Building a Wooden Baby Crib

Copyright Randy Melton 2005

Section 2 - Finding The Components

Finding the spindles

I started searching for spindles without much luck. I found 2 places that supply what I call chair spindles (rockler.com was the only one I remember.) I didn't like these, plus they were expensive. I read from other crib plans that you needed 17 per side (35 @ $4.31 was over $145) I saw cheap cribs on sale for $89 at Target and Walmart and considered buying them just to harvest the spindles. Then I happened to search on ebay and found exactly what I was looking for. Someone was selling boxes of 50 spindles made from ramin wood (which I'd never heard of.) I bid the first auction up to $75 and lost. I emailed the seller asking if he had any more and he said he would be starting a new auction in another day. I won the next auction for $20.50 plus $10 shipping. I loved the spindles (I only got 49 in the box but didn't complain because I was so pleased with the spindles and I really didn't need the extra one.)

Here are some search references that might help you:

I searched and called several places including dowel manufacturers. I found 1 or 2 places that seemed to know what I wanted and would make them but they were looking for a large order, not just 35.
froogle search
google catalog search

These are what I call "chair spindles". I think they are nice, but I wanted a different style for the crib.

Here is one of the spindles I found on ebay. These are made from Ramin Wood.

shoulder to shoulder:	24 7/8”
tenon length:	1/2”
tenon diameter:	3/8”

Finding the wood

With the spindles in hand I started looking for corner posts. I thought these would be the most difficult to find since I wanted them to be 6 feet long and somewhere between 2x2 and 4x4. I was looking for solid poplar posts. While my dad was in town helping me install a hard wood floor I took him to a great hardwood shop here in Maryland "Tidewater Hardwood Importers". Browsing the isles looking for the corner posts I found a couple of close boards (not long enough) along the back wall. Frank (who runs the molding shop) overheard me and offered to custom cut what I needed from wood he had in the back.

Frank took us back in shop where we selected some poplar a little over 2 inches think. He ran them through one of the biggest/oldest table saws I have ever seen. It had what looked like caterpillar tracks feeding and guiding the wood through the blade. Frank said he had the finish blade on so these boards would not need planing. After a few passes to square up the boards I had 4 corner posts. (Frank said the poplar would warp faster than he could square it. He was right! They became slightly elongated across the diagonal, but not enough to notice. Just enough to throw off my tapering jig.) I also had him cut some 1x2 maple boards for the top/bottom of the front and back rail and 4 boards for the ends of the rails. I guessed at lengths because I hadn't drawn up any plans yet and had only intended to show my dad the store.

My dad and I both agreed watching the big saw at work was worth the price we paid for the wood and was still cheaper than I could have bought similar wood at a home center.

After I drew up plans I made a cut list and asked Frank to could cut/plane it for me. (I wish I had a room for a planer!) I chose poplar for most parts, but bought some oak in case I had to make a mattress frame. I also wanted to box the drawer in oak to hold the drawer slides. I love buying from a place like that. The people are great and usually have good suggestions. A week or so later I had the wood for a little over $100 Once again I considered this a bargain. (A few of the pieces were very rough (warped or thinned out on one end so that the planer didn't do a great job but I could sand it smooth.)

note: I believe "lumber mill" talk is to measure wood thickness in quarters (ie 5 quarters is 1.25 inches) but this is unfinished thickness.

Ref	Qty	Thick	Width	Length	Wood	Description
This table lists the rough cut lengths. Boards will be final cut to exact length later
	4	2	2	70	Poplar	Corner Posts
	4	3/4	2		Maple	Gate top/bottom rails
	2	3/4	2		Maple	Read Gate end rails
	2	1	2		Oak	Front Gate end rails
A	2	3/4	12	28	Poplar	Head/Foot Top Board
B	1	3/4	7	52	Poplar	Drawer Front
C	2	1	6	30	Poplar	Drawer Mount
	2	1/2	6	25	Poplar	Drawer Sides (CEDAR)
C	1	1/2	6	52	Poplar	Drawer back
	1	3/4				Drawer box back
D	4	3/4	3	40	Poplar	End Bottom Frame
E	8	3/4	2	28	Poplar	End Vertical Frame
E	1	3/4	2	28	Poplar	Drawer Support (middle runner)
E	2	3/4	2	52	Oak	Drawer box front face
	4	3/4			Oak	Drawer box side struts
	2	3/4			Oak	Drawer box front face (vert)
	2	1/4			Birch	Drawer box top panel
	2	1/4			Birch	End bottom panel
	4	1/4			Birch	End vertical panel
	2	1/4			Oak	Drawer bottom panel

Here you can see the wood as it arrived. My wife didn't let me leave it in the dining room!

Later in the design I would learn that my sliding rail needed thicker wood which resulted in the 3rd trip just for a few feet of wood.

