# I'm going to be a father!!!



## LGC KX5 TC (Dec 23, 2008)

Yep you read it right guys, my wife just informed me that she is pregnant with our first kid. I am excited and nervous at the same time lol. we have been kinda trying for a little bit now and all the while i have been thinking that i want to build the crib for Him/Her. So i would like your guys help with any crib plans you have come across. Good ones, bad ones, things to look out for. Stuff like that. I have about 8 1/2 months i figure to get something done and i want it to be flawless. Any help or suggestions you guys have would be awesome. 

Thanks from your new dad to be,
Jeron


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

Congrats to both of you Jeron! I have no tips about a crib, but will tell you that parenting is very rewarding and life changing long term commitment. It's a lot of work, and life will never be the same, but you'll never want it to be either. The good moments far outweight the time tough ones, and there's something very real, normal, and natural about the whole experience. It goes by fast, so enjoy it! :thumbsup:


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## Davet (Nov 16, 2007)

LGC KX5 TC your on the right track son... :thumbsup:
Upcoming births and excuses to the wife for buying woodworking tools! :yes: 
but make sure you space your projects out. 

Crib = oh honey, I need these woodworking tools!
Chair = oh honey, I need more woodworking tools!
High Chair = bunch-cha more woodworking tools !!!!

They fall for it every time! :no: :laughing:

But seriously, congratulations, you will now discover
the true meaning of life! and why you are here on this planet! :thumbup: 

And welcome to the world of always being broke! :blink: :no: :yes: 

:no:


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## BHOFM (Oct 14, 2008)

Congrats..

Check this:


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## LarrySch (Dec 31, 2007)

Congratulations - the birth of a new child - either boy or girl - is really exciting and probably one of the happiest times in your life - the other would be when they reach 18 years old and move out of the house. (LOL)
If you build that crib like BHOFM has shown, expect your child to be in the Bassmaster's Classic when they grow up.


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

BHOFM said:


> Congrats..
> 
> Check this:


That's gotta be the coolest cradle I've ever seen! :thumbsup:


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## Terry Beeson (May 29, 2008)

Congrats, Jeron!!!!

My wife and I have been "working on it" since we met, but since she had her baby making machine taken out before we met, nothing's happened. But we continue to try!!!!

Seriously, tho... Congrats dude...


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## LGC KX5 TC (Dec 23, 2008)

Well i appreciate it guys i do look forward to this alot. And like i told my wife even if i knew i couldn't have kids for some reason doesn't mean i wouldn't try lol.


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## Handyman (Jan 2, 2008)

Congradulation LGC KX5 TC Children are truly a gift, Just wait until you have Grandkids.


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## AZ Termite (Dec 20, 2008)

LGC, 
Congrats, children are alot of fun. Meisel hardware has a few plans for a cradle here's the link. http://www.meiselwoodhobby.com Go into meisel hardware and search cradle, it will bring up a whole list. Good luck, being a father can be alot of fun. I just got my baby maker fixed. We are two and out, we have a boy and a girl and thats all we need.


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## firehawkmph (Apr 26, 2008)

Hi LG,
Congratulations on the upcoming family. Welcome to the real world. My boys are going to be 19 and 20 this year. Both are as tall as I am. Enjoy them when they are little. Not much backtalk then. My cradle vote goes towards BH's boat cradle. 
Mike Hawkins


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## jana88 (Jan 13, 2009)

Congratulation! I know you are excited building the crib.  Keep us posted..


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## WayneM (Jan 21, 2009)

Well a huge congrats on the up coming new member of your family. We are in the grand baby stage now with number 6 coming in May .. 
Enjoy him/her while they are little it truly is a life changing experience. And a very good one. There are a lot of website for plans on many things including cribs, cradles etc. I'm currently working on an cradle that I read about in Wood Magazine. 

Best of Luck

Wayne
:thumbsup:


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## MackLuster77 (Jun 3, 2009)

BHOFM said:


> Congrats..
> 
> Check this:



Plans sold here: http://www.jordanwoodboats.com


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Congratulations! I'm sorry that I can't help you with plans for this project, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to wish you and your wife all the best in your new adventure.
Ken


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## supershingler (Apr 28, 2009)

congratulations

i built a crib that makes into a day bed and then turns into a full size bed. i believe it was in the august 2007 Wood Magazine. it was a fun project and about medium hard(at least for me). check it out maybe you'll like it

good luck on both projects.

kendall


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## Roger Newby (May 26, 2009)

supershingler said:


> congratulations
> 
> i built a crib that makes into a day bed and then turns into a full size bed. i believe it was in the august 2007 Wood Magazine. it was a fun project and about medium hard(at least for me). check it out maybe you'll like it
> 
> ...


If you don't have that issue, the plans are available on the web site. I'm getting ready to build one for my first Grandchild!!:thumbsup:

Roger


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## clarionflyer (Apr 27, 2008)

So were you correct to put this under design and *plan(ned)*? :laughing: Either way congratulations!
One of the best things I ever bought (as a dad) was a beautiful wooden high chair - I wish I could claim it, but it's Amish made. Having a little experience with some of the cheap plastic high chairs, I highly recommend it... along with the cradle. 

The chair would probably be along the same building scale as the cradle. If you're interested, let me know.
Congrats again.


