SWING TIME

In my youth, a back yard wasn’t a back yard without a leaning collection of rusty pipes and crooked swings. With the first sign of wanner weather, my hooligan pals and I took to the back yard swing set like a long-lost friend.

Swing sets have come a long way. In fact, one local husband-and-wife team frowns on the term “swing set” altogether and terms themselves inventors of “The Amazing Imagination Machine.”

Joe and Debbie Monaghan started Dallas Custom Swings soon after trying to assemble a store-bought set in their garage. Realizing that anything they could come up with would be better than what they had just invested their time and money in, the Monaghans began designing, building, and testing their own set.

Now (hat their company is in full swing, the Monaghans feel the handmade craftsmanship, construction, and assembly of their swings leave other companies in the sandbox. Each set is made of number one grade, high-density, “Wolmanized” yellow Southern pine. (The lumber is coated with a concoction of chemicals to protect it from wood rot and insects.) Using wood for the frame avoids the problems of the swing sets we grew up with-rust, malleability, rips, and tears. AH hardware is countersunk inside the wood so that bolts and nuts are safely out of a child’s reach.

Once the wooden frame is ready to go, the Monaghans add the finishing touches. To avoid splintering, astro-turf, instead of wood, lines the jungle gym floor. A durable polyvinyl-coated canvas encloses the top of the tent, and brass fixtures secure it in place. Each slide bed is made of Rovel, a weather-resistant material found on the floors of hot tubs and spas. Unlike metal, Rovel doesn’t splinter or rip, and it keeps the slide cool, even on the worst of summer days. The swings are hung on polypropylene rope, which is durable (it can support up to 1,000 pounds) and resistant to moisture, oil. and acid. Finally, all wood parts are sanded, stained, and sealed, then finished with varnish for an extra layer of protection and shine.

The list of optional swing set additions runs a full page in the company brochure. The old standbys are still available: forts, jungle gyms, slides, and sandboxes are among the most requested add-ons. But the non-traditional features available are enough to make children out of us all. The “Lunar Orbiter Glid-er,” a four-seater wooden swing, blasts off four children (or two adults and two children) at the same time. The “Space Walk,” made of wooden planks loosely connected by rope, gives the shaky illusion that London bridge really is falling down. There are adult body swings, wooden airplanes, trapeze and ring swings, even hammocks and love seats. Whatever you choose, all equipment is designed to support the weight of a child or an adult.

Prices range from $350 for a basic two-swing unit to $2,500 for the works. And each unit is delivered and assembled by Joe Monaghan himself. (He’ll even relocate the set should you move to another house.) Slap on the two-year unconditional guarantee on work-manship, defects, and materials and a lifetime warranty against wood rot and insect damage, and you may have found a toy that will swing with the next generation.