Hey friends! I hope you are all doing so good and enjoying the extra downtime with your families. I have been able to tackle so much now that I am here at my house more and we are going to be talking about this awesome $20 X Back Porch Swing.

I shared about our family’s journey with my youngest little guy a few weeks ago on social media. He was diagnosed with severe autism at the end of last year. It has been an incredible journey for us. Our family has spent the last several months learning so much about this disability and learning how to give him the best opportunities. I love him so much and I am so proud I get to be his mommy. I was so encouraged by the messages and words from so many of you. Thank you again for sending them. Here is the post for those that missed it…

So, there are three loves in his life.

1. Me 😉

2. Outside

3. Running!!!

I have spent the last couple of weeks building a new outdoor space for him with my stepdad where he can run and play safely. I LOVE IT. It has been a game changer for our whole family! I knew this space was only missing one thing… a place for ME! Since I will be spending a whole lot of time out there, I wanted a place to sit and prop my legs up. I knew building a new porch swing was the perfect solution. Come check out the video below!

I love how it turned out!

Make sure to grab the free plans for this swing at the bottom of this post!

Before we begin, let’s talk about the 2×6 that I used for this swing. I was looking for a way to utilize as few boards as possible keeping the cost down, and I have a huge pile of 2×6 sitting in my garage. I used a table saw to cut my 2×6 into smaller dimensional boards. You can also use 2×4 for parts of this. If you decide to use regular boards that are not ripped, be sure to adjust the dimensions of the plans overall.

Build the seat of the swing first. These are 2×6 ripped to 4.5″ wide each. Cut 4 boards at 48.5″ each.

Next, attach the seat breadboards. These are also 2x boards that I ripped these to 2.5” each. There will be a 3/4” overhang on each end. Attach the breadboards by using 2.5” pocket hole screws through the ends of
each plank and into the breadboards.

Build the back of the swing next. This will be a rectangle frame. The top and bottom boards are 3” wide, and the side boards are 2.5” wide. Attach the top and bottom boards to the side boards using wood glue and 2.5” pocket hole screws.

Create the X pieces next. I cut and dry fit each piece before
attaching anything. Measure and cut the longer pieces first. These are
2x boards that I ripped to 1.5” wide. Each end is cut at 45˚.

Now measure and cut the smaller X pieces. Each of these will have 1.5” pocket hole screws int the ends that attach to the longer boards. Once everything is dry fit, attach the shorter pieces to the longer pieces using wood glue and 2.5” pocket hole screws.

Attqch each X to the back frame using wood glue and deck or outdoor screws. Then, line the bottom of the back frame up flush with the back plank of the seat, and attach the two together using wood glue and 2.5” deck or outdoor screws.

The final step is creating the arm rests. These are 2x that I ripped down to 2.5” wide. Cut both to size, and attach the shorter piece to the longer
piece using wood glue and 2.5” pocket hole screws.Then, attach the arm rest to the swing using wood glue and 2.5” deck or wood screws through the back of the swing and base of the swing and into the arm rest. You may not be able to fit your drill bit into the space under the arm rest to attach the pocket hole screws, but the wood screws through the back will work perfect.

After building the swing, I stained the entire thing with Varathane stain in Golden Oak. You can find it HERE!

After that dried, I covered the entire swing with THIS water protectant.

I hung the swing using the same method I used on my last swing. You can see that HERE. Every porch and space is different, so be sure to research the best and safest way to hang yours. You can grab the free plans and print them below!

DIY X Back Porch Swing

Create a super cute porch swing with 4 boards! Click HERE for the free printable plans!

Supply List

  • 4 2x6x10 framing lumber
  • several 2.5" outdoor Kreg screws
  • several 2.5" outdoor wood or deck screws
  • wood glue
  • swing hardware

Instructions

  • Build the seat of the swing first. These are 2×6 ripped to 4.5″ wide each. Cut 4 boards at 48.5″ each.
  • Next, attach the seat breadboards. These are also 2x boards that I ripped these to 2.5” each. There will be a 3/4” overhang on each end. Attach the breadboards by using 2.5” pocket hole screws through the ends ofeach plank and into the breadboards.
  • Build the back of the swing next. This will be a rectangle frame. The top and bottom boards are 3” wide, and the side boards are 2.5” wide. Attach the top and bottom boards to the side boards using wood glue and 2.5” pocket hole screws.
  • Create the X pieces next. I cut and dry fit each piece beforeattaching anything. Measure and cut the longer pieces first. These are2x boards that I ripped to 1.5” wide. Each end is cut at 45˚.
  • Now measure and cut the smaller X pieces. Each of these will have 1.5” pocket hole screws int the ends that attach to the longer boards. Once everything is dry fit, attach the shorter pieces to the longer pieces using wood glue and 2.5” pocket hole screws.
  • Attach each X to the back frame using wood glue and deck or outdoor screws. Then, line the bottom of the back frame up flush with the back plank of the seat, and attach the two together using wood glue and 2.5” deck or outdoor screws.
  • The final step is creating the arm rests. These are 2x that I ripped down to 2.5” wide. Cut both to size, and attach the shorter piece to the longerpiece using wood glue and 2.5” pocket hole screws.Then, attach the arm rest to the swing using wood glue and 2.5” deck or wood screws through the back of the swing and base of the swing and into the arm rest. You may not be able to fit your drill bit into the space under the arm rest to attach the pocket hole screws, but the wood screws through the back will work perfect.

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5 Comments

  1. I too have a special needs child and he changed our lives for the better. His older brother became a special needs teacher, his two sisters became speech therapists, his younger brother became a behavior analyst. All of them use their skills and deep understanding of what a family is living to help. They have walked in those shoes. God works all things for the good in those that love him. Can’t wait to see what things little Jed will bring to your family.!

  2. Just as so many of your posts and projects, I love it! My eye keeps wandering to the fence behind it though – exactly the style I have been looking to update with! Are there or will there be details posted?

  3. You do know that God gives special sweet children to mommies and daddies who have the want, need, love and compassion to rear. God Blessed you with your little one.