Swing between 2 trees

Even though we got this enormous play set, I still wanted to build the kids a separate set of swings.... for several reasons.  You couldn't use the swings and monkey bars at the same time.  That was the cause of many fights.  The swings were just too low, no fun, and the swing beam itself has seen better days.  It has a crack and makes some unsettling noises.

Dad and I put together this wonder of mechanical engineering.  The swings are about 9' tall and provide much more enjoyment than those dinky play set swings.

Play set updates

Here is the play set after a coat of stain.  It took my niece Morgan about 3 seconds to figure out that the top of the monkey bars are more fun and dangerous than the under side.

Hey dad, thanks for coming to visit... now get to work.  Dad offered to help shingle the roof of the play house.

And here is the finished product, stained and shingled.

First wine bottle stopper

Cherry burl pen

This is probably the last project I'll be able to get out of ye old cherry log I pulled from the wood pile.

Cool bowl or ugly bowl??

Here's round 2 of the cherry burl log I pulled from the wood pile.  It was much more hole than burl, but I gave it a shot anyway.  I'm sure some will find this very ugly but there are alot of people out there that dig this stuff.  It was very hard to make and I had to keep my tools very sharp or chunks started flying. 

When Afton seen this she said "Oh No, what happened?!"  I guess that's one vote ugly.

Wooden bowl

Dad, I made this from the cherry log I took from your wood pile.  I got this first picture off right in time.  That blurry object is a 2 year old hand reaching in to snatch the bowl. 

Wallet shelf

Swing set day 3

The swing set is assembled and the kids are loving it.  It looks much better than it did when I first seen it.  I still plan to stain it but for now the kids can have at it.  This thing was $5000 brand new 8 years ago.  $600 bucks and a few days work seems like a good deal now that it's moved.

Swing set day 1

Here is the swing set after 1 day of staining and assembly.  My plan was to stain everything before putting it together but we ran out of stain.  I want this thing out of my garage so I'll just stain later.

Swing set

I've been wanting to build a swingset and tree house for the girls but it wasn't moving along fast enough.  Miranda spotted this beast while out garage saling and we got it for a steal.  So my next project is to move this thing 1/4 mile, pressure wash, stain, and re-assemble. 

This actually came apart much faster than I thought it would.  I was able to move the thing in one day.  I'm sure the neighbors loved to see this coming down the road.

This is what I have pressure washed so far.  It's out back waiting for stain.

This is my lastest Harbor Freight purchase.  I put it right to work before even adding the handle and wheels.  It's running like a champ so far.