----

With spindles and corner posts in hand I knew I had acquired the hardest to find parts. Next I searched for mattress springs and gate hardware.
From looking in he stores I had noticed the following gate arrangements:

one side slides on metal rods (I think I had that as a kid)
one side slides on plastic slots that catch requiring inward pressure on the lower rail to drop it.
same plastic hardware, but hidden in the rail ends
fixed side (these usually had a larger back and the these become the head/foot for a child's bed later)
flip down top on a piano hinge

My wife and both liked the plastic slides best hidden or not. A little searching and I found a supplier of something called "hidden hardware". (Products America, which I'll say more about later.) They sell hardware kits that include whatever gate hardware you want and a steel frame mattress spring. Even though it cost a little more than buying the mattress spring somewhere else I decided to order the entire kit for around $140 plus shipping from Products America based on the helpfulness of the phone sales lady who seemed very knowledgeable. I explained my design ideas and that I didn't have fixed plans yet and wanted to know a little about the options. She explained that the hidden hardware needed 1-inch end rails to hold the mechanism ands the corner posts needed to be large enough to allow the gate to push back without binding on the mattress springs. She said the hidden hardware required a mattress spring that had the mounting brackets on pointing head to foot (which would attach to the inner side of the corner post on the bed ends) As opposed to side brackets that attached to the inside face of the corner posts where the gate was sliding. This made sense so I happily placed the order including buying a few extra screw inserts (which I didn't know were available at home depot.) A week later I had the hardware along with a set of mattress springs.

Make sure the mattress Springs have the correct hanging brackets

Problems with "Products America"

The mattress springs I was shipped were not what was described to me. The mounting brackets were exactly wrong. So I called customer service to try to resolve it. I was told they only made one kind and that was what I was shipped. They said the mounting style I wanted wasn't made anymore and suggested I change my design. I said I'd just try to drill and remount the brackets. The support guy said I'd never be able to drill it. (Ha, I belong to the CAMS metal working club. If I couldn't do it someone in the club surely could.) After 6 phone calls (3 unreturned) I badgered the guy into sending me a new mattress spring like I ordered if I agreed to pay the shipping and return shipping for the wrong springs. He said if he couldn't find one in his shop he'd have to drill it himself. A few days later I had the correct mattress spring although it didn't have the nice finish or springs the first had. This replacement was primed black and the springs were a different arrangement from the first.

I had already purchased 30 feet of 1x2 oak boards in anticipation of building a wooden mattress support. (In fact I'd probably recommend that to anyone else and I'd do it myself if I hadn't invested so much time and money into the springs.)

Mattress Springs Hanging Bracket

Incorrect end brackets		Correct end brackets

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The crib plans along with a cut-list

feel free to take any part of this design cut-list etc and use it yourself. Thats why I'm writing this. Send me a picture and let me know how it works out for you. These plans are a little rough and you'll need to know how to adapt them. Most people that have done a little woodworking should be able to figure everything out. As far as child safety goes you should use common sense and make your own decisions. I know the crib I built is a lot safer than most I've seen in the stores. Nobody has a stronger interest in making it safe for my child than I do. The fact that I'm building it should tell you how much I care.

-- scan of crib plans --
--pictures of progress--
-- wood selection--

Most of the wood is poplar because it is cheaper, but still strong and for a painted finish should be perfect. I have always wanted to build drawers out of cedar so that is what I'm using. I'm enclosing the entire drawer in a box, and only 3 sides of the drawer are made from cedar. I couldn't find much about using cedar in children's furniture. I know cedar can be toxic so thats why I used so little and I isolated it inside the drawer box.

--Measurements--

I wasn't sure about the exact size to make the crib. I wanted the head/foot and sides to be tight to the mattress, but not so tight that the sliding gate was difficult to unlatch. I didn't know how big mattresses were. (I selected a Colgate foam mattress based on reviews in the Baby Bargains book.) We bought the mattress at BuyBuy baby for around $100. From experience I believe all mattresses are the same size. But since my corner posts were wider than my sides and head/foot boards I wanted to make sure the actual sides and head/foot were the correct fit to the mattress.

I didn't measure from corner post to corner post, but from 3/8 inch off center of the posts. My wood after finishing was about 3/4" thick. I've included my measurements here but I'd advise checking your own two or three times against your springs and mattress as the frame is being built in case you have any variations.

Corner Post Width
1 3/4 inches

corner post height
67 inches

Head/Foot Width from tenon shoulder to tenon shoulder
27 inches

Head/Foot tenon length 1 1/4 inches

Spindle height from tenon shoulder to tenon shoulder
24 7/8 inches

Side rail length outside to outside
51 1/2 inches

Spindle spacing
2 3/4 inches

Foot Structure--
The Corner posts are square, but at the bottom I plan on adding a decorative board and foot (probably a ball, but A caster would work as well.) I'm not including it in any measurements since I haven't made that part yet. My corner posts currently rest on the ground. (but I drilled a 3/8-inch hole about an inch and a half deep centered on the bottom and top of each post.)

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Corner Post Width	1 3/4 inches
corner post height	67 inches
Head/Foot Width from tenon shoulder to tenon shoulder	27 inches
Head/Foot tenon length	1 1/4 inches
Spindle height from tenon shoulder to tenon shoulder	24 7/8 inches
Side rail length outside to outside	51 1/2 inches
Spindle spacing	2 3/4 inches