Doll Cradle

[Bobby McCarley]

This is a doll cradle I'm working on for the daughter of my nephew. She just turned two and my wife informed me that I was to make a cradle for her since I made one for the grandbabies. I haven't put a finish on it yet, not quite sure what I want. The wife said paint it, but I have this thing about painting wood even if it just plain pine. I like to see the natural beauty of the wood. Any opinions?

Thanks
Bobby

[Doug Shepard]

I'm with you. I normally don't like to cover up wood with paint. But seeing as how this is essentially a toy and may be subject to normal kid accidents, paint might not be a bad way to go. While you or other adults that look at it would appreciate the look of a natural finish, the little one is probably going to be oblivious to it. The paint would be easier to clean up if she spills something on it as well. If you do go natural, I think I'd go with a harder, tougher finish (poly) rather than an oil finish.

[Tony Falotico]

I agree, if it were me I would hand paint some flowers, vines and leaves on it for decoration and then hit it with several coats of poly.

[Ted Shrader]

Bobby -

Painting wood is a last resort in my book. Always try for some sort of finish sort of opaque.

Ted

[David Dixson]

Bobby,

Seeing that doll cradle you've made sure brings back a lot of memories for me. I was in the Army stationed in Germany during the mid-nineteen eighties and had two small children, the older of which was a girl child. My father, by then retired and wanting to send his grandchildren Christmas presents, decided upon making a cradle much like that one.

He cut it out of pine with a jig saw (My grandfather was a carpenter, so Dad had lots of quality handtools and knew how to use them.), sanded and stained it with a medium brown stain. On the bottom, he put this little plaque: "Made in the United States of America, in North Carolina, by a genuine redneck." It was a beautiful little cradle, just like the one you've made.

I don't know if you've ever been stationed oversears in a foreign land, but for me, reading that little plaque on that little piece of kid furniture reminded me of all the good reasons I was serving in the military. It made home a lot closer than it had been before Amanda, my daughter, had unwrapped it that Christmas morning.

Amanda played with innumberable dolls in that thing and put it through quite a bit. She still has it in a room at her mother's house today and though it's got dings and scrapes, it still serves it's purpose keeping dolls her younger cousins play with then they visit (Amanda is in college now and is graduating with honors this spring from East Carolina Univerisity.). My vote is for staining it. It worked well for the one my father made. By the way, my father is still alive and was recently treated to a steak dinner by the very same granddaughter he made the doll cradle for.

I hope this helps your decision,

Dave

[Jerry Todd]

Bobby,
Check out the picture of my post on 12/20/03 titled "Sweet Dreams Doll Cradle". I made mine out of Oak and finished ot with Bartley Gel Coat.
Jerry Todd

[Thomas Canfield]

I hate to see painted toys. It seems that they show the wear and tear much faster than natural or stains. You might consider applying a couple of coats of cut shellac to get the wood sealed and surface prepared. A couple of coats of spray Deft then give a good finish that is more durable than the shellac. Try it on a piece of scrap and you will be surprised how the shellac brings out the luster of the wood grain even with the knots and other variation present. You could probably also find a way to add some stain to darken the overall finish, but the pine needs a good sealer before trying to use a stain.

Good looking cradle. It looks very strong, but not overly heavy. Perfect for a little 2 year old.