While Michelle’s new garden swing (see Swingin’!) has provided many pleasant moments this last summer, it has had some trouble.
After a group of friends swung on it a few weeks ago, it canted off its proper angle. I solved that easily enough: I removed the rubber hose chafing gear and looped each line in a simple friction knot. After that, the weight of the swingers held the lines in their proper place, preventing the swing from slipping either forward or backward.
Last weekend, Aly invited a handful of friends to the “homestead” for a visit before they returned to school. She and two others sat on the swing for a bit. I specifically designed the swing to accommodate three people, specifically the three of us; apparently, though, when I chose the crossbeam, I chose poorly. After swinging gently for a few moments, the kids got dumped unceremoniously on the ground when the crossbeam broke in two places!
The broken swing (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).