Building a baby cradle for your child can serve as both a custom-created piece of furniture for your new baby's nursery and a family heirloom for future generations. By following woodworking plans and utilizing the proper tools, a handmade baby cradle can provide a secure and soothing place for baby to rest. Crafting a baby cradle requires skill, but an experienced woodworker or dedicated novice may find the project rewarding long after construction of the cradle has been completed. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Decide where the cradle will be used. Some parents may wish to use the cradle in their bedroom the first few weeks after the baby is born, some may want it as a permanent fixture in the baby's own nursery, and others may want a mobile crib so it can be used in different rooms throughout the house. Measure the space where the cradle will be used to determine the maximum size of the cradle to be built.
2. Determine the type of cradle to be made and find corresponding woodworking plans or drawings. Cradles are available in traditional rocker styles, modern glider styles or swinging cradle baskets that can be made with or without casters. Depending on your woodworking expertise, certain types of gliders may be more challenging than others. A traditional rocker cradle requires the least woodworking expertise. Cradle drawings are available for purchase from woodworking magazines or web sites.
3. Buy all necessary cradle materials. When purchasing the wood for the cradle, consider the potential for its future use. Lower-quality, less-expensive wood, such as pine or plywood, may be adequate for construction, but are not as durable as oak, cherry or walnut. An heirloom piece should be made of higher quality lumber to ensure longevity.
4. Cut the lumber. Begin by cutting the wood pieces that will make the support pieces, rockers, headboard, foot board and sides of the cradle. Trace the woodworking pattern onto the wood pieces before cutting with an electric saw. Alternatively, the drawings may be fastened to a piece of thin hardboard with spray adhesive and then cut. This hardboard may then used as a template and traced onto the wood that will construct the cradle.
5. Assemble the cradle. Begin by attaching the support pieces to the sides of the cradle with wood glue and wood screws. Next, apply wood glue to the side edges of the headboard and attach the cradle sides, reinforcing again with wood screws until the sides are attached securely. Repeat this step to secure the foot board. Place the bottom of the cradle inside the cradle frame (resting on the support pieces that were previously attached) and attach with wood screws. The rockers should be the last pieces attached to the cradle. Use wood glue to adhere the rockers to the cradle bottom. Finally, drill wood screws into the cradle bottom where the support pieces are to ensure the rockers are securely attached.
6. Inspect the cradle for safety purposes. After assembly is complete, inspect the cradle to ensure it has been constructed securely. If using wooden plug covers to cover the countersink screw holes, add wood glue to the hole before tapping the plug into the hole with a hammer. Make sure all surfaces are sanded smoothly with a high grit sandpaper and that the wood is finished with latex based paint or a clear sealant that is non-toxic. Test the cradle's rocking ability, sanding any significantly uneven portions on the rockers that may result in an uneven or jerky rock.
Tags: support pieces, wood glue, wood screws, with wood, baby cradle, baby nursery