How To Build a Cat Hammock

Cut the base

• Whether you’re building a cat house or any kind of cat furniture, you need a sturdy base.
• Cut one 2×4 into four pieces 21 inches long.
• Miter the four pieces 45 degrees inward from both ends.
  • These should look like boats (\_/), not parallelograms (/_/).

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Cut the arms

• Miter the other 2×4 on one end at 45 degrees.
• From the pointed end, measure 21 inches. Don’t turn the board.
• Miter 45 degrees again at your mark, in the same direction as before.
• Repeat until you have four parallelograms (/_/).

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Drill the base holes

• Clamp two base pieces together, flush with each other.
• Place the flat side down and clamp to the table.
• Drill 3/8-in. holes through both legs roughly 1-1/2-in. equidistant from ends, centered.
• Repeat on other end, then repeat on other two base pieces.

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Lay out the base

• Keep the base pieces clamped and turn one set on edge, long side up.
• Find and mark the center with a straight line spanning the top of both pieces.
• Measure and mark 3/4-in. from each side of the center line.
• Measure and mark 2-1/4-in. from each side of the center line.
  • Make Xs on the outer 1-1/2-in. segments.
• Repeat on other two base pieces, this time with short side up.

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Notch the base

• Set your circular saw so the depth of the cut equals half the width of the 2x4s (1-3/4-in.).
• Use the speed square to align the circular saw on one of your outer marks.
• Make repeated passes of approximately 1/8-in. to 1/4-in., using your speed square to keep the saw aligned with each pass.
  • Stop cutting when you reach the center segment.
• Repeat on the other side where your second X is.
• Repeat on other base pieces, cutting between the marks you made earlier.

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Remove the wood notches

• Place chisel between the notches and move back and forth to loosen.
• Use chisel and hammer to knock out wood chips.
• Clean up any wood left behind using chisel.
• Unclamp wood. Turn all pieces short-side down and fit base together in a crosshatch pattern.
• Check the fit. If base does not sit flush, chisel or sand notches to remove impediments.

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Drill arms

• Insert one arm between the base pieces and hold flush with table and end of base.
• Insert pencil into 3/8-in. drilled hole and mark arm.
• Drill 3/8-in. hole on mark.
• Repeat on three other arms.
• Drill 1-in. hole using hole saw on other end of all four arms.

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Assemble

• Hold the arm in place between two base pieces and line up the holes.
• Slide the carriage bolt through all three pieces of wood.
• Add the washer and nut. Tighten.
• Repeat for all four arms.
• Gather any cat toys you want to add so that they’re handy.

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Add dowels

• Cut dowels into 6-in. lengths with a miter or circular saw.
• Sand rough edges with a sander, or a sanding block and sandpaper.
• Push through the hole saw holes.

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Paint or stain

• Similar to a cat tree, you can paint or stain your DIY cat hammock after assembly.
• Sand wood with a sander or sanding block to round edges and remove manufacturer marks.
• Remove dust with mineral spirits, if needed.
• Paint or stain as desired, or leave as raw wood.

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Add hammock

Make or buy hammock roughly 30 inches by 30 inches. If using fleece, it will stretch. I recommend canvas or a rug.

• Add grommets and ribbon, rope or other connecting mechanism and attach to dowels.
• Entice cat onto hammock and cross fingers.

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