Baby Cradle / Glider Walnut

That is really cool. I hope to someday make furniture for grandchildren, but I’m in no rush as my oldest daughter is only 12! I still have time to build up my skills to match yours!

Excellent work. That should last for years and years.

-- www.darrylmasterson.com ~ www.darrylmasterson.etsy.com

Beautiful, Great idea about converting it to a glider. I was almost going to build a cradle once, until I thought about how long it would be used.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Yes, I like that you made it multi-purposeful…. My grandfather built a cradle for my mom. Well, me actually. And after 25 plus years of gathering dust (since my sister moved out of it), 2 of his great-grand daughters finally got to use it… imagine it won’t be long before it goes back into cold storage before my daughter or neice will be needing it. One good thing, since it takes such little abuse, it’s bound to survive several more generations.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

Gorgeous, just gorgeous. Love the design.

-- Gary, Florida

great idea. love the choice of woods. waterfall bubinga is one of my favorites. i wanted to build one for my daughters but the wife talked me out it because they would be in it for such a short time. wish i would have built it. yours looks great.

-- mjhaines

A new heirloom. Wonderful color and texture. This will last for centuries.

-- cdavidbarnes

Outstanding craftsmanship. Very innovative. Excellent job

There is nothing like a great idea coming out better than imagined. This is the case with this beautiful and functional cradle. I should know – it is my twins that sleep in it daily. The craftmanship is fabulous and the pictures don’t do it justice. I cannot believe that you did this without any pattern more than our thoughts. I am excited to have this in my living room for years to come. My whole family fits in the glider – Thanks Papa!!

-- Karrie

This glider cradle looks great! Beautiful wood and great craftsmanship.
Should last for many a year to come and many grandchildren.

Hey Karson: I must confess that it was real tempting to rate you with a “1” to try and lower your score so that my own project would look better. But, it just wasn’t in my heart to do that. I did think about it, but good work like this deserves the proper rating. I hope you win the contest, this project surely deserves that kind of respect from your lumberjock peers.

Not only is it beautiful, and the engineering a real feat, but thinking about the special use of this piece gives me a “warm” feeling all over.

I helped my dad build a walnut/spindled cradle in 1983 when my youngest sister was born. At the time, it gave us something to do with our nerves, anticipating a new baby in the family again. It also gave my dad and I our last project to work together on, as I was leaving for college and to start my own adult life. I am proud to say that the names of my two children, and my neice and nephew are now written below my sister’s name and birth date. There is a wonderfully special thing about new life in a family, and resting that new life in such a project built out of love and anticipation, makes the tradition of family cradles something a family never forgets, I can say from experience. I can’t even write about the memories without tearing up remembering the days in the shop working on the project together, me at the lathe doing repetitive work on the turned spindles, while dad worked on the carcus and panels. Then, the joy of seeing my new baby sister laying in that cradle is like a photograph in my mind. My baby sister is now a grown woman, married, and one day I hope she will get the chance to lay her own children in that cradle and proudly add their names and birthdates to the family log on the bottom of the cradle. When my own children were born, we pulled the cradle out of storage and my dad and I once again worked together to spiff it up, and make any needed repairs. When my wife layed our first child in that cradle for the first time, she cried, and so that legacy continues on in the family. You just can’t make things often that have such a close-knit relationship with a family. I have been asked to build a fancy box for the ashes of a boy who died of cancer a month ago. That project will be close to the attached family emotions of a cradle.

Sure, the babies don’t stay in them long, maybe 6 months at the most. BUT, there is more to a project of this type than just the long-term function of it. The relationship between the cradle-maker and cradle-user far outweighs the fact that the babies don’t stay in them long. If you are of the age of being a grandparent, wouldn’t it be a wonderful legacy to leave for your family to have built a beautiful cradle for your family to use long after your time here is finished? Watching your wife, or daughter rock their first baby in your cradle is something that exists deeper in the core of what makes us different than the apes, far deeper than the long-term functional limitiations. It is the base of our hearts. For all of the woodworkers out there that have ever considered making a cradle, I would surely encourage you to do it. The memories will last a lifetime from that first 6 months of use. The type of project that all of us ought to have in our legacy when our woodworking days are done. Sam Maloof says in his autobiography that when an order for a baby cradle comes into the shop, all other projects stop, making an immediate opening in the shop schedule. As he says, “babies don’t wait (paraphrased).”

