# Building Baby Stokes' 3-in-1 Crib



## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*The Design*

Now that the baby cradle is out of the way, it's time for me to get to work on building a crib. Since I still have a bunch of cherry left over from building the entertainment center and coffee table, we decided on a design that utilizes cherry for the frame and maple for the slats and panels.










Melissa and I decided we wanted a 3-in-1 variety so that we can keep using it over many years.










The toddler bed is more or less the crib with a slightly different "foot-board" side.










Finally a double bed can be constructed by removing the shorter sides and replacing them with long rails with cleats to support the slats or box spring.










After talking with my local supplier of hard woods I determined I won't be able to get the maple I need until the end of June. That's fine, I have until the end of September to complete this project (longer if you consider the cradle will be used first), so for now I'll begin to work the cherry for the posts and rails. I should be able to pattern rout and create all the mortises, then simply fit the maple panels to the mortises when I finally get that material come the end of June.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

wstokes said:


> *The Design*
> 
> Now that the baby cradle is out of the way, it's time for me to get to work on building a crib. Since I still have a bunch of cherry left over from building the entertainment center and coffee table, we decided on a design that utilizes cherry for the frame and maple for the slats and panels.
> 
> ...


Cool design, Will! I like the idea of being able to morph it into a "big boy/girl" bed.

Lew


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Layout and Rough Cutting*

As I get more experience wood working, I find it interesting how I have come to enjoy seemingly basic or what in the past has been downright challenging parts of a project that I sometimes feared in the past. Stock selection is one of those. I've started taking a very different approach to stock selection fairly recently. This is probably the result of watching the Wood Whisperer. I had a great time working with my wife on this step. She helped me pick and choose boards to use for the various parts of the project. I'd move around the boards for the most part, while she was ready at hand with a list of the rough dimensions. Chalk works wonders for marking out boards and indicating the waste side of each line. Sure beats sharpening your pencil every five minutes and the marks are so much more visible. Because my hand writing is so poor, and writing on rough cut lumber is still a bit challenging, I resort to obscure acronyms like FP (front post), BMR (back middle rail), and so on. These days I try to cut stock around 2" over the length required just in case I get a little snipe while planing and since you often encounter small cracks towards the ends of the rough cut boards.










In order to break the boards down to length I've tried a variety of methods in the past, including the compound miter saw (not so great for me since I don't have a sliding saw and thus I easily reach or exceed the cutting capacity and don't much enjoy doing dangerous things like tipping up the board to complete the cut). I've also tried using a circular saw with the board raised up on 2×4 scraps and the blade partially raised. That's a lot of work and if the rough cut board has any twist you can easy get the blade to bind and get some pretty violent and downright scary kick back. Only recently have I tried using what I once considered the most crude of wood working tools - the jig saw. The jig saw actually works really well. Sure you get a small amount tear out and a fairly rough cut but who cares, if you have an extra 2" factored in then it's simply not a problem. Kick-back is a non-issue. You can clamp one end of the board to a work surface, then place a couple of rolling stands just below the end that will drop down towards the end of the cut. The icing on the cake is that even if you don't have a fancy Festool jig saw (I don't, I use a very cheap Ryobi that isn't great but gets the job done) you probably have a dust port that does a decent job to keep dust to a minimum. After rough cutting all the cherry for this project I only had a minuscule pile of dust on the floor and only right below my cut. Not all over my bench and not all over me. 










Since breaking down the wood worked out so well using this method, I couldn't help but post a picture of myself with the large pile of rough cut stock I had produced. A few of the smaller parts came out of wider stock I ripped on the table saw after first jointing one edge using a small bench top jointer. I figure it's best to first rip these down before surface planing since the boards they came from were fairly cupped so by ripping before planning I cut the amount of cupping in half.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

wstokes said:


> *Layout and Rough Cutting*
> 
> As I get more experience wood working, I find it interesting how I have come to enjoy seemingly basic or what in the past has been downright challenging parts of a project that I sometimes feared in the past. Stock selection is one of those. I've started taking a very different approach to stock selection fairly recently. This is probably the result of watching the Wood Whisperer. I had a great time working with my wife on this step. She helped me pick and choose boards to use for the various parts of the project. I'd move around the boards for the most part, while she was ready at hand with a list of the rough dimensions. Chalk works wonders for marking out boards and indicating the waste side of each line. Sure beats sharpening your pencil every five minutes and the marks are so much more visible. Because my hand writing is so poor, and writing on rough cut lumber is still a bit challenging, I resort to obscure acronyms like FP (front post), BMR (back middle rail), and so on. These days I try to cut stock around 2" over the length required just in case I get a little snipe while planing and since you often encounter small cracks towards the ends of the rough cut boards.
> 
> ...


Nice stack of lumber, Will.

Be careful when ripping the cupped board, they can cause kick back.

