Determine where you will install the hardware for hanging your heavy item. If the ceiling beams are exposed, you need only choose which one you want to hang your item from. If the ceiling is finished with drywall or ceiling tiles, find the studs in the ceiling with a stud finder. The small electronic gadget will beep when it finds solid wood behind the ceiling. Determine where the center of the stud is by poking small nails into the ceiling on either side of the designated stud to determine where wood ends and air space begins. Mark both edges of the stud.
Drill a 3/16- or 1/4-inch hole in the center of the exposed beam or evenly spaced between the marked edges of the covered ceiling beam. Make the hole approximately 4 inches deep.
Insert a 3/8-inch-diameter, 4-inch-long eyebolt into the pre-drilled hole. Screw in the eyebolt until only the curved eye at the end is visible and the remainder is screwed into the hole.
Hang the heavy object from the installed eyebolt. Use an S-hook hung on the eyebolt on which to hang the object. If hanging a chair or hammock, use a swivel U-hook instead of an eye bolt to allow freer movement.