A hammock made with your own hands will hardly leave anyone indifferent: both adults and children will enjoy spending time sitting or lying on it. Moreover, a beautiful product can decorate the site of a private house and a city apartment. In this article we tell you how to create a comfortable and stylish place to relax on your own.
Bonus: 6 Tips for Building and Attaching
There are several important points that will help you choose how to make a swing-hammock with your own hands.
- If you like fabric models, then special attention should be paid to the material. The strength and durability of the product depends on it. Canvas, calico, teak, camouflage and canvas are suitable for this.
- It is better not to use synthetic materials. Firstly, they are more difficult to work with. And secondly, synthetics are uncomfortable to use in the hot season. It does not allow air to pass through, so you will hardly want to spend a lot of time in such a hammock.
- As for macrame, you can use both synthetic laces with polystyrene and special natural ones produced for this weaving technique.
- You can secure the finished product in the classic way between two trees, on poles or on a system that you can design yourself.
- If you decide to attach to trees, the diameter of the poles must be at least 15 cm. To avoid damaging the bark, use tubes or place fabric under the rope.
- Instead of trees, you can use support pillars, then they should be deepened into the ground. Or make a support structure with v-bars, similar to a boat. It's mobile, so you don't have to dig holes in the yard.
Wooden from slats
Despite the fact that wood is a fairly rigid material, a hammock made from slats will be very comfortable .
What do we need?
- Planed slats 20x30x2000 mm – 2 pcs;
- Beam 30x40 mm (a small piece is enough);
- Strong rope 10-12 m;
- Stain and varnish;
- Wood saw;
- Drill with 8 mm drill bit;
- Fine-grained sandpaper (preferably a sander);
- Roulette;
- Marker;
- Lighter.
Making a hammock from wood
- First of all, you need to cut the slats. For a hammock 60 cm wide, you will need 2 bases of 60 cm each, 40 planks of 40 cm each and 80 of 15 cm each. We saw off 2 pieces of 15 cm each from the timber.
- We drill holes at a distance of 2.5 cm from each end of the plank using an 8 mm drill. In each block we drill 4 holes at equal distances.
- We sand all wooden planks with fine-grained sandpaper and cover them with stain and then varnish.
- We take 4 pieces of rope, 2.5-3 m each (it is better to take it with a reserve, depending on the further fastening of the hammock) and begin to thread our wooden planks (the sequence is visible in the photo).
- We tie tight knots on both sides of the bars and do not forget to melt the ends of the rope with a lighter.
The hammock is ready, all that remains is to hang it. This can be done in different ways. Depending on the location of the seating area, the fastenings will differ. On the site, it can be secured between trees, and if there are none, you can build a wooden frame (you can read how to make it yourself below). On the balcony, just screw special hooks into the walls or ceiling and tie a rope to them.
Another option
This video describes in detail how to make a hammock from oak; it will also be made from slats, but the assembly diagram is significantly different:
How to hang our wickerwork?
In order to secure the hammock, you will need a reliable object on top. This can be a strong branch of an adult and strong tree, or a hook firmly fixed to the ceiling. The main thing is to make sure that such fastening will be reliable, and that the branch or hook can withstand a significantly greater load than a person in a hammock chair. Otherwise, there is a high risk of failure, because when moving in a chair, the impact on the object from above increases.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that this is a very economical craft if you have the right tools. The hammock is easy and quick to make and can last quite a long time. An excellent addition to the country landscape, and also very functional.
General recommendations for choosing the right type
The choice of hammock is made based on preferences, financial capabilities and planned use. Each variety has its own distinctive features that must be taken into account when choosing:
- Mesh construction is the most inexpensive option. It is used with a blanket and mattress because knots and ropes put pressure on the back. The mesh hammock is easy to install, remove and store. It is not designed for loads exceeding 100 kg.
- Fabric designs are the most popular. The maximum permissible load for such hammocks is 160 kg. They are not moisture resistant and vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. With the right selection of material for making, such hammocks will suit most people.
- If they are made from polyester and nylon with the addition of natural fabrics, such hammocks retain all the advantages of fabric ones, but are more expensive. Such designs are moisture-resistant and resistant to sunlight.
Important! The hammock needs to be durable enough for all family members to use.