Lew


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

wstokes said:


> *Layout and Rough Cutting*
> 
> As I get more experience wood working, I find it interesting how I have come to enjoy seemingly basic or what in the past has been downright challenging parts of a project that I sometimes feared in the past. Stock selection is one of those. I've started taking a very different approach to stock selection fairly recently. This is probably the result of watching the Wood Whisperer. I had a great time working with my wife on this step. She helped me pick and choose boards to use for the various parts of the project. I'd move around the boards for the most part, while she was ready at hand with a list of the rough dimensions. Chalk works wonders for marking out boards and indicating the waste side of each line. Sure beats sharpening your pencil every five minutes and the marks are so much more visible. Because my hand writing is so poor, and writing on rough cut lumber is still a bit challenging, I resort to obscure acronyms like FP (front post), BMR (back middle rail), and so on. These days I try to cut stock around 2" over the length required just in case I get a little snipe while planing and since you often encounter small cracks towards the ends of the rough cut boards.
> 
> ...


Thanks Lew.  I agree 100%. When ripping anything where I have a decent amount of stock on both sides of the blade I use the blade guard and kick back paws. Having a jointed edge to work off of also helps a *lot*.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Surface Planing*

In the past I've tried to do something new in every project, a new type of joinery, using a new tool, pattern routing, etc. This is probably one of the first real projects in a while that I've made a conscious decision not to do that (because this way the project will be easier and go more smoothy, right?  ) That said, I can't help but try out a few new techniques to better accomplish the same steps I'm familiar with along the way. Last time it was using the jig-saw to rough cut the parts to length. In this entry it's using hand tools in combination with power tools to begin to shape the wood.

I've been inspired by others on here who have been restoring hand planes and decided to give that a try myself. I'll post a blog about that later, but for now you can see I'm using a Stanley #5 jack plane I've almost finished restoring (I just need to do a better job sharpening the blade and chip-breaker). Several of he boards I'm working with have a bit of twist. Cutting them to rough length helps a bit, but they still rocked a bit more then I'd like. In order to try to reduce the rocking I found the more stable side, then identified the high corners. A few passes with the #5 on the opposing high corners helped takel the rocking out of each board.



















One area I need to improve on it securing the board while I work on it with a hand plane. Some day I dream of a dead flat torsion box work surface with bench dogs and a pair of killer end and face vices. For now I settle for a cruddy quick release clamp. This really does not work well at all. The board wants to move on you all the time. I switched to using two clamps but even that is not ideal. Bench dogs are really the way to go. Some day. 










After that it's time for a trip to the surface planer. (As much as I'm having a good time working with hand tools, I don't see myself ever planing down big hunking boards by hand). I tend to really baby my Dewalt 734, taking very light 1/32" passes, and ideally finishing up with a 1/64" pass on either side of the board. This photo is a little deceiving. I had already surfaced the opposite side of the board and had just flipped it over to surface the cup facing up side.










And finally, here is all the surface planed wood loaded up on top of my table saw (maybe that wasn't such a good idea, but she held it!). I find this part of a project quite exciting. You finally get to really see what the wood looks like (and if it will work well in the areas you imagined or not). Fortunately, as far as I can tell, I think things will work out quite well the way I have it all planned.


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## AUBrian (Feb 1, 2011)

wstokes said:


> *Surface Planing*
> 
> In the past I've tried to do something new in every project, a new type of joinery, using a new tool, pattern routing, etc. This is probably one of the first real projects in a while that I've made a conscious decision not to do that (because this way the project will be easier and go more smoothy, right?  ) That said, I can't help but try out a few new techniques to better accomplish the same steps I'm familiar with along the way. Last time it was using the jig-saw to rough cut the parts to length. In this entry it's using hand tools in combination with power tools to begin to shape the wood.
> 
> ...


One thing you may want to consider, until you get bench dogs, is to get some of that drawer liner that is commonly used in tool chests. You know the rubbery, pebbly looking stuff. I currently can use that for most planing operations, and not even use any clamps. Just put it on your bench, set your wood on it, and you're set. Of course, if matters how much material I'm taking off, but if you're already using a clamp, it might be just the thing you need until you get your ideal setup.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

wstokes said:


> *Surface Planing*
> 
> In the past I've tried to do something new in every project, a new type of joinery, using a new tool, pattern routing, etc. This is probably one of the first real projects in a while that I've made a conscious decision not to do that (because this way the project will be easier and go more smoothy, right?  ) That said, I can't help but try out a few new techniques to better accomplish the same steps I'm familiar with along the way. Last time it was using the jig-saw to rough cut the parts to length. In this entry it's using hand tools in combination with power tools to begin to shape the wood.
> 
> ...