Congrats,
Mark DeCou www.decoustudio.com

-- Mark DeCou - American Contemporary Craft Artisan - www.decoustudio.com

Mark : You are a class act, and I thank you very much for the comments. I’ve made 4 baby cradles one for each of my three girls and now one for my wife (Grandmother). Yes watching the grandbabies and rocking them gives as much satisfaction, as the making of the cradle.

And by the way I did vote “1” on yours.

Just kidding, your rocker is beautiful, someday I might try to make one myself.

Karson

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

I’ll let you know when I need one for my baby.!!!

Your on Mr & Mrs MTM

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Wow, that cradle is beautiful. I would have loved to have something like that when my babies were little, especially made for me by a family member. I know a lot of love, along with talented hard work went in to the crafting of such a beautiful and sentimental piece.

-- Stephanie

Congratulations!

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

Thats the kind of furniture that makes a person want to have more children just so they could make something even half that nice to put them in.

-- http://ye-olde-cabinet-shoppe.com/

This is a beautiful piece of furniture. Where would I be able to locate a set of plans to build this myself?

Thanks in advance,
Carol

It’s now official. This cradle was published in March 07, 2007 Vol 3 #15 of Woodcraft Magazine. It is shown in an article called Show-Off Plus, page 41. The magazine references that this cradle won first prize in the LumberJocks Woodworking Contest.

Thanks to Martin for having this website and the contest.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

I enjoyed the phone visit today, thanks for taking time to call and visit. I look forward to getting a copy of the magazine. Congrats on your victory, and the publishing of your work!

Kansas buddy,
Mark

-- Mark DeCou - American Contemporary Craft Artisan - www.decoustudio.com

That is really great!!!!

-- http://www.woodsongsfurniture.com

Karson -

Thanks for your comments about the baby cradle I made. The one you did for the twins is absolutely great. This is great craftsmenship. I never would have thought about the glider aspect.

-- Fred Childs, Pasadena, CA - - - Law of the Workshop: Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Bad to the bone!!..... How about tree stump(?).

-- Carpe Lignum - Seize The Wood,

Wow Karson, I just now found this project. I think that this project shows you’re talent. There are a lot of good woodworkers out there. I think the ones that set themselves apart are the ones that take the ordinary and have the creative ingenuity to add their personal flare to it. I don’t work from plans for that reason. I’ve been wanting to do another cradle project. I’ll try and mimic yours when the next baby comes along. Truly awesome job!

-- Jeff, South Carolina

Well I took my Cradle to the Delaware Woodworkers Guild to make a presentation. I also took the Thorsen G & G twins. They are all glued up and I screwed the top on to be able to take it. So they have been presented to 40 woodworkers they seemed to go over pretty well.

A few people were taking pictures of the cradle and the Thorsen Greene and Greene tables. The Holly and the Popular ones.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

I have to say that that is one of the finest cradles I have ever seen!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

The latest additions to visit Grandmothers Cradle. Baby Bea born on Valentines Day. She missed my birthday by 3 hours. but then I missed Valentines day by only 10 minutes

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Wow, that’s incredible. Nothing better than seeing it in action either, she’s adorable.

SUPER COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

Nicest posting on lumberjocks. Bet your daughter is proud of her father.

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

Okay two awesome cradles Karson, fantastic job!

-- Les, Wichita, Ks. (I'd rather be covered in saw dust!)

I finally got a picture of the cradle being used for a glider. This is my daughter with the twins that the original Cherry cradle/glider was made for. The picture is in my wife’s Walnut version.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †