Assembly Instructions for a Glider Swing With Canopy

A glider swing can provide a really peaceful afternoon on a warm summer's day, and adding a canopy to the top can prevent you from getting too warm. However, without proper assembly instructions, a perfectly good swing may end up as nothing more than a pile of sticks or metal tube. Fortunately, glider swings with canopies are easy to build as well as take apart, allowing for easy storage during colder months.

Screwdriver

Wrench set

Rubber mallet

Washers (enough for all of the screws included in the glider kit)

Glider and canopy kit

Lay out the pieces of your glider swing on your work surface. Doing so will help you to locate the parts with ease as you assemble the swing. Grouping similar parts together will also help to organize your project as you move through the steps.

Locate the seat and the arms. Using the screwdriver, screw the arms into place on the seat, one on each side and facing the same way.

Find the four swing support struts. Depending on your model of glider swing, these four struts may be the same height or two may be slightly shorter than the others. If they are paired in different heights, attach the longer pieces to the front of the seat and the shorter pieces on to the back. Use washers between the arm and the struts.

Bring the two struts on the left side of the seat up and together, so they form a triangle. Loop the hooked spring or chain into the two holes to keep the struts together in a triangle shape. Repeat on the right side.

Locate the A-frame. The A-frame top will be the longest beam in your set. Note whether or not the frame has brackets attached to the ends. If the brackets are attached, skip to Step Six. If not, find the brackets and attach them to the ends so that the legs point down at about a 30-degree angle.

Attach the four leg pieces to the top of the A-frame. Use the screws and washers as you did when attaching the arms.

Bolt the side panel or side bar to the two left-hand legs. Repeat on the right-hand side.

Attach the back strut. The back strut is a narrow beam which should be about as long as the top beam. Bolt it to the two rear legs.

Fit together the canopy frame pieces. These pieces should form a rectangle and bolt into place.

Stretch the fabric canopy over the rectangular canopy frame. Start by fitting one corner into place, then attach the opposite corner. Next, slip the remaining two corners over the frame. Adjust the fabric so that it is evenly stretched across the frame and is smooth from corner to corner.

Screw the canopy bolts into the sides of the canopy frame. There should be holes in the sides of the canopy frame, screw the bolts in about halfway to each side.

Put the canopy over the top of the A-frame so that the bolts on the side line up with the holes in the center of the top beam. Screw the bolts all the way into place. Tilt the canopy to the desired angle, then tighten the bolts so the canopy does not slip.

Hang the seat on the U-shaped hooks hanging from the top beam on the frame. This is task that may be easier to complete if you have an extra pair of hands. Lift the seat up by the chain or spring.

Make sure all bolts and screws are tightened properly. Not doing so may increase chances of the seat coming apart.