Gonna be a grandpa, show me your cribs

[Alaric]

Got the word on Christmas Eve. So naturally, best Christmas ever. I've got seven months to build a bassinet, 8 to build a crib.

Looking for ideas and if you can tell me where you bought your plans, I'd be most grateful. Also any tips and tricks?


Edit Jan 8. Well crap. I'm going to have a little more time to make the crib. DD is pretty busted up. LOML and I know what they're feeling, been there ourselves. They're going to keep trying. Thanks for all the suggestions.

[FS7]

Got the word on Christmas Eve.  So naturally, best Christmas ever.  I've got seven months to build a bassinet, 8 to build a crib.  

Looking for ideas and if you can tell me where you bought your plans, I'd be most grateful.  Also any tips and tricks?

http://www.flint7.com/Furniture/crib.jpg

Made out of bubinga, walnut, and bloodwood, with mahogany dowels and cherry pyramids.

Nearly all of the joinery was with dominos (my last present to myself), which made things easy. However, the sides needed to be separate, since the crib would have been too wide to fit into the room. Unless you have a 36" wide pathway, yours will be like this too. 

If you can, figure out how big you're going to make it. This will depend a little on the design but mostly on the size of the mattress. I mapped out the slats and the slat spacing with Excel once I had figured out the sides. I didn't work from plans - just those I had in my head after looking at a few pictures.

Also, I did not buy a crib mattress frame. I didn't think the metal would look very good. I used unfinished pine (radiata), with a 2x2 frame and 1x2 slats. This is cheap, light, strong, and easy, and it will be covered by the crib mattress anyway. For hangers, I used adjustable turnbuckles (eye on one side, hook on the other) and nylon lock nuts to allow a positive engagement of the fastener to the mattress frame and a hook to hang on the crib itself.

Bubinga is very hard, and I was able to drill and tap the sides to accept a 1/4-20 machine screw. I used stainless socket cap screws to thread most of a 1" fastener in and hung the turnbuckle hooks on these. It is extremely strong. Your wood choice will dictate whether you can do that, but it seems like almost all hardwoods can be tapped comfortably. I would not try using inserts with very hard wood - I tested on some scrap and it was not even possible with the recommended drill size and still difficult going a few sizes up. In any case, drilling and tapping is very easy, and it lets you create multiple mounting holes so you can adjust the mattress height for when the baby grows from little to big.

The only other piece of advice I can give is to put caps on the front and back like I did. The bloodwood, aside from being nearly impossible to chew (famous last words, but it's really hard), makes for an excellent shelf for sleep aids, baby monitors, and all of that. Right now my little one is asleep in the family bassinet next to the crib (she's four weeks tomorrow, so a bit too small for the crib) and both her Sleep Sheep and baby monitor are perched on the crib.

[cputnam]

The only I can offer is to make the crib dimensions such that the long sides can be used as a single bed headboard and footboard.

[FS7]

The only I can offer is to make the crib dimensions such that the long sides can be used as a single bed headboard and footboard.

I don't know it's even possible not to do this. A full size mattress is 54" wide, and a crib mattress is almost a universal 52". When you account for some spacing and the size of the legs (or posts), you are almost guaranteed that a 54" wide full size mattress will work.

[MichaelMouse]

Basic Rockler plans. Now you make more fixed mattress height positions to compensate for the lack of drop side. 




As, I'm confident, most people who build the "convertible " style, I did not convert.



Woodsmith plan.

[cvillewood]

The long side of a crib is about the same dimension as a full mattress's short side, so it can convert.

When we were expecting kids (2 & 4 now) I decided it wasn't worth my time and effort to make them something they'd only be in for a short time like a bassinet - maybe 6 months?

My daughter has a nice crib/bed that converted from a crib, to a crib with toddler rail, to a full size mattress bed with head/footboards. To make that set you'd need a crib, and would have extra pieces such as toddler rail and bed rails and slats for under the mattress.

My son has a simple crib, and we'll have to buy something new with a toddler rail for his next bed, likely in the next 6 months.

This being your first grand kid (and you being a grandpa!), with possibly more on the way over the years, you'll get more use out of it. We knew we would be done at 2 kids!

I suggest you don't make a bassinet but do make some kind of crib. If you make a simple crib with no converting to a toddler rail or full bed, each potential kid can use the crib. If you make a convertible system, make templates of the parts so you can make more in the future because each kid can stay in it for a long time.

[gboot]

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n533...jpg1-2.jpg

Built this for my first granddaughter. I used the Rockler design as a start. I don't think it's available any longer as it had some design flaws. I purchased the mattress spring from a company called Products America they have a lot of useful information available. The mounting brackets for the mattress spring determine the length and width of the crib, a good place to start your design. I used cross bolt fasteners to make this a knock down crib so that it can be easily stored between generations and can be converted to a toddlers bed with a simple front rail. I built a second one similar to the first for another granddaughter in curly maple.
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/n533...gejpg1.jpg

[cme4dk]

I am also a recent grandpa, and made a crib for the stinker.  I searched online for plans and surprisingly there were none.  I wonder if it is a liability issue.  I did find an image on pinterest of a crib and copied that idea.  Remember that with the new codes the sides cannot drop down and there is a maximum distance between the slats.  I based the measurements on the mattress and used plywood in place of the springs.  I also used standard bed hardware to take the sides apart from the front and back.  Great project!!!

[Steve N]

ShopSmith free share plans

Nov/Dec 05 has pendulum cradle

July Aug 05 has Heirloom cradle

More free plans here, some cradles, some cribs


I love this crib to bed convertible 23 bux sux though

[JimReed@Tallahassee]

Congratulations Gramps! I built one back in '04 for one of my granddaughters. It is a traditional style and I used the New Yankee Workshop plan. My daughter used it a bit early on when the baby was in their bedroom for frequent feedings. Then it became play furniture for the toddler.




I deviated from the plans by using tongue and groove joints on the bottom and a sliding dovetail joint for the rockers with an arched brace between them. It was walnut with a quilted maple accent. The baby (now 12) has it stuffed with doll babies and childhood memories.