Interesitng, I have some of that very stuff. I've used it, with reasonable success, while sanding. I'll give it a try next time.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

wstokes said:


> *Surface Planing*
> 
> In the past I've tried to do something new in every project, a new type of joinery, using a new tool, pattern routing, etc. This is probably one of the first real projects in a while that I've made a conscious decision not to do that (because this way the project will be easier and go more smoothy, right?  ) That said, I can't help but try out a few new techniques to better accomplish the same steps I'm familiar with along the way. Last time it was using the jig-saw to rough cut the parts to length. In this entry it's using hand tools in combination with power tools to begin to shape the wood.
> 
> ...


You might be able to clamp a simple planing stop to your bench….


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

wstokes said:


> *Surface Planing*
> 
> In the past I've tried to do something new in every project, a new type of joinery, using a new tool, pattern routing, etc. This is probably one of the first real projects in a while that I've made a conscious decision not to do that (because this way the project will be easier and go more smoothy, right?  ) That said, I can't help but try out a few new techniques to better accomplish the same steps I'm familiar with along the way. Last time it was using the jig-saw to rough cut the parts to length. In this entry it's using hand tools in combination with power tools to begin to shape the wood.
> 
> ...


@WayneC: Yeah, I thought of that. The problem is I was a fool and installed my end vice towards the center of the table, so I'd somehow have to clamp the stop near the middle, although it could be done.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Jointing and Ripping to Width*

Nothing ground-breaking in this entry of this blog series. With the surfaces planed, I next turn to my jointer to joint one edge of each board. The following pictures are more less for your amusement as I set about jointing one edge of each board on a tiny 4 1/2" bench-top jointer.










In the last photo you can see something I'm quite fond of - a new peg board Melissa helped me setup a few weeks back. I now have more or less all my measuring and marking tools organized in one place which really rocks. I hated hunting and digging around for things like those in the past.










As you can see it's a bit of a challenge to joint a 58" x 7 1/2" x 1" board on a small bench-top jointer but it came be done! (although your arms can get a workout). I really do like the granite table and fence on this unit, although I really yearn for a longer in-feed and outfeed table. Some day. For now, due to the limited capacity (4 1/2") I can only edge joint since usually stock is too wide to be face jointed. As a result I don't bother to joint at all before I'm done working with the planer. I surface plane, then joint an edge, then finish up the process at the table saw by ripping stock to width. If anyone is upgrading from a 8" or 10" jointer and would like to give me their old one, message me and I'll get you my mailing address. 










Finally, here is the pile of wood after one edge has been jointed and all boards were shot through the table saw and ripped to width. This last step is so straight forward and effortless once you've face planed and jointed that it almost is not worth mentioning. I did use a pair of roller stands this time (a new acquisition) which certainly made ripping MUCH easier than it has been in the past as I don't have an out-feed table or a permanent shop assistant.  I also employed a feather board which helped helped keep the stock nice and tight up against the fence and avoiding burning on all but one board entirely.

One thing I find interesting while working on a project is that you seem to start with a huge amount of stock, but as you machining it down it gets smaller and smaller. I started with 1 1/8" stock, planed it down to 1" thick, and now have finished jointing and ripping it to width. The size of the pile is starting to get considerably smaller already. It will be interesting to see it continue to shrink when I get it all cut to length and begin to mill out the joinery and stepped design.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

wstokes said:


> *Jointing and Ripping to Width*
> 
> Nothing ground-breaking in this entry of this blog series. With the surfaces planed, I next turn to my jointer to joint one edge of each board. The following pictures are more less for your amusement as I set about jointing one edge of each board on a tiny 4 1/2" bench-top jointer.
> 
> ...


That's some beautiful looking material, Will.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Cutting it all to length*

If you've been following along on this blog so far, you already know I'm trying to experiment with small tricks along the way as I build this crib. In the past in order to mark stock before cutting it to length I've just used a tape measure an pencil. This time I'm trying something slightly different.










After first cleaning up one end, I pull a tape and make a mark.










Then, instead of attempting to visually line up that line (wherever it ended up across the width of the board) with the saw kerf, I instead extend that line using a small or large combination square. For narrow stock the small combination square is a real treat. It's incredibly light weight and feels great in your hands. More importantly, I can now pull a straight line with my tape, instead of trying to hook my tape near one edge of the board or the other. I also don't have to do that extra mental math figure out which side of the board I should get my mark near. By extending the line the full width I can relax knowing I'll have a mark wherever I ended up needing it. I got the small combination square just recently (I think I ordered it from Grizzly). The larger square is an old rusty Stanley that I pulled out of my aunts garage. While restoring the #5 (and a #4) hand plane, I also striped the paint, removed the rust with Evaporust, and primed and painted the square. In the past I never used the thing because it was so hard to read the marks and it felt horrible in your hand (all rusty and rough). Now it's a real pleasure to use.










I really enjoy cross cutting on my table saw using a sled. It really produces a nice crisp edge, and since I effectively have a zero clearance I don't get any chip-out. If the board is very long (as it was for the seven 56" front/back rails) I have my shop buddy help me support the end hanging over the edge just ever so slightly. The stock stays tight up against the sled's fence.










