Anatomy of a Tree Swing
No sooner did I divulge my affection for knots, that I came across this beautifully done, frankly irresistible, play thing. The setting being stunning only adds to the effect.
How was it done? What combo of knots? Such a simple thing made of a single run of rope and one piece of wood with a hole in its center. And let’s take note, this swing is made in such a way as to not harm the tree. How would you go about rigging a timeless item like this?
The single line, around half inch in diameter, has an eye spliced into one end. Ok, that part is somewhat tricky to do. But you could get a similar effect with a bowline, it’d work the same way just be a touch less elegant. The line is heaved over the branch, the two halves made equal. Then the bitter end is put through the eye, and the whole thing is tightened-up. Note that no matter how much the branch expands, the loop will hold, grow with the tree, and not choke the limb.
