Why I have not been around much and something I made for him...

[David DeCristoforo]

Allow me to introduce my grandson, George Francis DeCristoforo, born 12/31/12. This photo was taken when he was twelve hours old.

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Chris Ramsey gave me some advice that stuck in my head… "Make him a baby rattle…" So I decided to give it a go. Seemed like a simple enough idea but, as is often the case with these things, it was not quite so simple. First off, there are some safety concerns like that it has to be a minimum of one and eleven sixteenths inches in diameter to prevent the baby from stuffing it into his mouth and possibly choking on it.That limited the design somewhat. Also, it has to be sound so as not to come apart, allowing the baby the opportunity to eat the contents, in this case six black eyed peas. And it also has to be pretty light and small. We're not making barbells here!


On the first attempt, I tried splitting the piece of wood, hollowing out the bulb with a small ball grinder, laminating it back together with the peas inside and then turning the outside. Only problem was, there was no way to know exactly where the void was and I ended up getting it too thin. On the second try I cut right through in one spot. On the third one, I got a pretty decent bulb but then broke the handle. Back to the drawing board! Ended up making it somewhat like a christmas ornament with a rosewood burl bulb and an ebony stem/handle. I "funneled" two bulbs before I got a good one… thick enough to be strong but thin enough to have a "nice tone".


So this might just be the most frustrating object I have yet to make on the lathe. And yet, at the same time, it has been the most satisfying. Thanx for the good advice Chris!

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[John Coloccia]

Why not just get him a lathe and he can make his own rattle? He has good genes...shouldn't be a problem :)

Congrats!

[Greg Ketell]

Congrats on being a grandaddy! That is a very nice rattle that I'm sure he will love!

[David DeCristoforo]

"Why not just get him a lathe and he can make his own..."

Well, I already got him one and all the cool tools too but his mom says she won't let him use them till he learns to walk. Go figure...

[Roger Chandler]

Now there's a proud grandpa!!! Congratulations to you and your family! Beautifully done rattle, and I hope it survives his infancy and can be kept until he is grown......a real heirloom from grandpa and it will be cherished!

[Alan Trout]

Pretty little boy and a pretty rattle, Congratulations Grandpa.

Alan

[Doug Herzberg]

Congratulations! The rattle is beautiful. Like Roger, I hope he will still have it in 50 years, but it would be okay with me if he wears it out first.

[Bruce Pratt]

Congrats on the grandson.

Two suggestions on the rattle.

Cut the stock in half lengthwise, glue back together with brown paper in the joint. Turn the outside. Split on the paper joint. Grind or turn inside cavity. Add peas. Glue.

Skip the peas and do a rattle with captured rings. I've done them in either oak or maple, with no finish.

[Timothy Mann]

Congrats David, and that is the nicest baby rattle I have ever seen.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Good looking rattle and Grandson David! Congratulations!

[Peter Blair]

Great looking twosome!

I undertook to make one for my first grandchild and I did as Bruce suggests.

I made a small 'barbell' of holly with two captured rings. Had a really nice sound, I too left it unfinished.

[Harry Robinette]

Congrats to you and your family Grand-kids are unbelievable and fun to spoil. Nice rattle I made some 10 years ago for twin granddaughters.

[Curt Fuller]

Congratulations Gramps! That's a fine looking grandson! And the rattle ain't bad either.

[Brian Kent]

Woo Hoo! Congratulations on the grand baby!

I recommend you teach him to sharpen his tools before he is 6 months old, since "a dull tool is a dangerous tool".

[John Keeton]

A big congrats, David!! Well done! And, some very nice work on the rattle, too.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Congratulations grandpa. Now the fun begins. Great looking rattle.

[David DeCristoforo]

Thanx all for the comments. Of course, I should have remembered the paper joint thing. Done that many times but for some reason, it escaped me in this project. Next time!

I was advised against captured rings because of the danger of the rings breaking on the short grain side. Probably not that much of an issue but I really wanted to make a hollow one anyway. FWIW, this one is also unfinished. Just polished with a bit of wax. I love how rosewood and ebony polish up!

My daughter is knitting a bag for the rattle and we will give it to my son and daughter in law tonight or tomorrow. It will probably end up being more of a "keepsake" than an actual toy but there will be plenty more toys as George Francis get on a bit...

[Dick Mahany]

Great story. Beautiful child. Exquisite rattle. Life is good .......yes?

[Rodney Walker]

Congratulations on the new shop helper. Very nice rattle too. Somehow I don't think you're done making toys...
Rodney

[John Keeton]

I love how rosewood and ebony polish up!David, just a thought - I know this is not common, but do be aware of the possibility of an allergic reaction to the rosewood and ebony - both from the same genus that are known to cause dermatitis.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...be aware of the possibility of an allergic reaction..."

The only surprise here is that there is not a laundry list of potential hazards! Having had the temerity to make something as potentially litigious as a baby toy, I must point out that, knowing my son and daughter in law as I do, there is little possibility of George Francis ever having the opportunity to interact with said toy in any manner which would carry even the remotest possibility of danger. I have a strong feeling that this will be much more of a "keepsake" than a "actual" toy.