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## Rick C. (Dec 17, 2008)

CONGRATULATIONS?What kind of talk is congratulations??:blink: L.G. do you have any idea what you just done to yourself? Yeah, I like the boat cradle too,the anchor's in it.( well boys I'd love to go on that fishin' trip but I got one of these:huh:.)Hell,I've been trying to sell my kids cheap for years.The money makin' part of the deal is when they bring 'em back:laughing:.Shoot,got 12 grandkids for sale now:yes:!!!
All kiddin' aside,I wish you all the very best:thumbsup::thumbsup:.They say the little ones step on your toes,when they get bigger they step on your heart.That doesn't mean (always)in a painfull way,but sometimes in a way that yanks your heart,like graduating high school,following the right path or thanking you for being an influence on how they are raising their kids.You'll lose some,alot,of hair,but you'll use less shampoo.And when your teenager says,come on dad let's go fishin', you'll forget all about those missed trips:yes:.
Oh yeah,I don't know squat about makin' cribs,just fillin' 'em.
God Bless,
Rick


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## gaviaimmer (Dec 6, 2007)

*Congrads*

Congradulations. I just finished my third crib - all for grandkids. 

A good source for parts is: http://www.productsamerica.com/ 

Some safety information from uncle Sam: http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml73/73040.html

This is the last one I constructed. Its made from Cherry with a natural finish. The front comes off so it can be used as a day bed. It could also easily be modified to use as a double bed head and foot.

The pictures were from when the finish was being applied so the bolts for holding the frame together were still being left loose. I wanted a unit that could be broken down. Its also shown without the springs and mattress installed.

Other than following the federal specs and the standard mattress size, I did my own thing with this. If you're interested in any measurements or other specifics, let me know.


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## Gravel7 (Mar 16, 2009)

*gaviaimmer....*

Nice work. That crib looks awesome. 
Are all of the slats installed with M&T's?


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## Sabres78 (Jul 9, 2008)

Wow! That looks really great. I love the design. Nice work.


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## gaviaimmer (Dec 6, 2007)

Yes. I cut the slats to just proud of 3/8" and rounded them over on the router table. The mortises were cut with a 3/8" spiral cutter, then the slats were finish sanded to the mortise for a snug fit. The most interesting cuts were the arched top rails front and back. To do those I roughed out the convex side on the table saw using multiple angled cuts and then planned it smooth. The convex cut was done by running the plank nearly sideways across the table saw blade in very fine increments.


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## Gravel7 (Mar 16, 2009)

So the slats don't have a tenon cut into them, the slat itself slides into a mortise?
Yes, I took notice of the arched rails and figured that I wanted to think on that one for a while. I couldn't figure out how it was done. I'm glad you happend to explain that.


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## gaviaimmer (Dec 6, 2007)

I didn't see any point in terminating all of the slat ends with a tenon smaller than the slat itself. The 3/8" slats are cut from a 8/4 piece of material producing what is essentially a quarter sawn grain orientation. This not only looks nice but provides more dimensional stability over the width of the slat. After rough cutting all of the slats they are planed to near final thickness and then sanded to fit snugly into routed rail mortises. I have done three cribs this way with good results. This method is certainly easier than cutting consistent quality shoulders on all those slats and ultimately I think ends up with a better quality result.


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## Night Mill Bill (May 7, 2008)

Congratulations!:thumbsup:

I wish I had a crib suggestion for you, but that boat design looks nice. Whatever you go with, just make sure you stain it/coat it right, as those little ones generate a lot of fluids!

-Bill


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## ddockstader (Jun 21, 2009)

*Make It An Heirloom*

U-Bild sold a cradle plan - at least they did 36 years ago. They still do (http://www.u-bild.com/projects-childrens/599.htm). I made it for my first. You still need a crib, but a cradle you can put in whatever room you are in and have the baby close to you. If you go that way, I have a couple of suggestions.
1. Make it to last. You'll be amazed. Mine has gone through 3 kids and so far, 4 grand kids.
2. If it has the option to swing or to rock, make it one or the other. Don't make it both. The kids will always roll to one side and it will look like it's falling over. Worse, they can't roll back because it is uphill.
3. Go to a trophy shop and get a 1x3 brass plate. Have the child's name and birth date engraved on it and then glue it to the vertical post. Then you can glue each new plaque below the last. It's better than a family bible. And when it doesn't have kids in it, you can use it for a magazine rack and still show off your handiwork.
Congrats and good luck.


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## roaminggnome (Feb 24, 2009)

Congrats, how did she break you the news? In any clever way?


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## Sleeper (Mar 24, 2009)

Congratulations, I can’t help you with a crib although I did build one once. It’s been a long time and I donated all the stuff I built many years ago. 
I did however slightly modify a design for a convertible crib from one of the wood magazines a couple of years ago for my grandson. It was very similar to the one ‘gaviaimmer’ has posted, but unfortunately my daughter gave it away without realizing it was convertible to a small bed. :thumbdown:
This is a little off topic, but I would like to tell a small funny story. Just before my grandson turned 2, I decided to buy him a spring horse, because every kid got to have a spring horse. :laughing: Well I got a lot of crap from my daughter and my wife that he was too small. So I got him it any way and they were right so I threw together a temporary platform so he could ride it. It was only supposed to be for a couple of months until he got the hang of it. Well it’s been over six months and he rides it every day, but it’s still too big for him. I made it out of some old shelving I had and now I might have to do something like paint it or rebuild it to look nice. I don’t think he cares what it looks like, but the wife hates it.


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