4x6 okay for a wood swing bar?

I am 100% not an expert at woodworking, but I couldn't find a playset online that would work for our sloped yard. Mid-build after using a free plan online to make the main section. I've learned a ton and will give myself more wiggle room with excess wood next time. Although not as pretty as I would like, the structure is attached to anchors in cement and doesn't wiggle except for the tiniest bit. I am finishing the main fort tomorrow and plan to add some corner brackets to maintain stability over time. Reason for the post here. I still haven't decided how to go about a swing area. The plan I found uses a monkey bar setup using 4x4s and attaches to the main fort. I initially liked this since the ground in our yard is sloped so we can anchor and cut the posts to size just like we did/will for the main fort. After reading more, I wonder if 4x6s might be better for the top crossbar holding the swings. I was also toying with the idea of copying a store-bought playset swing bar with a 4x6 bolted across to two 4x4 posts. Should the top posts carrying swings always be 4x6s or larger? Could I safely do this style crossbar swing bar with a 4x6, and if so, how do I properly attach it to the 4x4s? I would want it on the front side with the slide in the photo attached for reference. The playset I was looking at as an example for the crossbar swing post is the Gorilla Five Star II Space Saver Swing Set submitted by /u/Easy_Amphibian_1797 [link] [comments]

Jun 1, 2025 - 06:46

I am 100% not an expert at woodworking, but I couldn't find a playset online that would work for our sloped yard. Mid-build after using a free plan online to make the main section. I've learned a ton and will give myself more wiggle room with excess wood next time. Although not as pretty as I would like, the structure is attached to anchors in cement and doesn't wiggle except for the tiniest bit. I am finishing the main fort tomorrow and plan to add some corner brackets to maintain stability over time.

Reason for the post here. I still haven't decided how to go about a swing area. The plan I found uses a monkey bar setup using 4x4s and attaches to the main fort. I initially liked this since the ground in our yard is sloped so we can anchor and cut the posts to size just like we did/will for the main fort. After reading more, I wonder if 4x6s might be better for the top crossbar holding the swings. I was also toying with the idea of copying a store-bought playset swing bar with a 4x6 bolted across to two 4x4 posts. Should the top posts carrying swings always be 4x6s or larger? Could I safely do this style crossbar swing bar with a 4x6, and if so, how do I properly attach it to the 4x4s? I would want it on the front side with the slide in the photo attached for reference. The playset I was looking at as an example for the crossbar swing post is the Gorilla Five Star II Space Saver Swing Set

submitted by /u/Easy_Amphibian_1797
[link] [comments]