Backyard rope swings, about as American as baseball, apple pie, and Tarzan, will entertain for years to come. You just can’t beat the fun-to-dollar ratio of a hank of rope, a scrap of wood, and an old faithful tree.* A couple of knots are all you need.

*The swingin’ branch should be at least 6 inches thick (15 cm) and over 8 feet above the ground (205 m).

** A quick note about nylon rope: It’s one of the strongest general-purpose ropes you can get. It will last four to five times longer than a natural-fiber rope because of its higher abrasion resistance and good resistance to chemicals, oil, and UV light (sunshine). Twisted nylon rope, as opposed to braided rope, also has the ability to stretch and snap back into shape. This makes it great for absorbing shock loads, like the kind generated when 80-pound (36-kg) kids reach the bottom of their swinging arcs.

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Locate a tree and requisite branch. Bigger and higher is always better. If you find a 6-inch branch 90 feet up, call me. I want to swing from that baby!

2. You’ll want to have enough rope to make it from the ground to the branch with about 6 feet left over. Just get more rope than you think you’ll need. It’s got a million uses, and it’s better to have too much than too little. Grab what will be the tree-branch end of the rope and heat it with the lighter to prevent it from fraying. When, in a minute or so, you see that all of the fibers have melted together, it’s done.

3. This would be a good time to practice tying a bow-line.

4. Okay, let’s do this thing. Tie a stopper knot 8 feet from the tree-branch end of the rope. Slide the garden hose over the tied-off end of the rope, stick the tail end in your back pocket, and climb the tree. I always take the adventurous route, but you can use a ladder too, if the branch is close enough.

5. Read ahead a bit now—don’t go taking this book into the tree with you! Reading these instructions while you’re hanging from a 50-foot-long branch is like calling the IRS and telling them you skipped a few steps on your taxes. It’s just asking for trouble.

6. Okay, you’ll be bear-hugging the branch with your legs. Don’t look down. Place the hose-covered section of rope on the branch about 8 feet from the trunk. Make sure to leave about 2 feet of rope sticking out past the end of the hose.

7. Next comes the moment of truth. Tie the bowline. Leave enough slack in it so you can put a fist through the loop. This will allow for some movement while preventing excessive rubbing among the rope, hose and tree.

8. Check to make sure the knot is tight. If it is, you’re golden and can monkey your way down from the tree.

9. Now grab the piece of redwood. This will be the swing step. Drill a ¾-inch hole through the center of it and give all the edges a good sanding.

10. Tie three stopper knots in the rope—6 feet, 5 feet, and 4 feet off the ground.

11. Pull the rope through the hole in the swing step, positioning it 3 feet off of the ground. Tie two stopper knots in the rope directly beneath the step.

12. Now you should have a perfect swinging platform. Cut off the rest of the rope a few inches above the ground and melt the end with the lighter as before.

As I said, any leftover rope will have a million uses—a jump rope for instance. Hey, two projects in one!

Excerpted with permission from Handy Dad: 25 Awesome Projects for Dads and Kids © 2010 by Todd Davis, photographs © 2010 by Juli Stewart and Todd Davis, Chronicle Books.