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Doll Cradles

Project by Dan Pleska posted 733 days ago 1334 views 3 times favorited 26 comments Add to Favorites Watch

Every year the woodworking club I belong to, Valley Woodworkers, makes about 300 toys and donates them to the local Salvation Army. These toys are then distributed to families that can’t afford them so that the kids will have something under the tree at Christmas. Part of that are these 108 doll cradles that were made in my shop. Other toys include child sized puzzle rocking chairs, small cars and trucks, pull toys and rocking horses. The Salvation Army puts a doll or bear in each cradle.

The kiln dried rough lumber for these toys is donated to us by several sawmills through the state Forestry Association. One of the pictures above shows about 200 bf of the 450 bf of Ash that it took for the cradles. After dimensioning the stock to 5/8” thick we use a host of templates and jigs to not only make the parts, but also assemble the cradles. Most all of the machinery is my shop was used, but the rounded over edges were done with pattern jigs on the shaper. It took two club members and myself about five weeks, working three days a week, to go from rough lumber to the 108 cradles in the above picture. It then took two days in another members shop that has a spray booth to give them two coats of pre-catalyzed lacquer, with a light sanding between coats. The finish is also donated by a local cabinet supply house. The blanket and pillow sets seen in the picture of the finished cradle are made and donated by spouses and others that want to contribute.

The club has been making and donating toys to the Salvation Army since the club was formed in 1991.

-- Dan, West Virginia, http://www.danpleskaCreations.com


26 comments so far

View DAN 's profile

DAN

6438 posts in 876 days


posted 733 days ago

awesome !!

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

View Harold's profile

Harold

312 posts in 740 days


posted 733 days ago

I can imadgine no greater gift, Wonderful work.

-- If knowledge is not shared, it is forgotten.

View Karson's profile

Karson

25792 posts in 1293 days


posted 733 days ago

Dan Here are our Mason-Dixon Woodworking Clubs toys.

Great job. Nice looking cradles.

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

View RonH's profile

RonH

32 posts in 817 days


posted 733 days ago

Being the father of 2 daughters and 2 granddaughters, I can say the little girls will absolutely love those. What a great job.

View chamoruboy's profile

chamoruboy

128 posts in 901 days


posted 733 days ago

My hat is off to you!

God Bless.

-- Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and love.

View gene's profile

gene

2165 posts in 777 days


posted 732 days ago

Outstanding club project. This is a true endeavor of love, from all who were involved. I’d love to see the faces of the children.
God bless each and every one of you!
God bless

-- Gene, a Christian in Virginia

View Thos. Angle's profile

Thos. Angle

4013 posts in 855 days


posted 732 days ago

wonderful gifts and great community spirit.

-- Thos. Angle

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

14156 posts in 1054 days


posted 732 days ago

“it takes a village”—and your village has truly come together to help children.

Bless you.

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View Dick, & Barb Cain's profile

Dick, & Barb Cain

7033 posts in 1192 days


posted 732 days ago

What great gift for those under underprivileged children.

And they won’t have to worry about Lead poisoning.

-- -** 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

View miles125's profile

miles125

1418 posts in 898 days


posted 732 days ago

You go Dude!

-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""

View Max's profile

Max

14373 posts in 1166 days


posted 732 days ago

What a great thing to do. I applaud yours and your clubs community envolvment. Nice looking cradles.

-- Max "Desperado", Salt Lake City, UT

View Dan Pleska's profile

Dan Pleska

109 posts in 854 days


posted 732 days ago

Thanks for all of your gracious comments. This project is truly a labor of love for those of us that participate.

-- Dan, West Virginia, http://www.danpleskaCreations.com

View woodgrain411's profile

woodgrain411

139 posts in 746 days


posted 732 days ago

This is truely an awesome great job my hat is off , I’m going to be doing the holiday shop (santa’s work shop) for a few of the local schools in my area ! I’m looking for ideas for fast , easy projects with little cost to make , so I can donate them for the under privileged childeren to give to their parents for the holidays (x-mas & such) . Childern of all walks of life also find joy in giving to their parents on the holidays , It gives them a sense of pride,and happyness! The school asks that I make sure that it would be something of a non-religious background for all cultures! Thank you !

-- I love this site !

View Buckskin's profile

Buckskin

484 posts in 881 days


posted 732 days ago

Excellent community service project. Glad to see that volunteerism is still alive.

View jerryw's profile

jerryw

100 posts in 809 days


posted 732 days ago

What an awesome project! You make me proud to be a West Virginian!

-- jerryw-wva.

View TomFran's profile

TomFran

2513 posts in 887 days


posted 731 days ago

Wow! What a project and collective effort. That is a wonderful deed.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

View DAN 's profile

DAN

6438 posts in 876 days


posted 731 days ago

another one for the christmas list !!

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

View ozzy's profile

ozzy

16 posts in 731 days


posted 724 days ago

THIS IS GREAT!!! It may be too late for me to find something around here but you just planted a great seed for next year. Good luck to all of your crew. God Bless you all. You just made somebody’s Christmas.

-- Eddie -

View mot's profile

mot

4901 posts in 929 days


posted 721 days ago

Holy Moly, Dan! Awesome stuff!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

View mgradwohl's profile

mgradwohl

189 posts in 706 days


posted 703 days ago

Dan this is what it’s all about nice job on the cradles! Someday in the future I bet you overhear someone telling a story about Christmas and receiving a nice handmade cradle, complete with blanket, pillow, and bear.

You’re an Elf!

View Bruce's profile

Bruce

91 posts in 668 days


posted 663 days ago

Great job, Dan. If you need help next year, just let me know.

View Paul D's profile

Paul D

2125 posts in 641 days


posted 612 days ago

Dan, this is very cool and I know it makes a huge difference to those kids. Awesome work!

-- Paul D, Atlanta GA

View jjohn's profile

jjohn

391 posts in 607 days


posted 580 days ago

I bet you could make one of those in your sleep when you got finished with them. And I know you were happy to see the last piece go on the last cradle. Great job. Well done.

-- JJohn

View Bob Kollman's profile

Bob Kollman

98 posts in 84 days


posted 83 days ago

What a wounderful thing to do!!!

-- Bob Kenosha Wi.

View a1Jim's profile

a1Jim

16683 posts in 470 days


posted 83 days ago

Great job you guys must have trouble working with those angel wings in the way.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

View Dan Pleska's profile

Dan Pleska

109 posts in 854 days


posted 83 days ago

Thanks for the kind comments. As I’m writing this comment, we just started on 100 cradles for this year. Christmas 2009. Last year I kept track of the man hours and calculated that we had a little over two hours in each doll cradle.

-- Dan, West Virginia, http://www.danpleskaCreations.com

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