Cradle design

[Les Mahon]

Hi all,

Seiing as how Alf's warning in another topic back in July:

Once again I wonder what's put in the water on this forum. There seem to be more sprogs in progress than projects...

Came a little late for me I now find myslef with the prospect of designing a cradle before march!

I've poked around in the mags and on the net and seen a few ideas, but what i'm wondering about basically is the size - both for the matteress and for the gaps between the spindles (That annoying voice in the back of my head is saying gaps so a 100mm sphere cannot pass through) anyone got any ideas?

Thanks
Les

 

[Howjoe]

Hi Les,

In the same boat myself...

A common matress size is 120cm. This is what I'll be working to. I measured the spindle gaps in some cots at the shops at the weekend and they varied between 6cm and 9cm.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Howard

 

[Alf]

Les, no ideas at all, but congratulations. I'm just off to PM Charley about putting some sort of warning up somewhere... :lol:

Cheers, Alf

 

[Neil]

Hi Les,

Ho ho ho, this forum really does have a strange effect, doesn't it? Congratulations! \/ I couldn't imagine life without our little fella, he is an absolute joy.

So I'm afraid to admit that we bought his cot (I guess I can blame the house move...) - I just popped upstairs to measure the gaps. On his cot (this one) the gaps are 57mm on the sides and 60mm on the top & bottom, although you might want to make the top & bottom solid so that little feet can't get stuck. Mattress size is 1390x710mm.

We've been lent a crib by a friend as well - the gaps on this are 49mm on the sides and 55mm top & bottom. So maybe your guess of 100mm is a bit on the small side (although I can see your logic :wink: )

Cheers,
Neil

 

[andrewm]

'fraid I have no information about cots but doesn't Les's 100mm sphere come from the requirement for the spindles on stairs needed to satisfy building regulations?

Andrew

 

[Waka]

Les

Congratulation and good luck with the cradle. When I want measurements for things that have to meet certain regs, I trot off to the respective shop with my tap and measure a shop built one, have you thought of that?

 

[trevtheturner]

Congratulations, Les! and Howard!

Andrew's info. about up to 100mm being the maximum spacing for staircase spindles is correct.

Cheers,

Trev.

 

[Les Mahon]

Thanks for the info and the congrats guys and girls.

I think I'll go with Neil spacing of around 50mm on the Crib, But a quick trip with a tape measure to confirm it sounds like a champion idea!

I'm in the happy position of having nearly 3 days workshop time between now and monday, so you never know what might happen!

Les

 

[Gill]

I'm in the happy position of having nearly 3 days workshop time between now and monday, so you never know what might happen!

If being out of the workshop leads to additional family members, I reckon your wife'll be only too happy to let you have as much workshop time as you want !

Seriously, congratulations to both the Mahon household and to Howard's household.

Gill

 

[SketchUp Guru]

I got around the spindle spacing issue by not using any.

It's a simple little boat of walnut with pine planking, white ash ribs fastened with copper rivets. The stand is hard maple and Lyptus.

 

[martyn2]

I got around the spindle spacing issue by not using any.

and i guess some one is waiting for his/her kennel to be built :-k

and congratulations to both les and Howard.

 

[Gill]

Awwwww..... 8)

Really cute. Nice cradle too.

Gill

 

[SketchUp Guru]

and i guess some one is waiting for his/her kennel to be built

She just sleeps on the bed. :roll:

And yes, congratulations to Les and Howard.

Gill, thanks.

By the way, Les and Howard, keep in mind that the little cherubs won't sleep in the cradle very long. They grow really fast. Ian outgrew his in about 6 months. It then became an ark for all his stuffed critters.

That little bundle in the boat has turned into this in 16 months.

If I were to do it again, I'd make the boat about 8 feet long so I could take it out for a row now and then.

 

[martyn2]

and i guess some one is waiting for his/her kennel to be built

She just sleeps on the bed. :roll:

guilty as charged :roll:

 

[Les Mahon]

I love that cradle idea Dave! Smashing piece of work. I figure on sprog outgrowing the cradle in 6 months, but hopefully that will give me long enough to build the cot, and onwards to the bed :roll:

 

[SketchUp Guru]

Les, thank you.

Six months is a good period to plan on. After that they get to squirming about and rolling over.

That cradle was actually easier to build than I thought it would be. The planks are 1/8" thick resawn and planed from 3/4" stock and they are epoxied to the transoms, keel and each other. I built it over a form made of MDF. The shape of the planks was determined one at a time but they were sawn to shape in pairs at the bandsaw.

My only hope is that Ian doesn't decide at the age of 6 or 7 to cut it down and take it to the local creek to see if it floats. It was only designed to waterproof from the inside out.