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cherry crib

Project by Tomas posted 517 days ago 397 views 0 times favorited 18 comments Add to Favorites Watch

I had plenty of advance notice but I did not get around to this project until I had already finished a few other projects and where I live it is now too unbearable to work in the garage. I wish I had started sooner. The pictures are nice but don’t show the plenty of mistakes I made. The main problem I had was making the 92 tenons on the 46 slats – I used a dado blade/stop block setup to cut tenons from the 3/8 slats but I think I did not hold the slats tight enough against the miter gauge as I ran them over the dado blade and the result was uneven shoulders so one side would be shorter than the other creating a gap on one side where the shoulders would rest on the rails. I mention this in length because I wish I had done just a few before I noticed what was happening so I could correct it and come up with a better method Basically I wish I had checked my work but I was in a hurry to get this done. Here is the link to the plans I used.

I did not go with making the inlaid pyramids with contrasting wood – I used what I had left over from making the nightstands I posted earlier as a project.

Our baby is due in about a month – I wish I had more time to make things – I need to make a dresser/changing table and that will have to wait until fall because it is just too hot.

I want to thank PresiadoWoodworks for guiding me though some of the construction details and making sense of the hardware configurations. His posted project inspired me to try making a crib – I had looked at cribs at Babies R Us and I just could not bring myself to buy one when I looked at the construction details – I wanted my baby to have something better (not like she will notice while using it). One thing that surprised me was the cost of a crib mattress – per square inch a crib mattress is the most expensive piece of bedding you will ever purchase.


18 comments so far

View Rxmpo's profile

Rxmpo

119 posts in 643 days


posted 517 days ago

That is one great looking crib!!!

Your project recaps remind me of a seminar on finishing at The Woodworking show last year. The instructor opened his talk by saying, “all of you are not as good as you think you are…” I thought, wow this is going to be interesting…He then went on to say, “You’re better!” He continued, I never met a woodworker who after completing a project and showing it to friends and family for the first time didn’t point out every mistake he made, of which none of those mistakes would be noticed by anyone but the craftsman himself. I laughed b/c I had done this myself many times and since that seminar I have stopped myself from doing that a few times already, so Tomas- you do fantastic work…Best of luck with the new arrival!

Mike

View TedM's profile

TedM

1844 posts in 630 days


posted 517 days ago

From here it looks great! Congrats on the young ‘un…

btw, you’ve got a couple of years before the rocking horse, time to get started! :)

-- I'm a wood magician... I can turn fine lumber into firewood before your very eyes! - http://www.woodworkersguide.com

View Russel's profile

Russel

2063 posts in 837 days


posted 517 days ago

A very well done crib. And, while she may not notice the quality while she’s using it, she’ll know how special it is as she gets older.

-- Working at Woodworking http://www.VillageLaneFurniture.com

View Greg Wurst's profile

Greg Wurst

716 posts in 730 days


posted 517 days ago

That is a fine crib indeed.

-- You're a unique and special person, just like everyone else.

View trifern's profile

trifern

7895 posts in 665 days


posted 517 days ago

Gorgeous crib that will be cherished for many generations. Thank you for sharing.

-- My favorite piece is my last one, my best piece is my next one.

View teenagewoodworker's profile

teenagewoodworker

2482 posts in 666 days


posted 517 days ago

that is one beautiful crib. i love the look of that cherry. cherry is such a beautiful wood! thanks for the post

View CharlieM1958's profile

CharlieM1958

7670 posts in 1116 days


posted 517 days ago

That is one great crib. Really professional-quality workmanship!

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

View Lee A. Jesberger's profile

Lee A. Jesberger

3710 posts in 877 days


posted 517 days ago

Hi Tomas;

This is a beautiful project. We all make mistakes – a – plenty. Generally, we’re the only ones to notice them.

Maybe I’ll make the the title of one of my pieces.

Congratulations on the new baby! (a little early).

Lee

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

View jockmike2's profile (online now)

jockmike2

7351 posts in 1144 days


posted 516 days ago

Congrats on the baby first of all. Secondly like Lee said we all and I mean the best of us make mistakes. What makes a great carpenter is being able to hide his mistakes. You have done that very well. Great project.

-- Mike. mwurm13@yahoo.com

View cobbler's profile

cobbler

242 posts in 688 days


posted 516 days ago

Really great crib. Cherry was an excelent choice of wood.
This is definitely a family heirloom.

-- ''Carry on my wayward son''

View ND2ELK's profile

ND2ELK

6220 posts in 671 days


posted 516 days ago

Great looking crib. You did a beautiful job on it. Thanks for posting.

God Bless
tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

View Woodhacker's profile

Woodhacker

1145 posts in 621 days


posted 516 days ago

Tomas, I love the design and the cherry. You did a great job. Thanks for posting it.

-- Martin, Kansas

View Kipster's profile

Kipster

1072 posts in 650 days


posted 516 days ago

I love that great crib. Really professional-quality workmanship!

-- Kip Northern Illinois ( If you don't know where your goin any road will take you there) George Harrison

View Tomas's profile

Tomas

27 posts in 886 days


posted 515 days ago

Thanks for all the comments – I feel inspired to continue on – as soon as it cools down. I do need to expand on my finishing skills. The finish is a light coat of boiled linseed oil (three parts mineral spirits to one part BLO) and then several coats of 1 or 2 lb cut of garnett shellac. That is it – I know some people follow up with a varnish or something else but I never got that far in my experimentation. I definitely need to work on finishing. Thanks again, Tomas.

View Chazmania's profile

Chazmania

4 posts in 291 days


posted 199 days ago

I’m getting ready to cut the same slats on the same project with the same technique- What would you do differently?

View a1Jim's profile

a1Jim

17010 posts in 475 days


posted 199 days ago

Outstanding crib.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

View Tomas's profile

Tomas

27 posts in 886 days


posted 199 days ago

Chazmania – if I had to cut the slats again I would change my stop block to the other side of the crosscut miter bar so that the stop block is on my left side and my slat is resting against it as I take it to the cut. When I had the stop block attached to the rip fence in front of the blade, once it left the stop block there was nothing to hold it in the same postion except my force against the slat against the miter bar and just a slight shift and the shoulders are uneven. If you had a stop block on the miter bar there is that ability to keep it registered and in place all the way through the cut. The best advice I would have is if I had to do it over again I would watch more videos/look at articles on tenon cutting and go from there. The other piece of advice is to cut tenons on one slat, fit the piece and make sure you are happy with the results before cutting the other 35 or so slats. Good luck. Thanks, Jim. – Tomas.

View Chazmania's profile

Chazmania

4 posts in 291 days


posted 192 days ago

Thanks for the tips! I’ll share my variation on the project once it’s done.

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