I want to send out a special thank you to Randy for sending me a set of plans.
But, I chose to do things the hard way and design my own crib. I did use Randy’s plans for the critical dimensions, but other than that, it is pretty much my own design.
I used SketchUp for the design. I think this crib will be a little unique. I wanted a crib that would be easy for my wife to change the sheets, adjustable mattress height, and an adjustable front slide gate. The crib will be made mostly out of Walnut, but the slats in the back, sides, and front will be Sycamore. The wood is from the lumber we got from my wife’s Uncle’s sawmill. My Dad and I are building it together. I hope that it will be something that we can pass down to our kids someday.
Back to the design. The front gate will have hidden hardware in it, the right side and back will be stationary. The left side will consist of a frame and a gate in it. The gate will allow the mattress to be slid out so the sheets can be changed easily.
Here it is.
The design has changed a little in the fact that the mattress will be supported on springs and adjustable metal hardware more like a typical crib.
-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas
4 comments so far
Kevin
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284 posts in 498 days
posted 156 days ago
I am hoping to inlay our name in the back. Never have done this before and would love some tips.
-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas
Russel
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1333 posts in 479 days
posted 155 days ago
Looking good Kevin. One thing you might watch for is the height of your corner posts above the sides. Standards say that it shouldn’t be more than about 1/16th of an inch above the rail to prevent things from getting caught on them; otherwise, it is a strangulation hazard.
Also, from a parental perspective the higher post gives the little one something to use to climb out with. When my second son was about 18 months we were awakened early in the morning by a loud thump. It seems he had figured out how to hook his blanket to one of the posts and use it to get up over the side rail. He had no idea how far the floor was, thus the thump. Fortunately, the floor was thickly carpeted and the only damage was to our sleep. He’s over 30 now and don’t seem any worse for the wear.
-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.
EdC
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427 posts in 380 days
posted 155 days ago
All the corners on our crib are smooth so nothing could get caught.
It would really be worth taking the time to research all the recent changes on crib construction. They have some good idea on how to keep little ones safe.
Why have the end open for the mattress? Ours just sits on top of the springs, by just setting it down from above??
-- Ed Collinge- Edmonds, WA.
Kevin
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284 posts in 498 days
posted 155 days ago
Russel,
Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to look into that one a little farther. I hadn’t thought of that aspect. Oh well, easy to just cut them shorter. I had them drawn about flush earlier and extended them higher at the last second.
Edc,
The corners will all be smooth, I just didn’t take the time to draw in all the rounded over corners. I’ll run everything over a round over bit first.
I have the latest copy of the crib regulations, I’ll make sure I follow all of the safety rules before I start cutting things to length.
Thanks for the input.
-- Kevin, Wichita, Kansas