The Simple and Elegant Hammock Stand

It is the season for being outside and what better way to enjoy this time than in your favorite hammock. Unfortunately for some of us no viable trees are around to help. Therefore we must build. The following is a simple but elegant hammock stand.

This hammock stand is designed for the eyelets to be 11 ft apart and 45 inches from the ground. If you need longer you can either drill the eyelet holes further along the arms or use longer boards for the center base (2x6). If you need shorter you can use shorter boards in the middle or use extensions from the hooks. i.e. chain, rope or hammock mounting straps. The arms can easily be removed for storage if desired or if your hammock of choice changes through the years.

To help with this build I have provided some templates for marking where to drill the main holes that hold the arms in place. I have also provided an arc template if you want to change the aesthetic of the legs. To ensure the templates printed correctly overlay the base and arm templates and align the drill locations. They should match.

The main material is dimensional lumber from your local home improvement store. Depending on the location of the stand pressure treated lumber may be your best option but cedar and untreated lumber can also work.

Lumber

2x - 2x8 by 4 ft

2x - 2x6 by 6 ft

2x - 4x4 by 5.5 ft

2x - 2x4 by 8-9 inches or off cut 4x4

Hardware

4x - 1/2" Bolts - 8" long

2x -1/2" threaded eye bolts (the hammock will attach to these, ensure they are long enough to go through the 4x4.

6x - 1/2" lock nuts

8x - 1/2" fender washers

12x - 3" screws (use correct type if using pressure treated lumber)

8x - 2 5/8" or 3" screws (use correct type if using pressure treated lumber)

Tools

This project can be done with a wide variety of tools. The most important aspect is you need to be able to cut and drill square to the boards. The rest is not vitally important due to the provided templates. What I used is in no particular order below.

-Personal Protective Equipment - Safety Glasses, Hearing Protection, Dust Mask

-Chop saw/Miter saw

-Cordless drill

-Cordless Impact driver

-Two adjustable wrenches

-Socket Set

-Tape Measure

-Pencil

-5/8" Spade Bit

-1/2" Spade Bit

-Drill bit to pre-drill holes for screws

-Clamps can be handy or a second set of hands at times.

-Carpenter or framing square

-The provided Templates

-Scissors

Optional Tools

-Jigsaw to make the legs a little nicer with a curve

-Sandpaper

-Some type of finish - You can finish this just like a wooden deck

-Hacksaw or angle grinder if the bolts are too long.

Now for the fun part. Depending on what length you are starting with cut to the lengths above. There are two base boards (2x6 by 6ft) and they need to be exactly the same length to ensure a strong stand. The rest of the lengths are not as important.

We will now use the provided templates to mark the main holes that will hold the arms in place. Cut out the Templates as shown. Use something with a sharp point to make a mark through the paper template for each hole location. I used the point of one of the spade bits (not in the drill) to make a mark. The Arm template will be used once per arm (4x4). The Base Template will be used twice per board, once for each end. The end should be mirrored from each other so flip the template over the side that says "Board continues this way". Take a look at the Assembly pictures if you need clarification on orientation of the holes. It is important when drilling the holes to ensure they are perpendicular to the surface. This will allow everything to go together. Drill the holes with a 5/8" spade bit or equivalent bit all the way through the boards. Using the templates you can drill one board at a time.

The next set of holes to drill are for the eye bolts. These will be 5 ft from the ends the templates were used on, and on one of the faces with no holes. Mark the center of the boards and drill with a 1/2 inch bit all the way through. Repeat with the other arm.

We can now cut the ends of the arms to the 45 degree bevel as shown on the template. Cut the template to expose the wood, mark the board and make the cut. This cut does not have to be very precise just error on the side of longer is a little better.

The opposite end of the arms can be left with the original cut or you can mount a solar light to the end by cutting at 22.5 degrees and using the off cut to make the end parallel to the ground as shown in the pictures.

You can add the eye bolts now and fasten the nuts. The eye needs to be on the longer side of the arm. [Note: depending on the length of the eye bolt a lock nut may not work and a regular nut will need to be used. If the eye bolt is very long the excess threaded end of the bolt can be cut off with a hack saw or angle grinder. If the hammock you are using needs a hook rather than an eye the hack saw can be used to remove a portion of the eye to make a hook. Be careful to not remove too much causing the hammock to slip off the hook.]

If you are opting to make the ends of the legs (2x4 by 4ft) fancy with the curve feel free to use the provided template and cut out with a jigsaw or other equally appropriate device. If you want to do something else, the world is your oyster.

This is a great time to apply any desired finish to all the lumber. You can do it later but then it is like finishing a deck and most people do not enjoy that.

We will begin by attaching the two short lengths of 2x4 or chunk of 4x4. These are to help stiffen the base and act as spacers. Their placement is not crucial. I put mine about 24" in from the ends of the base boards but the exact location does not really matter. Place them at an angle so they do not stick out. Only attach them to one base board for now with 2 5/8" or 3" screws. Two screws per chunk per side is plenty.

We are going to assemble the rest of the base upside down. This is so gravity can work in our favor. The finished stand has a gap under the center base boards to help with stability on lumpy ground. Flip the legs(2x8) upside down if they have arcs on the ends and flip the two base boards and two legs upside down (see pictures for orientation).Move the two legs so the baseboards are centered on them. The baseboards should have 2x4's between them. Ensure the baseboards are both in contact with the leg and square to each other. Drill three holes per baseboard end and screw the legs to the baseboard with the 3" screws. This will use 6 screws per leg, 12 total. {Note: the boards you are screwing into are not as tall as the legs. Bias the holes toward the ground as shown in the pictures. Also be careful to not squeeze the free ends of the baseboards together. If this happens the arms may not fit. A chunk of 4x4 can be used to ensure proper spacing in maintained. Once this is complete screw to the other base board as well.]

Now we can add the arms. Flip the base back over. The cut surface from the 45 degree on the arms will be facing the ground. This will orient the eye bolts so they are facing each other. Take the long bolts and add a fender washer. Start one in a hole. Align the arm (a second person may be helpful) and slide the bolt through. Repeat with the remaing bolt and the other arm. Add a washer to the exposed bolt ends and apply the lock nuts. They do not need to be super tight, just snug to the washer.

You now have a hammock stand. Add the hammock of your choice and enjoy some well earned rest. One final note, the stand will creak the first time you use it. This is the arms shifting toward each other when you apply weight to the hammock. Typically they will stay in this position after some minor initial adjustment. Now go enjoy that hammock!