Here's the finished product, I now have 6 square sides on all boards. I haven't decided what I'll work on next. Perhaps I'll start making templates, or maybe start working on the bridal and mortise and tenon joints. There is so much fun stuff to start contemplating now. Sadly, that will probably have to wait until next weekend. Sometimes I wish the weekend was 5 days and the work week 2 days. It sure would allow me to spend more time in the shop. 










*Update:* After originally posting this entry, Steve and Lew made the great suggestion to setup some stickers and put some weight on the stock to avoid unnecessary twisting and warping. This is a great idea, and one I've never tried out before! Fortunately I bought some strap clamps at Harbor Freight the other day for this sort of thing. Now I can relax knowing the boards are all being held in place over the next week.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

wstokes said:


> *Cutting it all to length*
> 
> If you've been following along on this blog so far, you already know I'm trying to experiment with small tricks along the way as I build this crib. In the past in order to mark stock before cutting it to length I've just used a tape measure an pencil. This time I'm trying something slightly different.
> 
> ...


Wow. Good job on all the prep.

Actually the wait might be a good thing to see if some of the boards want to warp or twist a little.
Better now than later.
I think a little stickering might be a good idea if you are going to let it set for a week.

Steve


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

wstokes said:


> *Cutting it all to length*
> 
> If you've been following along on this blog so far, you already know I'm trying to experiment with small tricks along the way as I build this crib. In the past in order to mark stock before cutting it to length I've just used a tape measure an pencil. This time I'm trying something slightly different.
> 
> ...


I agree with Steve. Sticker and maybe even some weight to help prevent twisting until you get back to this.

Lew


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## DinoWalk (May 24, 2011)

wstokes said:


> *Cutting it all to length*
> 
> If you've been following along on this blog so far, you already know I'm trying to experiment with small tricks along the way as I build this crib. In the past in order to mark stock before cutting it to length I've just used a tape measure an pencil. This time I'm trying something slightly different.
> 
> ...


Good lad with your mask on.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Once upon a time...*

Now that the cherry framework has been milled down, it's time to start laying out the numerous mortise and tenon joints. I begin by making a few "story sticks" using some scraps I had laying around.










Once the story sticks are laid out, it's time to transfer the lines to the actual stock. Since I don't have to pull a tape and remember where to make all the marks this part is virtually dummy proof.










Then I extend the lines using a small combination square.










I plan on using a template bit and a router to create the stepped pattern in the rails so I spent some time making templates out of hard board.










After a few hours all the layout lines are in place. Next time I will work on making the mortises, roughing out the stepped pattern, and maybe a little template routing.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

wstokes said:


> *Once upon a time...*
> 
> Now that the cherry framework has been milled down, it's time to start laying out the numerous mortise and tenon joints. I begin by making a few "story sticks" using some scraps I had laying around.
> 
> ...


Nice set of pix, Will.

I like the idea of the story stick.

Lew


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## DLCW (Feb 18, 2011)

wstokes said:


> *Once upon a time...*
> 
> Now that the cherry framework has been milled down, it's time to start laying out the numerous mortise and tenon joints. I begin by making a few "story sticks" using some scraps I had laying around.
> 
> ...


ALRIGHT!!!!! Another southpaw. Thanks for posting the progress pictures. I look forward to seeing the project unfold.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

wstokes said:


> *Once upon a time...*
> 
> Now that the cherry framework has been milled down, it's time to start laying out the numerous mortise and tenon joints. I begin by making a few "story sticks" using some scraps I had laying around.
> 
> ...


Hehehe, I never even though about that!

Out of curiosity, and this is entirely unrelated to this project, do you own/use a lefty or a righty circular saw? I learned on a righty (because I know no lefty wood workers/carpenters), but I hold it with my left hand and it ejects all the chips in my face and I have to support the weight of the saw when I complete the cut. Arggg! I feel like such a fool buying a righty saw, but that was what I was used to. :-(


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## DLCW (Feb 18, 2011)

wstokes said:


> *Once upon a time...*
> 
> Now that the cherry framework has been milled down, it's time to start laying out the numerous mortise and tenon joints. I begin by making a few "story sticks" using some scraps I had laying around.
> 
> ...


Will,

My left handed tasks are relegated to eating, writing and shooting. Everything else I do right handed. I've got a strange situation where I'm predominantly left handed but my right hand is my strong hand. Go figure…..


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

wstokes said:


> *Once upon a time...*
> 
> Now that the cherry framework has been milled down, it's time to start laying out the numerous mortise and tenon joints. I begin by making a few "story sticks" using some scraps I had laying around.
> 
> ...


