I recently asked the instructor what I needed to do to hang a bed swing from my porch ceiling. An hour later, I was vaguely conversant with five kinds of loads (torsional, shear, tension, compression and bending); the problem with drywall screws (no shear value); and where to look all this stuff up (Machinery’s Handbook).

Meanwhile, the porch swing is on hold. Installation was more than I bargained for.