A Crib For My New Daughter

[Trever Williams]

Marry Christmas everyone! I just finished a project and I wanted to share:

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj289/tall_texan/1a.jpg

My new baby girl is going to need a place to sleep when she gets here so I built a crib for her. She’s not due until February but my wife said she wanted it to be done by Christmas so I’ve been burning the midnight oil to make it happen. Looks like I made it just in the nick of time.

I built it so that it will be convertible to a little toddler day bed and then to a twin size bed. I used my other daughter’s crib as a guide to make sure it came out the right size and shape and then added a few decorative curves and contours of my own to make it unique.

The wood is curly maple. I read a lot about finishing curly maple and practiced on a lot of scraps, and this is the finishing schedule I came up with:

- Sand to 150
- Dye with a dark heavy coat of Transtint dark mission brown
- Sand to 150 again
- Dye with a lighter coat of dark mission brown
- Lightly sand with 320
- Coat with 4 coats of Waterlox original

I’m pretty happy with the way the finish turned out. The pictures don’t really do it justice. It’s a little glossy for bedroom furniture though. There’s still a little time before the baby gets here so I’m considering coating it with a couple of coats Waterlox satin finish but I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’m not sure how it will affect the chatoyance.

For my next project I’m going to build a curly maple dresser to match. I’m going to take my time on it though. I enjoy woodworking a lot more when I’m not rushing to meet a deadline.
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[Trever Williams]

A few more pics:
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http://www.sawmillcreek.org/images/misc/pencil.png

[Trever Williams]

And a few more:
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[Dave Shute]

Awesome crib man!!! I built a crib for my first grandson four years ago out of hard maple, but not curly. Looks like a real nice finish on it. I for one can appreciate all the work you put into that.

[Joe Pfeifer]

Great looking crib. Just a word of advice on the crib bumpers- most pediatricians recommend against using them because they are a suffocation hazard. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is re-evaluating the risks associated with them in light of recent tragic accidents.

[gary Zimmel]

Nice work on the crib Trever, real nice... You got to love that curly maple.

[Bruce Page]

Trever, the love & care is obvious in that piece but you finished it way to early.
You’re supposed to be burning the midnight oil well into February. That’s how I'd do it anyway..

Beautiful work and some really gorgeous curly maple.

Congrats on the upcoming addition to your family!!

[Larry Edgerton]

Beautiful job! Congradulations.

[Dave Verstraete]

Great looking crib. Your own plans? I need to start on one soon for a nephew's child-to-be.
Thanks

[Jamie Oren]

Trever. That looks great. I am getting ready to start mine this week any tips on the curved top?

[Trever Williams]

Great looking crib. Your own plans? I need to start on one soon for a nephew's child-to-be.
Thanks

Dave, they were kinda my own plans. My other daughter has a store bought convertible crib that we got from babies R us. I measured it to get the overall size and shape and then added a few curves and contures of my own. I drew the plans up in AutoCAD. You can PM me if you want me to send you a copy.

[Trever Williams]

...any tips on the curved top?

Jamie, for the molding on top of the head board I laminated two 7/8" thick boards together to make a 7/4" thick board. Then I cut the curve shape out on a bandsaw and used a 3/4" roundover bit to round the corners. Then I used slot cutting bit to machine a 3/4" slot along the inside of the curve so that it slid right on to the head board. It all went pretty smooth and easy.

[Curtis Horswill]

Trevor, very nice crib, I love the selection of wood and finish. One question, did you cut a tenon on the slats or do they fit right into the mortises on the rails? I am working on a crib project right now.

[Trever Williams]

One question, did you cut a tenon on the slats or do they fit right into the mortises on the rails?
Curtis, they fit right into the mortises. I cut them a little bit oversized and then sanded the ends of each one down so that they fit nice and tight in the mortises and didn't have any sloppy gaps. That was by far the most time consuming part of the project. The crib has 38 slats so that means there were 76 ends to sand down. In retrospect it would have been faster to cut tenons on the slats because the shoulders would cover up any gaps. But I don’t know how you would do that on the slats that join up with the curved parts of the rails. I guess you could do tenons on the ones that join up with the flat surfaces and not on the ones join up with curved parts and that would save some time.

[Greg Cuetara]

Very good looking crib. I like the curly maple and the finish that you used. It will sure last a lifetime. I had to put my crib up last weekend...kinda sad to see all that effort just sit there but it will get used again and hopefully again after that.

on a side note be careful about using the bumpers in the crib. I know a lot of things now are frowned upon with kids but this is one I think makes a lot of sense...the kids roll over into the bumper and then can't breath and they can't roll back over...not a good thing. Again no clue how we survived as kids with the toys they have banned and what we are supposed to do and not supposed to do as parents. The only thing you can do is use your best judgement for yourself and your family.