Yeah, society has screwed me up as well. I bat lefty and throw left handed, but kick a ball with my right foot. I write, eat, and really do most things lefty (despite being encouraged to write with my right hand as a kid, grrr), but we never had a decent pair of lefty scissors at school so I learned and now am more comfortable doing that with my right hand. I got tried moving the mouse over to the left side of the keyboard at school so I retrained myself and now am only comfortable using my right hand for a mouse or trackpad. Go figure.


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## DLCW (Feb 18, 2011)

wstokes said:


> *Once upon a time...*
> 
> Now that the cherry framework has been milled down, it's time to start laying out the numerous mortise and tenon joints. I begin by making a few "story sticks" using some scraps I had laying around.
> 
> ...


This world is not receptive or accommodating to left handers is it. :-(


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Bridle Joints and Mortises*

Before I attack the stepped pattern, it made sense to work on the bridle joints that occur where the top of the posts meet the ends of the top rails. Using my super sled and a small attachment I made for cutting tenons, I made the mortise on the top of the posts using a standard blade by making a pass, rotating the board and taking another, before finally moving the fence and using a 3rd pass to clean up the center. The result is a perfectly centered mortise. The only problem I find I have with this technique, and frankly I don't know what I can do to get around it, is that the wood tends to bend inward once the stock is removed. For some reason this seems more pronounced this time around compared to when I built our entertainment center. My tentative plan is to make a few wedges that I'll jam in to spread the two halves apart when it comes time for the final glue up. It will be "interesting".










While I could in theory cut my tenons at the ends of the rails with the same attachment, I find it much easier to creep up on a good fit by slowly raising the blade and making horizontal passes.










Since this produces a slightly rough result, after 99% of the material has been removed I remove the remaining irregularities by sliding the board across the blade, much like you would when cove cutting.










This past weekend by parents came up and my Dad and I spent the better part of two days working on the crib. On Saturday we worked exclusively on mortising. There sure are a lot of mortises in this project! Before he came I built an auxiliary fence for my mortiser. I was not happy with the results I was getting the past when I simply help the stock in place. I used some old inline skate wheels to hold the stock in place. These allow me to slide the stock left and right when it is not clamped in place. I find these doing a much better job holding the stock down when raising the mortising chisel compared to the attachment that came with the mortiser. For now I use a simple F-style clamp to hold the stock against the fence.










After making a series of square holes, we would come back for a second pass to connect them all up. I saw this technique recently and it really makes a difference. By plunging into solid wood in the first place the chisel is equally supported and does not want to move left or right. During the second pass there is no wood on both the left and right of the chisel, so while unsupported the chisel isn't biased and does not move. Between the auxiliary fence, sharpening my chisels with a cone sharpener, clamping the stock in place and this new technique for making the initial set of holes, I'm finding I'm getting much better results.










Mortising took a long time in part because a number of the mortises were stepped since we were making them before cutting out the stepped pattern. That, and the fact that the various parts are of various thicknesses required a number of depth stop adjustments, but in the end we got it all done in one day.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

wstokes said:


> *Bridle Joints and Mortises*
> 
> Before I attack the stepped pattern, it made sense to work on the bridle joints that occur where the top of the posts meet the ends of the top rails. Using my super sled and a small attachment I made for cutting tenons, I made the mortise on the top of the posts using a standard blade by making a pass, rotating the board and taking another, before finally moving the fence and using a 3rd pass to clean up the center. The result is a perfectly centered mortise. The only problem I find I have with this technique, and frankly I don't know what I can do to get around it, is that the wood tends to bend inward once the stock is removed. For some reason this seems more pronounced this time around compared to when I built our entertainment center. My tentative plan is to make a few wedges that I'll jam in to spread the two halves apart when it comes time for the final glue up. It will be "interesting".
> 
> ...


That sure is a lot of mortising!! Nice fence system on the mortiser!


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Making the Stepped Pattern*

Once the mortises were complete, it was time to finally move on to the stepped pattern. I first roughed out the pattern at the band saw so as to remove the majority of the waste. After the problems I ran into while building a pair of cradles I now know I need to get to within 1/16" of the line I'll eventually template route to.










I'm currently borrowing my neighbors bench-top bandsaw which has a slightly dull blade and doesn't always cut perfectly straight so I'm a bit of a wimp and cut more like 1/8" to 3/16" to my template line. I then attach the template with double sided carpet tape and carefully sand to within 1/16" with a oscillating spindle sander. I find this step quite relaxing and stress free. I must admit using some form of dust collection during this step is a must!
In order to sneak up on the line at the internal junction of each step I find it helpful to switch from the lagest to one of the smaller drums. My Dad helped out a lot switching the drums while I was getting the next piece setup with a template.










