Cypress is one tough wood, but even more than that, it looks phenomenal. The charming irregularities of the grain are like windswept water rippling from a skipped pebble.

For our eye-delighting Cypress Swing Stand, we steam-bend and hot-glue seven ¾-inch sections of solid Southern cypress to form a single beam, magnifying the inherent distinctiveness and strength already there in the wood.

While the sheer density of cypress keeps it from losing much of its natural oil, and luster, the wood does age to muted silver-gray – if you love that beachy weathered look, then just let the cypress do its natural thing. Cypress also looks tremendous when coated in a good high-gloss varnish, and maintaining this swing stand’s lustrous original sheen is simple. Just use some light-grit sandpaper on the wood before applying a couple coats of polyurethane wood varnish (we use the Olympic brand’s Maximum Water Proofing Sealant and Penetrating Oil, the Honey Gold Formula, available at most hardware stores).

One side-effect of owning this swing stand: Your neighbors are certain to experience cypress envy!