The summer heat can be beat with a DIY hammock stand! With some of these easy step by step how to’s, you can soon be sitting back and enjoying your own wood hammock stand. Keep on reading to learn just how easy this is to build!
Build Your Own DIY Hammock Stand
DIY Wood Hammock Stand Step 1: Supplies
You’ll need some particular supplies to make your lazy daydreaming a reality. Here’s a list of all you need for your DIY hammock stand:
- Eight 8′ 2×4 boards with a few scrap pieces of about 6″ in length
- Four 1/2″ diameter, 12″ long bolts
- Six 1/2″ diameter, 8″ long bolts- Please note that the 12″ and 8″ bolts will be sticking out a bit. This provides stability for the hammock, but you can opt for slightly shorter bolts if you’d prefer.
- Ten 1/2″ nuts
- Ten 1/2″ washers
- Measuring tape
- Circular saw or chop saw
- Drill and 1/2″ paddle bit
- Deck screws
DIY Wood Hammock Stand Step 2: Hammock!
Once you’ve got the supplies for the stand, it’s important to purchase the actual hammock before you can sit back and relax in peace. You can opt for something ornate and beautiful (but still comfy!) like this hammock, or you can go the heavy duty route and get a canvas hammock like this. Both will wear nicely with proper care, but it’s a good idea to match your porch decor where you can.
DIY Wood Hammock Stand Step 3: Drill
Before taking a single step, it helped me to keep a mental image of the hammock stand in my mind. The stand reminds me of a Viking ship or a bowl, where the two sides slant up at an angle from the base. Now the following steps will make sense. Start by laying two 8′ boards parallel to each other on the ground. Then, using your paddle bit, drill a hole 6″ from both sides of both boards.
DIY Wood Hammock Stand Step 4: Drill & Align
Next, take two more of your 8′ boards and lay them flat on the ground. Again using the paddle bit, drill a hole 4″ from one end only on each board. Then line up all four boards that you’ve drilled through so that the holes line up. Insert one of your scrap pieces in the middle after drilling a hole in the middle. Insert a 12″ bolt through all 5 holes and secure with a nut and washer. DO NOT tighten the bolts too tight yet! You will need to angle the boards in the shape of your hammock stand before tightening them down firmly.
DIY Wood Hammock Stand Step 5: Repeat
Once you have one side lined up and bolted, you’ll repeat step 4 using two more 8′ boards, a second piece of scrap wood, and another 12″ bolt. When step 5 is complete, you will have 6 boards bolted and laid out in a long line.
DIY Wood Hammock Stand Step 6: Angles
With your base structure bolted (loosely!), you’re ready to determine the angle at which the sides will be set. To do this, pull out your hammock and lay it down on the ground above your base. Next, slant the side boards up to make that Viking ship or bowl shape. You will stretch the hammock between the boards, looking to see at what point the hammock will hang about 4-5′ off the ground. This is the angle at which you will set the sides and secure the bolts.
DIY Wood Hammock Stand Step 7: Secure the Bolts
Be sure that when you are securing the nuts and bolts that both sets are fixed at the same angle. I recommend using a protractor for this step.
DIY Wood Hammock Stand Step 8: Set Braces
Once your base frame is set and secured, you’ll need to make stabilizing braces for frame support. To do this, take and cut in half an 8′ board. Drill a hole about 4″ from each end of both 4′ pieces. Then place each half on either end of the frame above the joints. Next, determine the angle at which the braces will be set and then drill holes through the base boards where the brace will attach to the base. Bolt together the braces and the frame using scrap pieces as fillers.
DIY Wood Hammock Stand Step 9: Feet
You will need to add “feet” to your base to help your hammock frame stand upright. Take an 8′ board and cut it in half. Screw one of the new 4′ boards underneath each end of the frame using deck screws.
DIY Wood Hammock Stand Step 10: S Hooks
Most hammocks are sold with S hooks to hang from. For this step, you will add an 8″ bolt to both ends of your frame so you can attach the S hooks. You will place the bolt at the point where you had decided your hammock will hang from back in step 6. Simply drill holes and slide the bolt through. Also secure/screw a piece of scrap wood between the frame boards about 4″ below the bolt. Attach the S hooks.
DIY Wood Hammock Stand Step 11: Tighten the Bolts
You’re almost done! All that’s left to do is make sure all bolts have been tightened and that everything is structurally secure. You now have a hammock of your very own to use whenever you’d like. So why the heck are you still sitting here?! Go grab a book, some sunglasses, and go take a nap in your easy DIY hammock stand!
Since you’ll be relaxing in your diy hammock stand, check out these DIY self care suggestions to help soothe the soul.