I then moved on to template routing using using a hand-held router and a template bit. There are a lot of profiles on this project and I definitely got a better hang of it as I went along. I made half-templates so I will have a perfectly symmetrical profile since the same template is used at both ends. This also allows me to place the template on the ideal side so I'm never routing across the grain. As a result I didn't have any problems with the bit grabbing the wood like I have in the past. Here you can see all the mortises I mentioned in the last blog posting…










And here you can see all the routed profiles. I still need to rout the long middle rails and the toddler top rail, but other than that template routing is complete. Phew!


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

wstokes said:


> *Making the Stepped Pattern*
> 
> Once the mortises were complete, it was time to finally move on to the stepped pattern. I first roughed out the pattern at the band saw so as to remove the majority of the waste. After the problems I ran into while building a pair of cradles I now know I need to get to within 1/16" of the line I'll eventually template route to.
> 
> ...


Cool idea by cutting the mortises first.


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

wstokes said:


> *Making the Stepped Pattern*
> 
> Once the mortises were complete, it was time to finally move on to the stepped pattern. I first roughed out the pattern at the band saw so as to remove the majority of the waste. After the problems I ran into while building a pair of cradles I now know I need to get to within 1/16" of the line I'll eventually template route to.
> 
> ...


Nice.
Glad to see you feel improvement as you go along. I know that feeling. It is good.

Looking great,
Steve


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Spindles, Panels and Splines*

With the cherry frame more or less completed, it was time to turn my attention to the maple spindles, panels, and splines. My Dad helped me pick boards and layout the various parts, then cut, rip, and plane them all down to size.




























I felt terrible milling down 4/4 stock down to 1/2". In the future, provided I get a band saw capable of resawing, I think I might use 8/4 stock and resaw down to three 1/2" boards. Oh well, there's always something to try in the future provided one has the right tools for the job. At least I now have beautiful maple shavings around various pine saplings in the woods outside our house. Since I removed so much material and the completed pieces were thin I decided to strap them together until they had a chance to acclimate.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Tenons and Stepped Panels*

One of the more complex aspects of this project was the stepped panels. The step in the top and bottom rails actually occurs at two different locations. Rather then try to mill out a stepped tenon on the panels I cut them oversize initially, ripped them in three portions, then used my new dado stack to mill out all the tenons.



















At this point I did a few dry assemblies and started thinking about my clamping and glue up strategy. I decided trying to glue up entire sides at once was a recipe for disaster. To simplify things I did a few sub-assemblies by glueing up the lower rails and maple splines.



















I glued the three portions back together to produce a stepped panel. It would be impossible to get clamps in there to pull these three together when doing the final glue up. By gluing them up ahead of time the final glue up would be considerably easier. On most of these the glue line is almost impossible to make to make out. If I were to do it again I would consider using a thin kerf saw blade or better yet consider making the rips on the band saw. That would result in less material loss and thus better grain matching in the final product.



















At this point I did a crude dry assembly, just making sure each tenon fit. Where necessary I went back and cleaned up the shoulders of a tenon when it wouldn't slide into place easily.










With all the tenons made and the panels glued back it up it was time for a *lot* of sanding.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Drilling and Large Glue-ups*

Before gluing up the front, back and sides I decided to first drill the holes for the faux pins. I used my small combination square to carefully lay these all out, then just set my depth stop on the drill press and proceed to drill a seemingly endless number of holes all over the cherry frame. It felt so weird doing this after I had spent all this time trying to keep theses pieces looking as perfect as possible. I guess you could say I had to take a leap of faith that I would like the way it would turn out but I knew I liked the design in Sketchup so that helped.



















Once drilling was complete, it was time for all the glue-ups. These were slightly tricky. I decided to wrap the ends of the spindles and panels with blue tap to simplify the cleanup, especially since these pieces were already sanded to 220. I first glued in the lower rails to the vertical posts. This was possible because the top rail can be pushed straight down since I was using a bridal joint instead of a standard mortise and tenon at the top corners. Once that was dry, with the help of a number of pipe clamps and a few taps with a rubber mallet I was able to get the panels all glued up without too much trouble.

Gluing up the toddler front:









Gluing up one of the crib sides:









Gluing up the front of the crib:









Gluing up the back of the crib:


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Cleanup*

After the glue had about an hour to firm up I would remove the blue tape and use a sharp 1/2" chisel to do some cleanup before the glue completely cured. You can see photos of the glued up back, sides and toddler front here.




























Once the joints were completely cured I used a plane to clean up tenon portions of the bridal joints.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Detailing*

At this point I really felt like I was entering the home stretch. With the help of my Dad we made a slew of 1/2" and 3/8" faux pins. I made a simple jig to drill shallow blind holes in the backs of these and used short lengths of dowel stock to glue these all in place. I used my combination square to make sure each was rotated just right.










Next I installed various threaded inserts that will be used to bolt and screw the crib together.










Using some maple and ash scrap I had lying around I threw together a mattress support and glued and screwed cleats to the lower rails. The crib was more or less structurally complete, it just needed to be assembled!


