| Project by Dan Pleska | posted 733 days ago | 1334 views | 3 times favorited | 26 comments | ![]() |
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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
DAN
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6438 posts in 876 days
posted 733 days ago
awesome !!
-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever
Harold
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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.
Karson
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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 †
RonH
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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.
chamoruboy
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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.
gene
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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
Thos. Angle
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4013 posts in 855 days
posted 732 days ago
wonderful gifts and great community spirit.
-- Thos. Angle
MsDebbieP
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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)
Dick, & Barb Cain
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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
miles125
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1418 posts in 898 days
posted 732 days ago
You go Dude!
-- miles125, Alabama.."Architecture is frozen music""
Max
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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
Dan Pleska
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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
woodgrain411
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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 !
Buckskin
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484 posts in 881 days
posted 732 days ago
Excellent community service project. Glad to see that volunteerism is still alive.
jerryw
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100 posts in 809 days
posted 732 days ago
What an awesome project! You make me proud to be a West Virginian!
-- jerryw-wva.
TomFran
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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
DAN
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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
ozzy
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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 -
mot
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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)
mgradwohl
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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!
Bruce
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91 posts in 668 days
posted 663 days ago
Great job, Dan. If you need help next year, just let me know.
Paul D
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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
jjohn
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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
Bob Kollman
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98 posts in 84 days
posted 83 days ago
What a wounderful thing to do!!!
-- Bob Kenosha Wi.
a1Jim
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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
Dan Pleska
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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