings.com/shop/

No cool tips but I'd use heavier hardware than youusually can get from the
borg. I've ordered from http://www.americanswing.com/ tog et commercial
hangers and the rubber enclosed metal seets.
Joe

Joe Wilding wrote:

I am going to take a break from "fine" woodworking for a few weeks and build
my 2.5 year old a swing set / slide / fort.
I don't mind putting in a little extra effort for something that looks kind
of cool or has some cool features. I am leaning toward designing something
with a little bit of victorian style, maybe with some gingerbread and stuff,
but I haven't really decided yet. My number on requirment is that it is
going to have a real roof, and not a piece of canvas wrapped of the top.
(Not that there is really anything wrong with that, I just think a real roof
adds a lot.

Does anyone have any cool ideas for a project such as this that you have
seen, or built yourself? Pictures or just a short description would be
equally helpful. I don't need plans, I can figure out the details myself.

Thanks for any help or ideas.

Joe in Denver
my woodworking website:
http://www.the-wildings.com/shop/

Before you go planning on the cool roof, think of how you are going to get
it up there. I know of some folks who built the roof on the ground and then
carried it up to the top of the swingset rather than build it in place.
Small roofs are very easy to build on the ground. Somewhere around chest
level they discovered that those roofs are actually fairly heavy.
Unfortunately, at that point they still had two thirds of the vertical lift
to go. I still dare not mention that particular part of the project around
them.

Michael

"Joe Wilding" wrote in message
...
I am going to take a break from "fine" woodworking for a few weeks and
build
my 2.5 year old a swing set / slide / fort.
I don't mind putting in a little extra effort for something that looks
kind
of cool or has some cool features. I am leaning toward designing something
with a little bit of victorian style, maybe with some gingerbread and
stuff,
but I haven't really decided yet. My number on requirment is that it is
going to have a real roof, and not a piece of canvas wrapped of the top.
(Not that there is really anything wrong with that, I just think a real
roof
adds a lot.

Does anyone have any cool ideas for a project such as this that you have
seen, or built yourself? Pictures or just a short description would be
equally helpful. I don't need plans, I can figure out the details myself.

Thanks for any help or ideas.

Joe in Denver
my woodworking website:
http://www.the-wildings.com/shop/

"Joe Wilding" wrote in message
...


I am going to take a break from "fine" woodworking for a few weeks and
build
my 2.5 year old a swing set / slide / fort.

Half way there myself...


Thanks for any help or ideas.


In this category - let me ask what you're thinking about using for
padding/bedding? If you've driven by the Playnix stores around Denver,
you'll find they have shredded tire material. Colorful, soft, but expensive.
Woodchips are common too, likely inexpensive but I'm pretty sure they won't
survive our Chinook winds. Pea gravel is currently at the top of my list. A
recent drive-by at Pioneer indicated we'd need about 7 1/2 tons to provide
adequate depth/coverage for our setup.

I just tackled just such a project in the last few weeks. It had to be
completed for the 1st graders easter egg hunt at our house. This was our
second such event and seein 45 first graders mob a swingset makes you think
twice about the sturdiness of the unit. Now for some of the gory details.
I to did not want the canvas top so I opted for a wood roof that just
consisted of PT fencing lapped . Not totally water proof but much nicer
than fabric. The install of the roof was something I worried about but in
the end was not that hard. Since the framing consisted of only 3 truss
units built out of 4x4 material I was able to fully install one side and
then install about 2/3 of the other side from inside the deck. Then I
placed a board across the railing which gave me a platform to work off of to
finish the roof. The complete swing set consist of the turbo slide, monkey
bars and 4 swings. Given that the location was not that level I had to
work this into the design. To keep everything planted firmly in place I
buried each pole and set them in concrete about 15" deep. The complete area
was then sectioned off with landscape timbers and filled with 6-10" of cedar
mulch. I will try to post a few pictures of the results. And yes it held
up quite well against the 45 first graders.

FYI
Not the Victorian style you are after but I am sure that could be worked in.

Steve


"Joe Wilding" wrote in message
...
I am going to take a break from "fine" woodworking for a few weeks and
build
my 2.5 year old a swing set / slide / fort.
I don't mind putting in a little extra effort for something that looks
kind
of cool or has some cool features. I am leaning toward designing something
with a little bit of victorian style, maybe with some gingerbread and
stuff,
but I haven't really decided yet. My number on requirment is that it is
going to have a real roof, and not a piece of canvas wrapped of the top.
(Not that there is really anything wrong with that, I just think a real
roof
adds a lot.

Does anyone have any cool ideas for a project such as this that you have
seen, or built yourself? Pictures or just a short description would be
equally helpful. I don't need plans, I can figure out the details myself.

Thanks for any help or ideas.

Joe in Denver
my woodworking website:
http://www.the-wildings.com/shop/

ok I just posted a sketch and picture of our swingset in ABPW.

Steve


"Steve" wrote in message
...
I just tackled just such a project in the last few weeks. It had to be
completed for the 1st graders easter egg hunt at our house. This was our
second such event and seein 45 first graders mob a swingset makes you
think
twice about the sturdiness of the unit. Now for some of the gory
details.
I to did not want the canvas top so I opted for a wood roof that just
consisted of PT fencing lapped . Not totally water proof but much nicer
than fabric. The install of the roof was something I worried about but in
the end was not that hard. Since the framing consisted of only 3 truss
units built out of 4x4 material I was able to fully install one side and
then install about 2/3 of the other side from inside the deck. Then I
placed a board across the railing which gave me a platform to work off of
to
finish the roof. The complete swing set consist of the turbo slide,
monkey
bars and 4 swings. Given that the location was not that level I had to
work this into the design. To keep everything planted firmly in place I
buried each pole and set them in concrete about 15" deep. The complete
area
was then sectioned off with landscape timbers and filled with 6-10" of
cedar
mulch. I will try to post a few pictures of the results. And yes it
held
up quite well against the 45 first graders.

FYI
Not the Victorian style you are after but I am sure that could be worked
in.

Steve


"Joe Wilding" wrote in message
...
I am going to take a break from "fine" woodworking for a few weeks and
build
my 2.5 year old a swing set / slide / fort.
I don't mind putting in a little extra effort for something that looks
kind
of cool or has some cool features. I am leaning toward designing
something
with a little bit of victorian style, maybe with some gingerbread and
stuff,
but I haven't really decided yet. My number on requirment is that it is
going to have a real roof, and not a piece of canvas wrapped of the top.
(Not that there is really anything wrong with that, I just think a real
roof
adds a lot.

Does anyone have any cool ideas for a project such as this that you have
seen, or built yourself? Pictures or just a short description would be
equally helpful. I don't need plans, I can figure out the details
myself.

Thanks for any help or ideas.

Joe in Denver
my woodworking website:
http://www.the-wildings.com/shop/