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Drilling, Tapping & Assembly*

Assembly was pretty straight forward, just time consuming as I had to drill out the remaining threaded inserts into the posts and make sure all the parts lined up just right. OK, perhaps I'm glossing over the details just a tad. The front and back of the crib are 1" thick, but the threaded inserts I bought from Rockler were 1 1/4" long. Oops! They also required a very rare drill bit size I had to order online from some no-name supplier from Brooklyn. Once I had the bit in hand I drilled the apprpriate sized hole through a piece of 1" thick cherry scrap. Using bees wax I tapped the hole and threaded the insert deep so that ~3/8" came out the back end. I put the fixture into a vice and using a hack-saw removed the last 3/8" of the threaded insert. With the help of my wife and a pair of roller stands I then drilled the the ~7/8" holes in the posts, then used the drill press to tap the holes at exactly 90 degrees. Despite being 39 weeks pregnant my wife was instrumental in helping me with these steps and the final assembly.




























At last we could finally see assembled crib in its various forms.


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

wstokes said:


> *Drilling, Tapping & Assembly*
> 
> Assembly was pretty straight forward, just time consuming as I had to drill out the remaining threaded inserts into the posts and make sure all the parts lined up just right. OK, perhaps I'm glossing over the details just a tad. The front and back of the crib are 1" thick, but the threaded inserts I bought from Rockler were 1 1/4" long. Oops! They also required a very rare drill bit size I had to order online from some no-name supplier from Brooklyn. Once I had the bit in hand I drilled the apprpriate sized hole through a piece of 1" thick cherry scrap. Using bees wax I tapped the hole and threaded the insert deep so that ~3/8" came out the back end. I put the fixture into a vice and using a hack-saw removed the last 3/8" of the threaded insert. With the help of my wife and a pair of roller stands I then drilled the the ~7/8" holes in the posts, then used the drill press to tap the holes at exactly 90 degrees. Despite being 39 weeks pregnant my wife was instrumental in helping me with these steps and the final assembly.
> 
> ...


That is going to be one nice looking crib.

Kids (for the most part) like chewing on the rails, are those peg all the way through or are they just buttons (if so they may pose a choking hazard if they dislodge).


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

wstokes said:


> *Drilling, Tapping & Assembly*
> 
> Assembly was pretty straight forward, just time consuming as I had to drill out the remaining threaded inserts into the posts and make sure all the parts lined up just right. OK, perhaps I'm glossing over the details just a tad. The front and back of the crib are 1" thick, but the threaded inserts I bought from Rockler were 1 1/4" long. Oops! They also required a very rare drill bit size I had to order online from some no-name supplier from Brooklyn. Once I had the bit in hand I drilled the apprpriate sized hole through a piece of 1" thick cherry scrap. Using bees wax I tapped the hole and threaded the insert deep so that ~3/8" came out the back end. I put the fixture into a vice and using a hack-saw removed the last 3/8" of the threaded insert. With the help of my wife and a pair of roller stands I then drilled the the ~7/8" holes in the posts, then used the drill press to tap the holes at exactly 90 degrees. Despite being 39 weeks pregnant my wife was instrumental in helping me with these steps and the final assembly.
> 
> ...


The pegs are faux in the sense that they are flat caps with a small hole drilled into the back. A mating hole is drilled in the cherry frame and a healthy dose of glue and a tight fitting dowel hole the three pieces together. I'm aware of the choking risk and will make sure they all remain glued in well. I actually used a clamp to press them into place. I personally think it would require a chisel and hammer and perhaps a pair of pliers to pop any of them off and even that would be a challenge. The two pins at the top corners of the front of the crib are removable as they hide the screws that hold the sides to the front. I certainly don't want Tommy to pull those out and choke on them so I've wrapped the already tight fitting dowel with a couple of layers of tape and them pressed them into place. They would be very difficult to pry out. They're actually hard for me to get out.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Sanding And Applying Finish*

Things were getting really down to the wire so I enlisted my wife's help again with the final finishing. I still needed to ease all the edges which we did by hand with sandpaper.










After cleaning up I applied 2 coats of Tried & True Danish oil, followed up with 3 coats of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal.


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## FatherHooligan (Mar 27, 2008)

wstokes said:


> *Sanding And Applying Finish*
> 
> Things were getting really down to the wire so I enlisted my wife's help again with the final finishing. I still needed to ease all the edges which we did by hand with sandpaper.
> 
> ...


Wow that is getting down to the wire…when our first was born my brother in law finished and final assembled the crib and chest of drawers I (we) had been working on my she showed up 7 weeks early. These will be great photos to show to your young 'uns when they get old enough to appreciate it.


