A swing arbor is a beautiful addition to any landscape. It makes an excellent growing platform for all sorts of climbing plants and provides you with an inviting place to sit and visit with friends, read or simply reflect on the natural beauty of your garden. Building the arbor is a simple project that requires only minimal carpentry skills and tools, so you can build it without making your green thumb black and blue. Lowe's is happy to provide this information as a service to you.

Tools & Materials
Tools

• Circular saw 
• Jig saw 
• Drill/driver 
• Wrench 
• Tape measure 
• Combination square 
• Miter saw  (optional)
• Drilling/engineers hammer 
• Goggles
• Dust mask
• Hearing protection

Materials

• Nine pieces 2x4x8' lumber
• Three pieces 1x4x8' lumber
• One 4x8' sheet of lattice
• Sixteen 1/4x3 1/2" carriage bolts with nuts and washers
• Galvanized deck screws 1 1/4", 2" and 2 1/2"
• Four pieces of 3' long x 1/2" diameter rebar
• Two screw hooks

Cut List
To see a complete table of the cut list, click here.

Make the Side Frames

1. Lay two side uprights parallel, with the notches facing away from each other. Lay a top upright connector across the uprights. The top edge of the connector should be flush with the bottom of the notch and the ends of the connector should be flush with the outside edges of the uprights. Bore 3/8" diameter holes through the connector and the uprights. Attach the pieces with 1/4"x3 1/2" carriage bolts.
2. Measure in 16 1/2" from each end of a 48" outside foot and mark the foot's face. Lay out the assembly so the connector is facing upward. Align the uprights with the outside foot. The bottom end of each upright should be flush with the bottom edge of the foot. The outside edge of each upright should be flush with the mark on the foot's face. Bore 3/8" diameter holes through the uprights and the foot. Attach the pieces with 1/4"x3 1/2" carriage bolts. The outside foot should be on the opposite face of the uprights from the top upright connector.
3. Screw two 16 1/2" inside foot pieces to the inside face of the outside foot. The inside foot pieces should line up flush with the ends and edges of the outside foot. They should also butt against the outside edges of the uprights. Screw an 8" inside foot piece to the inside face of the outside foot. The piece should line up flush with the edges of the outside foot piece and butt against the inside edges of the uprights.
4. Use 2" screws to attach braces to the inside faces of the uprights and the foot.
5. Make the second side frame to match the first.

Connect the Side Frames

1. Secure the side frames to two of the 87" 2x4 connectors with 2" screws. The 2x4 connectors fit into the notches you cut in the uprights. Ensure that the ends of the 2x4 connectors are flush with the outside faces of the side frames.
2. Use 2" screws to attach braces to the outside edges of the uprights and the outside faces of the 2x4 connectors.
3. Position the last 87" 2x4 connector centered between the side frame connectors standing on its edge. Bore countersink holes in the top edge of the center 2x4 and screw it to each upright connector as shown below.
4. Cut and install short pieces of 2x4 as blocking between each of the top connectors. The blocking will help the connectors resist twisting and warping.

Install the Lattice and Swing

1. Trim two 15 3/4" wide lattice pieces to length and fasten them to the side frames with 1 1/4" screws.
2. Trim the last 15 3/4" wide piece of lattice to length and fasten it to the arbor's top with 1 1/4" screws.
3. Bore two 13/64" diameter holes in the top center 2x4 for the screw hooks to hold the swing. Install the screw hooks and hang the swing.

Anchor the Arbor

1. Drill 5/8" diameter holes in the front and back of each outside foot at 45° angles.
2. Drive the rebar into the ground through the holes so the rebar is flush with or just below the top of the foot. The rebar will anchor the feet solidly to the ground.