Sesaw is a long plank set in the center on a fixed support, on each end of which kids sit and swing up and down by pushing the ground with their feet.
COVID has denied us entry to public parks, and kids are dying to have some outdoor fun.
Making a Seesaw yourself in your backyard would make for a beautiful surprise for your child.
DIY: Seesaw
Materials Needed
- One 1-1/4″ diameter closet or dowel rod, 4′ long
- Four stair tread boards, 36″ long
- Two 2×6 x 12′ boards
- One 2×3 x 12′ boards
- One 2×6 x 12′ boards
- Twenty-Eight 2-1/2″ lag bolts
- Four 2″ countersink wood screws
- Twenty Four 1-1/2″ pocket screws
- Paint
Tools Required
TOOLS
- screwdriver/drill
- tape measure
- palm sander
- band saw or jigsaw
- Pencil and String
- rubber mallet
- 1-1/4″ Forstner bit
- pocket-hole jig
- safety goggles
- clamps
- caulk gun
Procedure:
- Put down the rocker wall pieces, arranging them on their centers. Using the screw and string arrangement, tie the string at a 23″ length and draw the arc with a marker to formulate the rocking surface. Customize the arc with a French curve to devise a safety stop.
- Cut along the marker lines using a band saw or jigsaw.
- Cut a two radius curve on one edge of each vertical 2×4 board. Drill a 1-3/4″ through-hole in each board with a Forstner bit.
- Stick rocker wall board pieces using construction glue, following the cut, bent edges. Then, add the vertical supports and flat deck supports using lag bolts. The vertical supports should reach 13″ above the top edge of the rocker wall. Stain, paint, and seal as desired before closing assembly.
- Attach necessary seat supports flush with the top and edges of one of the rocker walls using lag bolts and construction adhesive (glue)
- Carefully press handles in the holes on the upright vertical supports. Add the second rocker wall to the necessary seat supports with construction adhesive. If required, use a rubber mallet to adjust the handles flush to the vertical supports. Secure handles with junk free countersink screws. And secure the second rocker wall with glue and lag bolts.
- Drill six evenly-spaced pocket holes into all the deck support using an appropriate pocket-hole jig. Drill four pocket holes into all seat support. Next, drill two pocket holes in the rocker walls under each seat board’s end. Add the seats and decking with 1-1/2″ screws.
Your Seesaw is ready.
