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A seesaw is a lever with a liability attached, so this build spends its effort exactly where it should: the pivot. The beam is two 8-foot 2x4s sandwiched around the handle supports — a laminated beam far stiffer than any single board — swinging on a 5/8" bolt through a pair of 2x6 uprights on a wide cross-shaped base. Washers ride each side of the uprights so the beam pivots on steel, not on wood grinding wood.
The smartest feature costs three extra holes: the uprights are drilled at three heights, so the pivot moves up as the kids grow — and moving the bolt to a lower hole makes the ride gentler for the small ones. The source builders are honest that aligning the bolt holes through four thicknesses is the hardest part; their fix (drill the holes a touch oversize so the bolt passes without binding) is correct, and it also makes the height changes practical.
Seats are 1x8 offcuts padded with a foam chair pad halved and wrapped in outdoor fabric; handles are closet-rod dowel glued and screwed into drilled holes. Set it on grass, not concrete — the ground under a seesaw is part of the safety equipment.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 2x4, 8 ftThe laminated beam. | 2 each |
| 2x6, 8 ftUprights, base, and handle supports — cut one of each length from each board to conserve stock. | 2 each |
| 1x8, 3 ftThe two seats. Scrap works. | 1 each |
| Bolt, 5/8" x 10", with nut and four washersThe pivot. Washers on BOTH sides of each upright — steel bears on steel, not wood. | 1 each |
| Dowel, 1", 24"Closet rod — the two handles. | 1 each |
| Exterior screws, #9 x 2-1/2", self-tapping | 50 each |
| Exterior wood glue | 8 oz |
| Foam chair pad and outdoor fabricOne pad, cut in half — two seats. | 1 each |
Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Beam boards | 2 | 1 1/2" × 3 1/2" × 96" |
| Uprights2x6Drilled at three heights for the adjustable pivot. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 24" |
| Long base2x6 | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 36" |
| Short base2x6Both ends 30° off square, NOT parallel — the splayed feet. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 24" |
| Handle supports2x6Shorter scrap works. | 2 | 1 1/2" × 5 1/2" × 12" |
| Seats1x8 | 2 | 3/4" × 7 1/4" × 15" |
Some parts are longer than a 8 ft board, so there is no honest board count to show here. Open the board plan to pick a longer stock length — it names every part that does not fit.
3 boards
0 boards
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Screw and glue the long base boards to the uprights — 'lots of screws' is the technical specification, and it's right: this junction takes the full alternating load of two launching children. Keep the uprights dead parallel to each other; the beam has to swing between them.
Attach the 30°-cut short base pieces as side supports, again with screws and glue everywhere. The splay is the anti-tip geometry — the seesaw's side-to-side stability all lives here.
Sandwich the two handle supports between the two 8-foot 2x4s — one support a seat-width from each end — with glue and screws driven from both faces in a staggered pattern.
Then drill the 5/8" pivot hole through the dead center of the beam. Measure twice: an off-center pivot builds a seesaw that favors one kid forever.
Drill three 5/8" holes up each upright at matching heights — the height options. Drill them a touch oversize (the source's hard-won advice): the bolt must pass through upright-beam-upright without a hammer fight, or you'll never actually use the adjustability.
Hang the beam: washer, upright, washer, beam, washer, upright, washer, nut. Snug, not crushing — it's a bearing, not a clamp. Screw and glue the padded seats over the beam ends, drill 1" holes through the handle supports, and glue and screw the dowel handles in.
Sand everything a child touches, set it on grass, and enforce the one seesaw rule: nobody dismounts without warning the other end.
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