Building a Hammock Stand

If you always wished that you had your very own relaxing hammock in your yard, but could not as you did not have trees that would be able to suit the length of your hammock, then the solution is not to plant two trees and wait for them to grow up. You could simply build you very own hammock stand.

The tools that you would need would be: 44 linear feet of pine which is measured 4 by 4, 2 fence post finials, 3-inch screws, 2-inch screws, 5/16-inch by 4-inch bolts with 2 nuts and 4 washers, T-shaped metal black plates, 4-inch wide screw hangers (which should be strong enough to take the weight of a hammock with 2 adults), two pieces 80-inch long 4 by 4 pine, two pieces 56-1/2-inch long 4 by 4 pine, two pieces 33-1/2-inch long 4 by 4 pine, 4 pieces 12-inch long 4 by 4 pine and two pieces 60-inch long 4 by 4 pine.

Here are the steps on how to make one stand. If you need two stands, then just repeat each step.

1. You would need to cut one cross tie using a 4 by 4 pine that measures 80 inches long.

2. Cut a lap dado which is 3-1/2 inches across and 1-3/4 inches deep across the width of the cross tie’s one end.

3. Cut one 45-degree diagonal dado in the cross tie, which should be 12 inches away from the lap dado, and also 3-1/2 inches wide and 1-3/4 inches deep.

4. Cut an upright using the 56-1/2-inch long 4 by 4 pine.

5. Measure and then cut a 45-degree diagonal dado which should be 3-1/2 inches wide and 1-3/4 inches deep and 12 inches from the bottom portion of the upright support.

6. Cut a front brace using the 33-1/2-inch long 4 by 4 pine.

7. Miter the two ends of the brace in front at the opposing 45-degree angles.

8. You could then cut two opposing diagonal dadoes on the front brace, which should be 3-1/2 inches wide and 1-3/4 inches deep.

9. Cut two side braces using the 12-inch long 4 by 4 pine.

10. Miter the two ends of the side braces on the opposing 45-degree angles.

11. Cut one footing using the pieces 60-inch long 4 by 4 pine.

12. Cut a 3-1/2 inch wide dado, which is 1-3/4 inches deep, on the footing’s center.

To assemble the stand, here are the steps to follow.

1. On a level surface, position the cross tie, exposing the lap dado on top.

2. Place, side down, the footing dado over the lap dado, which is in the crosstie. You could screw them to each other by screwing through the footing dado, which is in the crosstie dado. You could use the four 3-inch long screws in securing the joint.

3. You could then fit the front brace into the diagonal dado, which has been cut into the upright.

4. Directly place the upright over the dado, which is joining the crosstie and the footing. After that, fit the front brace’s free end into the diagonal dado, which has been cut in the crosstie.

5. Place down the metal back plate, “T” over the joint which is between the footing and the upright, in such a way that the side brackets would be extended outside the upright. Using the 2-inch long screws, screw the back plate into the footing.

6. Ensure that the upright would be exactly square to the cross tie and the footing. Screw the metal back plate in order to secure the upright. Then, you could screw the dado joint, which is in the crosstie and front brace with the use of four 3-inch long screws. You could finally screw through the dado joint, which is in the upright and front brace with the use of four 3-inch long screws.

7. Place the side brace against the footing and the upright. Screw through the side brace’s one end and into the footing and through the side brace’s other end into the upright. You could make use of two 3-inch long screws for each joint.

8. You could repeat step 7 so that you can attach the remaining side brace into the opposite side of the footing and the upright. You could then repeat the steps for a second stand.