Plaid hammock chair
Which material to choose?
When selecting materials for sewing a hammock, it is recommended to opt for natural and durable fabrics. Ideal for: mattress teak, canvas, tarpaulin.
Attention! You should avoid using synthetic fabrics because, despite their low cost, strength and lightness, they will create much more discomfort, causing excessive sweating.
The fabric you choose must be strong enough . If the hammock is placed on a roofed terrace, then there are no further requirements. If the hammock will be located under a tree in the garden, then the fabric must also be waterproof.
Making a stand with your own hands
Some frames can be a real work of art. However, it is not necessary to spend a lot of money on making it or purchasing it in a specialty store. You can also make it at home.
The main advantage of a wooden support is its durability, strength and aesthetics. Therefore, it not only brings benefits, but also serves as decoration for your site.
Metal beds
Another craftsman from our portal, henc, chose metal as the material for his frame, since it is clearly “friendly” with welding. He used a pipe with a cross-section of 60×40 mm, resulting in a hammock design on a stand with the following parameters:
- The base is 2 meters.
- Hammock stands – 1.8 meters (angle about 60⁰).
- Transverse supports – 1.5 meters each.
- Jib beams.
- Hooks.
- Chain.
The resulting mobile hammock on a stand was well appreciated by this family.
hencFORUMHOUSE Member
The kids started a “fight” for a place on the hammock; by the evening they only calmed down, but they were busy and in full view.
Rol248 made a frame from scraps.
Rol248 Member FORUMHOUSE
This is what I got from scraps of old pipes and corners. Since hammocks gradually stretch and sag, we had to come up with a system for extending the posts.
henc solved this problem by attaching the hammock to a chain - as it sagged, he simply shortened the links.
Varieties
Modern manufacturers are trying to produce comfortable, original and aesthetic hammocks for home and garden. Products for children are distinguished by bright colors and interesting design solutions. By type they are divided into:
- Hanging. They belong to the classics and are mounted between two trees or on specially dug posts. Some models are equipped with special strips at the ends, others are produced without strips. The first option is more comfortable to use. Their advantages include: low price, compactness and ease of use. And the disadvantages of such models include the fact that children can fall out of it if they sway too much.
- Frame. Such designs are universal. They can be installed outdoors or indoors. To install the product, no supports are needed, since it has a ready-made frame. Their main advantages include: the ability to install in any convenient place, reliability in use, stability, interesting designs and bright colors.
- Hammocks - swings. They can be attached to a tree, pole, ceiling, doorway. The main thing is to find a solid point of support. Some models are equipped with canopies and mosquito nets. This makes them favorite places to play.
Children's hammocks are not much different from adults. But nevertheless, manufacturers define them in a separate category. Typically, these products:
- are small in size;
- differ in bright and flashy colors;
- are as safe as possible;
- differ in convenient designs.
In their production, safe and non-toxic materials are used: linen, cotton . Most models are equipped with protective side skirts for the safety of children. Their bottom is ergonomically shaped so that kids can rest comfortably and avoid health problems. Children's models can withstand loads of up to 40 kg.
Conclusion
There are a lot of other designs of hammock stands on the Internet that can be implemented with skillful hands, including hammocks with a canopy, but these particular ones have already been tested and are recognized as successful. Without spending a lot of effort, money and time, you can really get a convenient mobile support for a hammock to the delight of the whole family.
Other, no less useful devices for relaxing in the lap of nature are in the section of small architectural forms. We also have an article on how to sew a hammock yourself. Hanging beds for indoors and outdoors are also interesting. And for those who like the most comfortable relaxation, hanging swings are more suitable, which you can also make with your own hands. The video shows how to set up a swing and a children's complex on the site.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel Exclusive posts every week
How to fix a hammock in the countryside on a ready-made base
Although hammocks are often attached to poles, trees, or hooks driven into the wall, they can sometimes be dispensed with. There are special structures that stand on the ground and make it possible to hang a hammock.
Important! They can be made from wooden beams or metal parts. This way, when installing a hammock, it is easier to choose the most convenient place.
Making a hammock will take time and effort. However, the pleasure of using it will more than pay for all the costs. Having made a hammock carefully and reliably, you can use it for many years, bringing joy to yourself and your loved ones.
