How to Build Baby Cribs
Preparing for a new baby in the house can be a very challenging experience. Not only is your life about to change, but your home will need to change as well to accommodate the new addition to the family. One of the most important pieces of baby furniture you will need to have is a safe, secure baby crib. Building your own crib has many benefits to it. You will be able to build something for your baby with your own hands and ensure the craftsmanship is done well. You will be able to design the crib and make sure it is safe for your baby.
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Instructions
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Pick out the type of wood you would like to use to make your baby's crib. One of the most frequently used types of wood is mahogany. It is a very strong and sturdy wood to use for building these type of projects.
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Take your saw and cut the wood boards you purchased into six pieces. Each of these pieces should be around 54-55 inches in length. You will be using these wood pieces to build the rails of the crib as well as the legs.
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Cut those six freshly cut boards down to 11 inch wide panels. Use wood glue to put the panels together one on top of the other. Allow them an adequate time to dry.
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4
Design the legs of your baby's crib. Crib legs come in a very wide variety of designs, shapes, and sizes. For safety reasons it is a good idea to make sure that the legs are at least 4 inches thick, and no more than 4-5 inches high. Wood legs built in those dimensions are typically very sturdy. This part of the process will take a bit of creativity and skill on your part. Draw up the designs on paper and then transfer the design onto the wood panels. Use your saw to cut out the leg pieces. Take sandpaper and smooth out all the rough spots on the wooden legs.
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Make two wood panels for the sides of the crib. Cut your 55 inch wood boards down to 50 inches in length. If you want to have these boards to have a curve or special design you will need to create a pattern to use and trace on the pieces you will be using as side boards and then cut out the design using your tools.
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Design and cut out the slats in the side boards. Both boards combined should have around 30-32 slats, which would be about 15 slats on each board. The slats should be about two inches wide.
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Cut mortises for the slats using a mortise cutting machine. It is extremely important to make sure that you use this equipment correctly, for both safety and craftsmanship. Once the mortises have been cut you can now fit the slats down into the mortises. You will need to use some wood glue and clamps to secure the pieces together. Allow the glue to dry for at least a day.
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Make the panels for the end sides of the crib. You will need to install some rail brackets on these pieces. Also use a drill to make holes in order to raise and lower the mattress as your baby grows. Take the crib legs you made and attach them to the rails with brackets.
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Design and build the rails for the baby crib. The rails are the part of the baby bed that the box springs and mattress will be placed on. The end of the rails will be attached to the end pieces using bolts that can be removed in order to lower the mattress.
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Sand the crib and apply paint or finish. Once the whole crib has been sanded smooth, apply one coat of finish or paint to the crib. Allow the crib to dry for a few days and then apply a second coat of paint or finish to the crib.
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Resources
- Photo Credit http://babble.com/CS/blogs/strollerderby/2008/crib.jpg
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