[Trever Williams]

There's also the possibility that our whole family could get killed in a nasty car accident, but we're not going to not drive. We used this same type of setup with our other daughter and I never perceived it to be a hazard. But I’m going to go ahead and remove it now because I don’t think I would be able to live with myself if she died in her sleep after I posted message like this.

[Greg Cuetara]

Maybe you shouldn't drive if you think you are going to get into an accident whenever you get into the car. On a very serious note lots of children have died...if you want to make light of that then go ahead....maybe you should try using some common sense though.

Why Do These Groups Recommend Against Crib Bumper Pads?

One reason child safety organizations recommend against crib bumpers is that they pose a risk of suffocation. Just like a pillow or thick blanket, crib bumper pads can restrict a baby's breathing if the bumper is up next to the baby's nose or mouth. Suffocation risk is greatest when babies are very young and unable to move themselves away from potential hazards.
A secondary risk with crib bumpers is strangulation. Babies can become entangled in the crib bumper or its ties, or can get between the bumper and the crib. A few crib bumpers have been recalled because of stitching or trim that can come loose. Those loose pieces also could cause injury.

Rebreathing of stale air is another concern with crib bumper pads. The bumper reduces the flow of fresh air around baby during sleep, particularly if his or her face is very close to the bumper. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that some infants, when they are overheated or lack sufficient oxygen during sleep, are unable to arouse themselves enough to prevent death. Re-breathing of stale air may be a contributing factor to SIDS.


How many kids need to die to make you see there is a very easy solution to this problem? 1...20....10,000. How many?? How many people do I need to see die in a car accident to realize that I want a seat belt on at all times and an air bag? for me the answer is easy...i don't need to see anyone die...I want to be in a car with an air bag and I wear my seat belt all the time. As a society we are much safer than we were even 10 or 20 years ago...many more people survive because we have learned about stupid things we did in the past. Again like I said above it is a wonder how many of us survived...but the real fact is that there were a lot that didn't and if you want to make fun of that go ahead but I for one do not want to see one child die and have to see their family deal with their children's death when it could have been easily prevented. Maybe you should use some common sense and do your own research....ask your pediatrician and they WILL tell you not to use bumbers....

[Trever Williams]

Thanks for your 2 cents man.

[Adam Cormier]

Great looking crib. I'm sure it will turn into a family heirloom.

[Trever Williams]

Great looking crib. I'm sure it will turn into a family heirloom.

Thank you.

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

Trevor,

This is AWESOME! I love the wood, finish and craftsmanship (I'm staying clear of the "bumper" debate . . . :eek:).

A question:

Is the curly, red leaf or sugar maple? I'm considering a buy from Bell Forest Products and they have a fairly good deal on the red leaf right at the moment .. .

[Trever Williams]

Is the curly, red leaf or sugar maple?

Jeff, I think its the red leaf, or soft maple. I got that batch of lumber from a guy on Craigs List.

I just ordered another batch of heavily figured curly maple from www.crlumber.com (http://www.crlumber.com) for a dresser project. I thought their prices were pretty good. 21BF of 5/4 and 43.5BF of 4/4 came out to $401 with shipping. It should be here on Wednesday. I'll let you know how it looks. I think the lumber I used on the crib is what you would call "medium figure". I'm curious to see how it compares to what they are calling "heavily figured".

[Shawn Christ]

Maybe you shouldn't drive if you think you are going to get into an accident whenever you get into the car. On a very serious note lots of children have died...if you want to make light of that then go ahead....maybe you should try using some common sense though....

How many kids need to die to make you see there is a very easy solution to this problem? 1...20....10,000. How many?? How many people do I need to see die in a car accident to realize that I want a seat belt on at all times and an air bag? for me the answer is easy...i don't need to see anyone die...I want to be in a car with an air bag and I wear my seat belt all the time. As a society we are much safer than we were even 10 or 20 years ago...many more people survive because we have learned about stupid things we did in the past. Again like I said above it is a wonder how many of us survived...but the real fact is that there were a lot that didn't and if you want to make fun of that go ahead but I for one do not want to see one child die and have to see their family deal with their children's death when it could have been easily prevented. Maybe you should use some common sense and do your own research....ask your pediatrician and they WILL tell you not to use bumbers....

It is perfectly acceptable to kindly point out the risks to using bumpers on cribs. It is also perfectly acceptable for the original poster to respond to your opinion. So why not leave it at that? I found the above to be overbearing, offensive and inappropriate.

Trever, that's one heckuva crib... very nicely done. Much better than my first project. But I do agree with Greg on one point... it WILL be difficult seeing that crib and all your hard work go into storage once your family outgrows it! I've been there, so consider yourself forewarned...

And when do you plan to start on that dresser?

