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Infant Changing Table #3

Project by Don posted 647 days ago 608 views 3 times favorited 12 comments Add to Favorites Watch

I’ve made three of these now. I showed my first one some time ago here.

I wouldn’t have bothered posting this one but for the fact that I changed the construction technique on this one. My previous two incorporated traditional mortise and tenon joinery. To be honest, I find M & T joinery tedious and for some reason, I’m prone to make less that perfect snug-fitting joints.

When I was in Vancouver eight months ago, I purchased DowelMax Jig after viewing one of Mot’s early video reviews of the product. Like a lot of things we purchase, I never really got around to putting it to the test until a family member requested “one of these really neat changing table that you make”.

I didn’t relish repeating this project again until I remembered my eight month old purchase. So I gladly agreed if for no other reason than to get experience with the DowelMax. (I have a commission for a small table and wanted to use it on that, but I thought it best to give it a workout on some inexpensive Pine.

All I can saw is that the jig is a real pleasure to work with, intuitive in its use and dead accurate. The result is an extremely strong table with perfectly flush joints. The DowelMax meant I got the job finished quickly – about eight hours all up.

I’ve coated the Pine with Shellac sanding sealer because the family member intends to paint it white. Because Pine and the MDF panels soak up paint like a sponge, the sealer will enable them to finish it more easily.

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/


12 comments so far

View FlWoodRat's profile

FlWoodRat

582 posts in 801 days


posted 647 days ago

Looks great. I can just imagine the happy baby laying in it. By the way.. nice tight joints.

-- I love the smell of sawdust in the morning....

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

14159 posts in 1053 days


posted 647 days ago

excellent!
Nice to hear that you like the Dowelmax as well

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

View Grumpy's profile

Grumpy

14914 posts in 743 days


posted 647 days ago

I agree on the M&T Don. I just bought the Beadlock loose tenoning jig & used it on some plantation shutters, beats the traditional method on time & effort. Nice job on the changing table.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

View Scott Bryan's profile (online now)

Scott Bryan

20546 posts in 714 days


posted 647 days ago

I agree with both you and Grumpy about M&T joinery. It is a skill that I think should be learned but it is time consuming. By the way the changing table is a very nice project and looks very well built. I am sure that it was a joy to give and the recipients appreciated the effort and skill that went into it.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

View Thos. Angle's profile

Thos. Angle

4015 posts in 854 days


posted 646 days ago

Good ‘un, Don. Good to hear from you again. I too think the Dowel Max might be the best answer for a lot of projects. I tried Bead Lock but didn’t like the result. Maybe I just need to try it again.

-- Thos. Angle

View Lee A. Jesberger's profile

Lee A. Jesberger

3710 posts in 871 days


posted 646 days ago

Don;

It’s very nice, but where’s the box?

I haven’t used the dowel max, but keep hearing good things about it. Glad you finally got to test it out.

Nice job, as usual.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7599 posts in 1110 days


posted 646 days ago

I have a doweling jig (not a Dowelmax) and I love the ease of using dowels whenever possible.

Don, what I like about this changing table is that, unlike a lot of others I’ve seen, you’ve constructed it to keep the baby from rolling off if you turn your back for a second.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

View Ethan's profile

Ethan

751 posts in 1066 days


posted 646 days ago

Don,

Did you/are you going to put a finish on it? If so, what? A friend of mine is an expecting father and making his own changing table/low chest of drawers – he said he first bought the changing pad because they come in standard sizes. Did you go off of dimensions they gave you? Or is that a standard size you use for a retail changing pad?

BTW… that brick patio looks fab! Looks like you could play a mean game of bocce ball on that lawn, too!

-- Ethan, http://greystonegreen.blogspot.com/

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9521 posts in 880 days


posted 646 days ago

Very nice use of dowels, Don,
When the baby outgrows it, it looks like it would make a great gardening stand.

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

View Karson's profile

Karson

25794 posts in 1292 days


posted 646 days ago

Great Don. I’m glad you got to use your Dowel-Max. I remember you saying you bought it when visiting your daughter.

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

View Don's profile

Don

2590 posts in 1069 days


posted 646 days ago

Hey, it’s great to be back. Your kind words remind me why I like this site so much.

Quote Red Headed Merganser: Did you/are you going to put a finish on it? If so, what?

As noted above, I’ve coated the Pine with Shellac sanding sealer because the family member intends to paint it white. Because Pine and the MDF panels soak up paint like a sponge, the sealer will enable them to finish it more easily.

Quote Red Headed Merganser: Did you go off of dimensions they gave you?

Thanks for this question, Ethan. The size of the bed was dimensioned to fit a readily available changing table pad. The one I first posted here shows the pad.

Great suggestion, Garry. My wife is actually asking me to make one for her. At our age, a request for an infant changing table gave me heart failure until she explained. LOL

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.hilsbiblechurch.org/

View Ethan's profile

Ethan

751 posts in 1066 days


posted 646 days ago

Oof. Sorry, Don, I must have “skimmed” and not “read”. Not used to people putting so much info into their project description! ;)

-- Ethan, http://greystonegreen.blogspot.com/

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