DD

[Kathy Marshall]

Congrats Grandpa! Beautiful baby and beautiful rattle! I would never have guessed him at just 12 hours old! He looks like a big'un and a nice head of hair too! I think you've got a winner there!

[Aric Krueger]

Beautiful Baby!!! Congratulations!! For me, the most satisfying projects I do at my lathe is making children's toys. When he gets older, spinning tops, a ball & cup toy and perhaps a kaleidoscope will be in order.
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(I don't have many pictures of the toys I have made, they end up in the hands of kids pretty fast.)

The only baby rattles I have made have been the "bar-bell" shaped/captive ring type. Here's some information on that type of baby rattle if you want to give it a go. (Perhaps many of you have already seen these, if so, I apologize)

http://www.woodturningonline.com/Turning/Turning_projects.php?catid=6 (a How-To)
http://www.morewoodturningmagazine.com/articles/making_a_baby_rattle.pdf (a How-To)
http://voices.yahoo.com/child-safety-toys-woodturning-6334496.html (Good info about safety)
http://www.woodturner.org/products/aw/babyrattle_fall04.pdf (a How-To 'chamber with peas' style)

I list these plans/how-to's here, but dimensions will have to be double checked and adjusted to make double sure it's safe. I make my captive rings at least 1/2" thick to ensure they are strong enough to not break. I also cut the inside diameter with a very close tolerance to the "bar-bell" handle so they just slide and rattle and so that little fingers cannot get wedged between the ring and handle or get leverage enough to break the ring. I also add another safety precaution I rarely see mentioned for this type of rattle. I drill a hole completely through the "bar-bell" so that, if it does somehow get lodged in a child's mouth, the child can still breath. Wood selection and finish are important considerations as well. I prefer sound Pacific Dogwood (if I can get it) or hard Maple as they are strong, small pored, tight grained woods that polish to a high gloss and do not contain oils that people would have an allergic reaction to. I avoid burl wood as the grain runs wild and can break in unexpected ways. I use USP grade mineral oil (from the drugstore) or paraffin wax (from the grocery store canning supplies section) as a finish for the same reason. Some people have serious problems when they handle exotic woods that have tropical oils or finishes that have nut oils or bees wax. Bees wax is more of a problem for infants, but some adults are sensitive to it as well.

You're going to have a lot of fun in the coming years making every toy you can think of for him! :D

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Double D,
Ain't it the greatest!!! I hope this little guy lives close to you so you can be a big part of each others life. There are lots of grandfathers on the Creek and I'll bet they will all agree. When you meet your wife you feel like you can't love anyone more until you have your children. Then you feel it's impossible to love anybody more then them, then you have grandchildren and ... well, you know the feeling. Have fun.
faust

[Steve Schlumpf]

David - CONGRATS on your new grandson! Great photo!!

I really like the rattle! I could pick that style out of a crowd at 50' feet!! Who knew it would work for a rattle as well! Seriously, very nice work!

Enjoy your grandson!! Thanks for sharing!

[Tim Rinehart]

Congrats David on such a handsome grandson. The rattle looks great, and I may have to give one a go...we have several new baby's in the family, and what a special gift that is.

[David Cefai]

I became a grandpa in September. My daughter is very keen that Jacob has old fashioned wooden toys. So, oh dear, I had to go and buy a lathe :-)

Got it yesterday. Having a great time with it and am learning to sharpen the tools. I like the idea of a rattle so it will probably be the first turned toy. I have some ash left over from the cradle.

Incidentally shellac is a "safe" coating (it's used in sweets and medicines) and could act as a barrier for potentially allergenic woods if it can adhere to them properly.

Isn't grandfathering fun? The knowledge that his mum will be back to take him home means that you get the good times and can still sleep all night!

[David DeCristoforo]

"...daughter is very keen that Jacob has old fashioned wooden toys..."

My son and daughter in law are also boycotting cheap plastic crap. So there will be a lot of toys in my future! Tops, kaleidoscopes, maybe a kandama, a yo-yo,... lots of thing to make! I'm looking into the possibility of making a wood telescope. I've always been fascinated by wooden scientific instruments so a telescope would be a great beginning on that. There was an article in FFW years ago about a guy who made telescopes and microscopes out of woods like olive, ebony and some ivory too before it was frowned upon. I might be able to scare that issue up.

[philip labre]

Congratulations Old Phart!!! Great looking rattle!

[James Roberts]

Sweet! Oh yeah, by the way, so is the rattle.:D Congratulations David.

[Dave Fritz]

Congratulations on the new grandson. I hope everyone is doing well.

If I understand you correctly you made the bulb in one piece, then glued on the material for the handle and finished the rattle?

I have a grandson and two other little friends that "need" a rattle. I can only dream of making something as nice as yours.

Dave f.

[David DeCristoforo]

"...you made the bulb in one piece, then glued on the material for the handle and finished the rattle?"

That was the method I used for the one that "made it". But don't forget to put the beans (or whatever) inside before you glue it!!! FWIW, that was the only mistake I didn't make!

[Russell Eaton]

Congratulations grandpa! Look like you are spending your time wisely.