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I finally finished this year's first crib. I made another one like this 7 years ago for my first grandchild. It was the traditional maple/cherry combination. The present one is made from beech with goncalo alves accents. I finished it with four coats of semi-gloss water-soluable polyurethane after sanding it to 220. My daughter still has 2 weeks 6 days until her due date so I've finished it with time to spare!

I already have the wood cut and shaped for my next daughter's crib. It's black walnut with maple accents. I'm ready to sand, sand, sand. Sigh. At least I have until mid September until she's due. I should have a break before my next crib is due - my fourth daughter isn't pregnant.

David

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I love the accents! Very clean design.
 

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that's nice of them to coordinate their pregnancies based on the timing to get a crib made!! ;)

what special gifts!!
 

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What Ms Debbie said…lol

And true to your post title a real "heirloom". The cribs will be in your family for generations. Great job!
 

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Very nice, simple design. I see some cribs that (while they are beautiful works of art in their own right) try to be too much and can almost become a headache for the parents who actually have to use them. Our crib is much the same design as yours and it just "does" what it is supposed to do. Thanks for posting.

By the way, your own design?
 

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Very nice and great timing!
 

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Thanks for the comments. This is a Woodcraft design (Woodsmith Magazine, etc.), and I got the hardware kit from Rockler. I let the girls select their own wood combinations - except for the first one which was a surprise. So far I think they have pretty good taste.

If anyone else plans to make one from this plan, DO NOT try to buy your hardware kit from another supplier! The results can be a nightmare. The variations in the hole patterns between the plans and in the hardware can expand your vocabulary….

David
 

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Great Crib
 

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Beautiful work David.
 

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Very nice! Love the details.
 

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Beautiful Job!! but if you wanted a break maybe you should have had more sons. :D just kidding.
 

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very nice job! great looking crib!
 

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This is a great piece. Great workmanship, very good detail.

It's a keeper!
 

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I like the accents. Thanks for posting, and thanks for the hardware heads up.
 

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Very nice looking David. I too plan on making one of these Heriloom cribs, but for my son. He should be arriving within the next couple of months. Any recommendations other than the hardware? I have decided to build mine out of poplar and paint it white to match the rest of the nursery furniture. I purchased the white rodless hardware kit through Rockler. I wanted to be able to raise and lower both sides of the crib so I purchased another set of hardware components through Products America (a company that supplies the components for the Rockler kit).

Cheers,
Brian
 

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Hi Brian;

First of all, congratulations on your soon-to-be son! This will be a great crib for him.

When I was finishing this crib I bought a rodless kit from Rockler, too. Unfortunately, it would have required me to make some significant modifications to my already-finished wood so I elected to simply drill the extra holes required and use the rodded hardware. For a natural wood crib I like the looks of the rodded kit, anyway, but for your white crib the rodless kit will probably be a better choice aesthetically. I'm not sure how you will use a second kit - you may have to make several modifications. Let me know how it works.

Did your kit come with a couple of plastic teething rails? I don't think my rodless kit had them but I do think they're pretty useful.

The pyramids in the Woodcraft plans are a bit of an issue for me. I am not anxious to rip a perfectly good piece of wood just to cut some dado mortises in the center section and glue it back together. I always seem to end up with glue lines no matter how careful I am. I have thought it might be a good idea to make round pyramids on a lathe and install them in round mortises that I could make with a Forstner bit. My daughters weren't interested in that modification so I didn't try it. Maybe next time - one more daughter to go.

The only other suggestion I would have still relates to hardware. Whichever kind of hardware kit you use, be sure to get it early and use it to establish the layout along with the plans. I love the plans from Woodcraft - clear and really easy to use - but they are designed with a specific kit in mind. Other kits may have some subtle (or perhaps not-so-subtle) differences that might make for some big difficulties if you don't account for them first. Since I already have the holes drilled in my next crib I'll be ordering a kit from Woodsmith Project Supplies, as recommended on page 11 of the Heirloom Crib plans.

Other than that, I'm pretty excited to see pictures of your finished product. Can't wait for you to post them.

Thanks for the questions.

David
 

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Hi David,

Me again… I have a question for you. I have been debating whether or not to deviate from the plans just a bit on the slats for the gates and the ends, specifically where the slat meets the lower rails. The plan states that the slats should be the same thickness as the dado on the lower rails and not glued, therefore free to move. My concern is that unless I am dead on a gap may appear. Also, based on my drawings and calculations the slats located on the ends will have about an 1/8" of allowable movement in the vertical based on the location of the mortise and tenons of the upper and lower ends. I haven't check for the rails yet. Okay… here is my question. Did you follow the plans when cutting and assembling your ends? If so, is there any play in the vertical to speak of?

I thought about cutting a tenon on the lower portion of the slats to cover up any possible gap that may occur, but since there is an 1/8" of play in the vertical I am concerned that a tenon might not be a good choice.

I hope this question makes sense.

Thanks for your time!
Brian
 

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I'm adding another comment to the crib that you made. It looks like the space at the end of the side is too big.

They state in the crib requirements that the spacing should not be any more than (I believe) 2 3/8" here is a US document here. The problem is that the baby's head cannot slip through a small space, but the body can. The baby then gets stuck. Make sure that you are over cautious in the spacing of the spindles, and at the ends.

I believe in Canada they have stopped the selling of used cribs and cradles, if they can't show that they are made to the current requirements.
 

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very nice details….good job….
 
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