Swift

This is the story of how my swift was designed.

One morning I asked my ex-husband to make me a simple swift out of wood. I made a quick drawing showing him what I wanted. As you can see from the drawing, I didn't give him much to work with. He looked at it and decide that pvc pipe would also work. The biggest problem was trying to do it on a tight budget. We decided to use a patio block for the base with an end cap screwed to it. He used 3/4" pipe for the upright and the orginal head. He watched me using it and decided that he didn't like the way the pegs kept coming out. He knew that the arms had to be adjustable, so that I could use different size skiens on it. I was showing him my niddy-noddy and he was playing with a piece of the 3/4" pipe and it slide into the 1" pipe that my niddy-noddy was made out of...He decided to redesign the head so that the center was the bigger pipe with the smaller pipe sliding in and out for adjustment. Below are some pics of the swift and the directions to make it.


This is the drawing I gave him to work from.	This is the original head with the pegs. I am sitting in the backyard, of the house we rented, using it.	This is the final version of the swift on the inside base.

Directions for making the swift

Head:

1 3/4" 45 degree angle
4 1/2" end caps
4 3/4" to 1/2" 90 degree angles
1 1" 4 way connector
1 2 1/2" #10 screw
2 washers to fit screw
1 locknut to fit screw

1 3/4" end cap
20" of 1" pvc pipe with 3/4" inside diameter
32" of 3/4" pvc pipe
20" of 1/2" pvc pipe

Cut the 1" pipe into 4-5" sections, the 1/2" pipe into 4-5" sections and the 3/4" pipe into 4-8" sections.

Drill a hole in the 4-way connector and the 3/4" end cap for the screw. Screw the 4-way connector to the end cap.

Place the end cap in the 3/4" 45 degree angle.

Put a 90 degree angle on one end of each of the 3/4" pipes and insert the 1/2" pipe into them.

Place the 1/2" end caps on the pipes.

Put the 1" pipe into the 4-way connector and slide the 3/4" pipe into it.

The 1" and 1/2" pipes can be glued to the connectors and angles if you want. DO NOT GLUE THE 3/4" PIPE TO THE 1", as it must slide in and out to allow you to adjust the size of the swift arms.

Base:

Patio block of your choice
3/4" end cap-make sure it is flat
1 #10 screw that is long enough to go through the patio brick.

1 locknut to fit screw
3/4" pvc pipe

Drill a hole through the patio block and the end cap.

Screw them together.

Insert a piece of 3/4" pvc pipe of the length you want.

Here are some close up pictures of the swift, to show construction.


Base of swift	End of arms	Head connection