# Baby Crib Plans



## WilsonRMDL (Sep 4, 2007)

Hey everyone, 
Just found out today my girlfriend is expecting. I want to build a crib myself, just wondering if any of you had done this before, and if you had any plans or websites where I could find some plans to do this. Thanks.


----------



## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

Congratulations.

I want you to know that I'm taking a great risk in responding to this thread. Someone is sure to shut you down and tell you to go to the woodworking site.

So lets assume that you're going to use copper pipe for the spindles.

Find the woodsmith store in Des Moines, Iowa. They are on-line. They are related to the woodsmith magazine and workbench as well. They sell a hardware kit for a crib which includes the plans, which were once published in Workbench, I believe.


The bad news is that this hardware kit costs over $200, as I recall.

You may choose to just buy a matress and take your measurements off it and design your own crib. I think my mattress measures 28x52. I have 2 identical ends which just have plywood panels. The sides are not identical. One is just a panel with 1 1/2" slats from top to bottom. The other side (let's call it the front) has the same dimensions as the back, but the "panel" is comprised of two doors which swing open.

I kept my spaces between the slats at less than 2 3/8. The bottom "rail" and top "rail" on the side or door are both plowed out to accept 3/4" thick slats. Then I filled in between with small pieces of wood to fit the plowed-out area. I think these are called fillets, as in under a handrail on a staircase.

Anyway, I remember my design considerations included the height of the whole rig, the height of the mattress above the floor (for leaning over and putting the baby down), and the height of the top rail over the mattress. I can give you these dimensions if you want them, but my plans are in the garage now and its about zero degrees out there now. I opted to go without raising the mattress up and down. I just used a 1/2" piece of plywood for the bottom and my wife is planning to sleep in the crib also in order to put the baby to sleep in the beginning. I'll be putting it on castors. Everything has got to roll in this house. I grooved the bottom into the sides and I grooved the ends to accept the sides. I plan on bolting through the ends into the sides, two bolts in each corner. You may want to forgo the groove in the ends and just but these together and bolt.

I used 2x stock for the panel frames and 1x stock for the slats. My panels are 3/4" plywood because I had the scrap, but I drew the plans for 1/2" plywood. I just doweled the panel frames together, and I went ahead and glued the plywood panels in rather than letting them float, since they are plywood and should be dimensionally stable. This added strength.

I also glued in my slats and fillets individually, then pin nailed each fillet.

I'm painting the thing, and the wife spent a bunch of money on stamps to make it colorful. I couldn't convince her to carve these out of potatoes.

I don't have any bite guard on the top rail. The baby can chew all she wants, I guess. I plan on burning the thing when I'm done with it, but I've been warned that women like to hang onto such things for eternity.


----------



## Kent Whitten (Mar 24, 2006)

Oh man, if I could remember now where I saw that. I know if you went to like Rockler or something similar, they have woodworking mags there for like $5 minus advertising. They had these templates in them. I got one long ago that had a nice sassafrass crib/rocker in it. I'll see if I can find it.


----------



## neolitic (Apr 20, 2006)

I've done that before!
He's 31 now! :laughing::laughing:
The crib part then,
try Fine Woodworking, or like
frammer said Rockler I'm sure.
Congratulations. :thumbup:


----------



## BACKWOODS (Sep 10, 2007)

Here is a tip if your budget is strained, who's isn't these days.
Go to a Salvation Army or Goodwill store. Buy a bed in good working order. Take the hardware and use it for you bed. It will save you a bundle of cash.
Also, use only water based finishes. 
I built a crib, changing table and a cradle. Neice is now using the bed and changing table. My original "customer" turned 15 last week. The second customer will be 14 in a month. They now are good workers!
For my side slats I used 3/4 material and mortised them on the top and bottom into the side rails. Made a giant raised panel for the head and footboard. 

Congrats, 
Steve


----------



## winn (Dec 29, 2007)

woodworkersworkshop.com good site w/ plenty of free plans


----------



## thehandyfireman (Jan 25, 2008)

Hey Wilson, I'm in the same boat as you. Me and the wife are expecting a baby in sept and im going to build the crib as well. I have found several plans online just nothing free. If I find something I'll let ya know and vise versa?


----------



## hatchet (Oct 27, 2003)

I built the Heirloom plan from Rockler - pretty easy if you have the right tools. I had a Milwaukee sliding compound miter saw, a jet table saw, a shop fox mortising machine, and a grizzly jointer.


----------

