Lets talk porch swings

[fallvitals]

I tried to hang a porch swing today. The "ceiling" of my porch is metal type of vinly siding, like..

Above that is what appears to be wood tounge and groove boards. Then 2x8 rafters. (1 1/2" x 7 1/2")

Well, I I took a long 1/8" bit, made a couple holes from the attic down (I can acess these rafters via my attic) Did some measurements. Marked the spots to drill my pilot holes and thread these eye bolts in I got from swingplans.com

Picture Link

http://swingplans.com/images/swinghooks.jpg

Well, I did that, hit rafter all the way with my pilot holes. Screwed in the eye bolts. Hung the swing. (by this time thinking eye bolts might be a bad idea). Slowly got on, tested it for weight. Bounced some in the middle. Held fine. Gott he to the left side bounced. Fine. Went to the right side bounced and it gave about 1/2"

Back to the attic, I went to feel around the rafters (blown insulation made it hard to see) to see if either bolt didnt hit center and came out of the side of the rafter. The side that held, I couldnt tell that it came out of the side. Went to the end that gave, which was a stretch, it was also where the roof starts to little head room to work with. And I felt were it pulled the old tounge and groove down, I could feel between it and the rafter and could feel the threads of the eye bolt. It wasnt perfectly center, but far from protruding from the side of the rafter.

Now im not sure of the best method to secure this swing? If I find a 9" eye bolt... I think it will be very hard to free hand drill a hole perfectly center in a rafter. And if i did the end that gave has no room to drill from the top down. I would have to do it completely blind from the porch up. Plus it seems like putting a hole in the rafter straight through liek that would hurt its structural support.

Only thing I can think of is some threaded rod with a bracket stradeling the rafter froming through the ceiling and bolting to something like this:

Pictyre link:

http://images.buzzillions.com/images_pr ... 53_raw.jpg

Im probably missing something obvious, any help/ideas guys?

[F9K9]

I wish I could help you out. No porch here at my place.

[DLP]

You might want to drill all the way through and use a large backer plate with I bolts. The I screws will work loose after awhile.

[fallvitals]

Let's say I could drill through the 2x8 without going astray and popping out the side of it, what will it do to it structurally? I can't see, lets say, a near 1/2" hole in a 1 1/2" wide rafter would be good for it?

How about this, a grade 8 u bolt on the rafter and these mounted to it:

http://images.buzzillions.com/images_pr ... 53_raw.jpg

Seems like the simplest way to go, and should work just fine. I think I read those brackets are 5"' wide, so plenty wide enough to span the rafter.

Now the problem is finding that u bolt in the right width, length, grade. If I can't I found this place that will custom bend agrade 8 u bolt.

http://www.truckspring.com/suspension-p ... d-rod.aspx

[HenryJ]

U-bolts or strap steel over the truss. Don't drill it. You might as well cut it in two, structurally.

[fallvitals]

Someone gave me another idea for mounting this thing. I think its the way im gonna do it. And will be A LOT cheaper then buying those $40 brackets plus possibly having custom u bolts made.

Take some 2x6s, cut em to span the joists (i ment joists guys! not rafters! lol). He said to use one for each side of the swing, I am gonna put 3 of those 2x6's together with carriage bolts so its essintially a 6x6. Drill the center 2x6 where you want your eye bolt. use lag bolts to secure it to the joists. Then run your eye bolt through it.

I like that idea alot. Way cheaper, It will be connected to two joists rather then one. And the eye bolt will go all the way thread and secured with a large washer/nut to keep from pulling through.