Second Cradle Project

[Don Grubish]

In my neighborhood, there is a neighbor named Rachod. To look at him from a distance, you might think the guy is capable of tearing your head off without a second thought. However, once you get to know him, you find out that he's one of the biggest teddy bears ever to live in Oakdale. I quickly befriended him and over time, gotten to really know him. A few months back, he told me (first, before anyone else) that his wife Margot was pregnant. They don't have much in life, but are making do with what they do have.

I knew this little one should come into the world with something special, so I quickly thought I'd revisit the old cradle project I did before (see Viking Cradle Project). Since Rachod and Margot are not of Norwegian heritage, I decided that my next cradle would be scaled down from the previous one. However, the basic design was still good.

I cut my side and bottom boards with a 10 degree tilt so that when the sides are attached to the bottom piece, they will angle out. Cutting all of this out of oak, instead of pine, was quite a difference to me. I was always used to my wood sliding through the table saw with relative ease. This oak I picked up at Menards showed me that not all wood cuts the same. Needless to say, I got a quick education. But, with patience and fortitude, I carried on.

Using that diagram I converted at work, I set out and made the following below:

The ends were made by placing this three sided structure on end and tracing out the angled sides. After that, I used an old hula hoop to create the top and bottom curves. I bent the hoop until I had my perfect curve and held it in place while I traced the arc with a pencil. Not bad for doing all that myself.

Once these were attached, I took long strips of oak that was left over and created 2" wide cuts, and then ran them through my router to get the curved sides. These would be the top rails to my cradle much like the Viking cradle. However, on this new cradle I wouldn't attach small shields. These two would just be rounded for a smooth touch.

Also note that I cut in handles on the front and end pieces to allow a parent to carry the cradle when need be. Those were done by making templates at work using Adobe Illustrator and printing them out on the printer. I then took the printouts into our work room and pasting them to thick cardboard. After using a sharp utility knife, I cut out the template and brought it home. Once there, I placed the template on the wood and traced my two handles. Using my drill, I drilled the largest holes I could and plunged the blade of my scroll saw in and began cutting out the shapes. After a ton of sanding, I was happy with the result and had them routed also to allow for soft gripping of the cradle.

After a thorough sanding and routing, I was able to apply the stain. I chose Ipswitch Pine from Minwax and spread the stain on it. I love this look, as I really think it brings out the gorgeous grain of oak.

At this point, you can see that I've also added two appliques to the cradle. These can be purchased at any Menards or Home Depot, and I think something so simple like these can really add a lot to your project. If used right, these appliques create such a rich look to any project. I guess you could say I got a little burned out using woodburning all the time, so I moved on to appliques for a bit.

Once the stain dried, I applied three coats of finish to give it that shiny smooth look. I used a very fine sandpaper between each coat, and that helped sand away the fine grains in the oak that like to raise up when wet. I never noticed that might happen with pine, but once I tried working with oak, the fibers really jump up when wet with stain. The fine grain sandpaper shaved those off nicely, however.

At this point, I knew I couldn't just hand them a wooden cradle. The last time I did a cradle project, I had female friends of mine do the sheets and blankets. This time around, however, I was on my own. No matter, though, because luckily for me I paid attention in Home Ec class in middle school. That training taught me how to use a sewing machine, and the result is what you see below.

I used a flannel for the blankets, and a sheet material for the two inner sheets. It just so happened that the sheet pattern and the blanket pattern matched very well, along with the red/white striped flannel used for the mattress cover and top blanket. Below I took a picture of what they will look like eventually in the cradle. This was all sewn up while the cradle was drying during staining.

Finally, it was time to put it all together. Here it is, all assembled and the padding/sheets/blankets put in. Rachod and Margot will be getting this cradle this Friday night at my house. Again, I'm hoping for tears from Margot. Tears mean you did a great job. lol

UPDATE: 12/20/09
I finally handed off the cradle to the parents tonight. She LOVED it! They were really amazed that I have the ability to make something like this, and even marveled at the fact I can sew. With tons of hugs and handshakes later, their cradle is now safely home with them, and awaiting their arrival in March. Merry Christmas to Rachod and Margot.

(...then my Packers lost today by ONE STINKING POINT!!!!)

[Don Grubish]

I hear ya. I just accepted your friend request.

[Don Grubish]

Phillip, not a problem at all. I held on to all my plans. Just shoot me your email address and I'll send them all over to you.

[Claude Townsend]

That is look great.

[Don Grubish]

My pleasure. Merry Christmas, Kreg Jig!

[KregRep]

Don, as always... a beautiful project, and a very thorough story/project-explanation to go along with! Thank you very much for sharing with the community!