[Hans Braul]

Trevor,
I absolutely love this piece. Beautiful wood, wonderful attention to detail and workmanship. Congrats on a great piece, and on your growing family
Hans

[James Phillips]

Jeff, I think its the red leaf, or soft maple. I got that batch of lumber from a guy on Craigs List.

I just ordered another batch of heavily figured curly maple from www.crlumber.com (http://www.crlumber.com) for a dresser project. I thought their prices were pretty good. 21BF of 5/4 and 43.5BF of 4/4 came out to $401 with shipping. It should be here on Wednesday. I'll let you know how it looks. I think the lumber I used on the crib is what you would call "medium figure". I'm curious to see how it compares to what they are calling "heavily figured".

I just moved from Dayton and have bought a lot of wood from Chad at crlumber.com (muterspaw lumber co). You will not be disappointed. Prices are great and so is the quality

[Trever Williams]

it WILL be difficult seeing that crib and all your hard work go into storage once your family outgrows it! I've been there, so consider yourself forewarned...

Shawn, I built it so that we can put long rails between the head board and foot board to make it a full size bed. So hopfully she'll want to use it until she goes to college and we'll get to keep it out for another 18 years or so.

[Trever Williams]

I just moved from Dayton and have bought a lot of wood from Chad at crlumber.com (muterspaw lumber co). You will not be disappointed. Prices are great and so is the quality

James, the lumber I ordered for the dresser showed up a day early today. I'm pretty impressed with the figure. I would definitely say its a notch up from the lumber I used on the crib. I asked Chad to hand select some good 5/4 boards for the top of the dresser and it looks like he sent me some nice ones.

I would like to get started on the dresser right away but I promised my neighbor across the street that I would build her kids some toy boxes a few months ago, so I need to get those knocked out first. I guess that will give the new wood some time to acclimate to my garage.

[Brett Baldwin]

Really nice crib Trever. I'd be interested in your drawings if you're willing. My little one is due early this year.

[mreza Salav]

very nice job Trever and congratulations on your upcoming child!
Just a year ago this time I was building a crib for our first child (I have posted the photos here too). I can understand how joyful the whole process is.
Enjoy the rest too!

[Trever Williams]

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj289/tall_texan/McKenzie.jpg

It snowed 6" in Dallas on Friday morning, but that didn't scare McKenzie any, she decided it was time to come anyway. It made for a pretty interesting drive to the hospital, 40 miles through 6" of fresh snow with a screaming woman in the passenger seat. Everything went smooth and easy... for me anyway. My wife would tell a different story. She had the baby right after we got there, before they had time to give her any pain meds. She did a great job though and the baby is as happy and healthy as can be. We made it back home today and she got to try her new crib for the first time.

[Tom Hammond]

That's a great pic. CONGRATULATIONS on the new daughter. What's that little cocoon thing in the middle, though?? ha. Wow... if only we could all just have 10 minutes a day with that level of contentment, huh? Just think of all the fun you're going to have in 2027... teaching her to drive a stick while she rips up your transmission, getting the "you're the worst dad EVER... I HATE YOU" call while you're in a meeting with your boss, throwing her inappropriately-older boyfriend through the storm door... ahhhhh, good times ahead. Just wait until your first argument with your wife over chores or work or how tired you are... and she, for the first time screams, "I went through hours of labor IN A CAR having YOOOOOOUR child, and you want to complain to me about THAT?" Yeah... that's always a good day.

I showed my wife your pic and she did the "Awwwwwww...." thing. Meanwhile, I'm acting like a typical guy... "Yeahyeahyeah... cute kid... now, get out of the way so I can ask this question."

So... on to the important stuff (just kidding... come on, now). I saw your jig for cutting the mortises and have a couple questions. I see the boards are separated. Is that for stability of the router base? Also, I can discern your stops from the jig, but how did you keep the mortise centered on and parallel to the board? I don't see in the picture how you did that. Also, did you have a jig for spacing or just put down accurate measurement marks?

Seriously... that is excellent work. You did good with the kid thing, too. CONGRATS again.

[Shawn Christ]

Congrats Trever! She's adorable, especially in her crib!

[Bruce Page]

Simply beautiful!

Congrats! http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g69/sawdustar/emoticons/backflip.gif

[Trever Williams]

So... on to the important stuff (just kidding... come on, now). I saw your jig for cutting the mortises and have a couple questions. I see the boards are separated. Is that for stability of the router base? Also, I can discern your stops from the jig, but how did you keep the mortise centered on and parallel to the board? I don't see in the picture how you did that. Also, did you have a jig for spacing or just put down accurate measurement marks?

Tom,

I used a shop built base similar to this one to center the mortises:

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You set it down so that the two pegs straddle the board and apply a little twisting pressure and it automatically centers the bit. I seperated the boards so there would be room for the pegs in between. And I just used pencil marks for the spacing.