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## wstokes (Mar 20, 2009)

*Final Assembly and Tommy Tries it Out!*

After the crib dried for a couple weeks it was finally time to bring it upstairs and install it the nursery. I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out and Tommy seems to really enjoy being in it. He's not ready for the crib just yet. We hope to keep him in his cradle for another month. That should give the crib a bit more time to dry. I also need to make two shim boards for the ends of the mattress to close a gap required to support a double bed in the future.


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

wstokes said:


> *Final Assembly and Tommy Tries it Out!*
> 
> After the crib dried for a couple weeks it was finally time to bring it upstairs and install it the nursery. I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out and Tommy seems to really enjoy being in it. He's not ready for the crib just yet. We hope to keep him in his cradle for another month. That should give the crib a bit more time to dry. I also need to make two shim boards for the ends of the mattress to close a gap required to support a double bed in the future.


Looks like you got it done in time! I have enjoyed reading your blog.

Now you have a piece of well crafted quality furniture that will be around for generations. Congrats on the new family member too!


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## sandhill (Aug 28, 2007)

wstokes said:


> *Final Assembly and Tommy Tries it Out!*
> 
> After the crib dried for a couple weeks it was finally time to bring it upstairs and install it the nursery. I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out and Tommy seems to really enjoy being in it. He's not ready for the crib just yet. We hope to keep him in his cradle for another month. That should give the crib a bit more time to dry. I also need to make two shim boards for the ends of the mattress to close a gap required to support a double bed in the future.


Very cool I love it.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

wstokes said:


> *Final Assembly and Tommy Tries it Out!*
> 
> After the crib dried for a couple weeks it was finally time to bring it upstairs and install it the nursery. I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out and Tommy seems to really enjoy being in it. He's not ready for the crib just yet. We hope to keep him in his cradle for another month. That should give the crib a bit more time to dry. I also need to make two shim boards for the ends of the mattress to close a gap required to support a double bed in the future.


Very nice blog series, Will.

A lot of hard work but a beautiful piece that will become a family heirloom.

Thanks for taking us along!

Lew


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## Beginningwoodworker (May 5, 2008)

wstokes said:


> *Final Assembly and Tommy Tries it Out!*
> 
> After the crib dried for a couple weeks it was finally time to bring it upstairs and install it the nursery. I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out and Tommy seems to really enjoy being in it. He's not ready for the crib just yet. We hope to keep him in his cradle for another month. That should give the crib a bit more time to dry. I also need to make two shim boards for the ends of the mattress to close a gap required to support a double bed in the future.


Beautiful crib.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

wstokes said:


> *Final Assembly and Tommy Tries it Out!*
> 
> After the crib dried for a couple weeks it was finally time to bring it upstairs and install it the nursery. I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out and Tommy seems to really enjoy being in it. He's not ready for the crib just yet. We hope to keep him in his cradle for another month. That should give the crib a bit more time to dry. I also need to make two shim boards for the ends of the mattress to close a gap required to support a double bed in the future.


A great design ,a beautiful crib and a handsome son too


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## SPalm (Oct 9, 2007)

wstokes said:


> *Final Assembly and Tommy Tries it Out!*
> 
> After the crib dried for a couple weeks it was finally time to bring it upstairs and install it the nursery. I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out and Tommy seems to really enjoy being in it. He's not ready for the crib just yet. We hope to keep him in his cradle for another month. That should give the crib a bit more time to dry. I also need to make two shim boards for the ends of the mattress to close a gap required to support a double bed in the future.


Wow.
What a wonderful build and a wonderful blog.

Congrats,
Steve


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## jeffbranch (Feb 20, 2011)

wstokes said:


> *Final Assembly and Tommy Tries it Out!*
> 
> After the crib dried for a couple weeks it was finally time to bring it upstairs and install it the nursery. I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out and Tommy seems to really enjoy being in it. He's not ready for the crib just yet. We hope to keep him in his cradle for another month. That should give the crib a bit more time to dry. I also need to make two shim boards for the ends of the mattress to close a gap required to support a double bed in the future.


Nice work and a handsome design


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## Allanwoodworks (Aug 15, 2010)

wstokes said:


> *Final Assembly and Tommy Tries it Out!*
> 
> After the crib dried for a couple weeks it was finally time to bring it upstairs and install it the nursery. I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out and Tommy seems to really enjoy being in it. He's not ready for the crib just yet. We hope to keep him in his cradle for another month. That should give the crib a bit more time to dry. I also need to make two shim boards for the ends of the mattress to close a gap required to support a double bed in the future.


Very Cool!


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

wstokes said:


> *Final Assembly and Tommy Tries it Out!*
> 
> After the crib dried for a couple weeks it was finally time to bring it upstairs and install it the nursery. I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out and Tommy seems to really enjoy being in it. He's not ready for the crib just yet. We hope to keep him in his cradle for another month. That should give the crib a bit more time to dry. I also need to make two shim boards for the ends of the mattress to close a gap required to support a double bed in the future.


Wow! That is some fine fabricating, and very beautiful


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