Question about Indoor Hanging

**Ramblinrev** · 05-29-2011, 11:37

The standard wooden door frame is nominal 1" lumber meaning a thickness of 3/4". It is set in the opening with shim wedges and a few nails. Go to the hardware store and look at hinges for doors. The screws are no more than 3/4" long. They are intended to hold the hinges to the frame and that's about it. Metal external security frame is a bit stronger but those would be hard to come by in an interior wall, and would not be cost effective for something like a closet.

Hanging from the rough opening double stud framing is less problematic but still depends entirely on the quality of the construction which is difficult to assess once the wall is covered.

**-FiveFiveSix-** · 05-29-2011, 15:16

walls are alot stronger then people think... Im 180lb and I have several indoor mounts.. only 2 of witch are in door frames. The rest are just stud to stud... I have been in the construction industry my hole life, I have built and framed countless walls, houses, and office buildings, Im am not in the least worried about my walls failing... However I would not trust a 2x4 by its self.. If you were dig a hole pour some concrete and shove a 2x4 in it, and plan to hang off it you may have some issues. However the 2x4 in the wall is not only tied in at the top and bottom, but is ussually finished with drywall, now as week drywall is, having it on both sides of the stud ties it in with the studs in the rest of the walls, thus distrubiting the weight even more... If your really that worried, buy a 8ft 2x4, cut it in half, and mount it across 3 studs, and hang in peace...

**Big Joe** · 05-29-2011, 16:43

Originally Posted by -FiveFiveSix-

walls are alot stronger then people think... Im 180lb and I have several indoor mounts.. only 2 of witch are in door frames. The rest are just stud to stud... I have been in the construction industry my hole life, I have built and framed countless walls, houses, and office buildings, Im am not in the least worried about my walls failing... However I would not trust a 2x4 by its self.. If you were dig a hole pour some concrete and shove a 2x4 in it, and plan to hang off it you may have some issues. However the 2x4 in the wall is not only tied in at the top and bottom, but is ussually finished with drywall, now as week drywall is, having it on both sides of the stud ties it in with the studs in the rest of the walls, thus distrubiting the weight even more... If your really that worried, buy a 8ft 2x4, cut it in half, and mount it across 3 studs, and hang in peace...

I am a carpenter with 20 years experience and couldn't agree more with what was said in the above quote make sure you are in the center of the stud predrill for your fastener and don't over-tighten and know whats in the wall before you drill or screw stud finders that tell you of electrical and plumbing are way to cheap not to have one that being said i have been hanging full time since febuary on 2 D-rings hung across the room in the corners pre drilled for the 3/8ths x 3" lags and have had no creaking or cracks forming in the drywall and I weigh in at 380 lbs and my girl had joined me many times for naps and that put 490 lbs in the hammock

**Chicky** · 05-29-2011, 16:47

I would definitely recommend eye bolts in studs, but you must be careful in your planning. The "pulling out of the wall" force that a stud feels when you sit in the hammock depends on the sag of your hammock, and thus, the angle your hammock suspension makes with the wall. So the tighter your hammock is set up, the more likely your eye bolt will rip out.

In my bedroom the eye bolts are fixed to adjacent, not opposing walls. This minimizes the force of the eye bolt being pulled directly out because of the horizontal angle the hammock has to the wall it's attached to. I also have them spaced such that the angle the hammock suspension makes coming up from the wall (ie vertically) is less than 45 degrees. This ensures that a large portion of my weight force is distributed DOWN into the eye bolt as opposed to OUT.

So, set your eye bolts high and to adjacent walls. This distributes the force on the bolts (and thus, the stud) on three different axes and minimizes the chances of the bolts coming out, or worse.

Attached are some pics from my setup, which is quite sturdy for me (165 lbs.)

chicky

Edit: After reading the last post, maybe you don't have to be so careful in your planning! Walls must be stronger than we think.

**Ramblinrev** · 05-29-2011, 17:33

Maybe it is unique to lumber yards around here but I've seen some 2x4's that I wouldn't walk on if they were laying flat on a concrete floor. I've got a friend where some of her interior walls were built (before her time there) out of 2x3's. Know what's there and how it's built.

**wisenber** · 05-29-2011, 20:10

Originally Posted by Divine_Light

I'm in a 7'x7' box room, that's why I'd want to go to a hammock to save room.

A 7X7 square makes for less than 10 feet on the diagonal. That probably isn't enough to hang a hammock properly.

**wisenber** · 05-29-2011, 20:25

Originally Posted by Ramblinrev

Maybe it is unique to lumber yards around here but I've seen some 2x4's that I wouldn't walk on if they were laying flat on a concrete floor. I've got a friend where some of her interior walls were built (before her time there) out of 2x3's. Know what's there and how it's built.

A lot does depend on the lumber used. Beech has a full 50% stronger tensile strength than oak, while oak has a greater compression strength than beech. Then there is the question of whether the studs have dried more due to heat in the house or gotten overly damp or even a past termite infestation.

**johnlvs2run** · 05-30-2011, 00:21

Originally Posted by Big Joe

i have been hanging full time since febuary on 2 D-rings hung across the room in the corners pre drilled for the 3/8ths x 3" lags and have had no creaking or cracks forming in the drywall and I weigh in at 380 lbs and my girl had joined me many times for naps and that put 490 lbs in the hammock

I found D rings with a 2,000 lb capacity but they only have 1/4 inch holes.

Do you think these should be sufficient with 1/4 x 3 inch lag bolts?

Also do you think it's a good advantage to have two D rings on each side?
That seems to me to primarily cut the angle in 1/2, and puts the weight more vertical on the studs.
I wonder if I should do the same thing being 150#? If so, I could always just use eye bolts in place of the bottom ones.

**Divine_Light** · 05-30-2011, 01:10

Originally Posted by wisenber

A 7X7 square makes for less than 10 feet on the diagonal. That probably isn't enough to hang a hammock properly.

I was thinking of having carabiners on a Lark's Head loop around the whipped ends of a hammock.

**kayak karl** · 05-30-2011, 02:11

why not a pipe frame? up one corner, diagonal across ceiling and down other. flange to floor. can't fall over. little supports to stop from scaring wall.
just a thought!