DISCLAIMER: I just want to state the OBVIOUS....this crib is NOT INTENDED, in any way, to be used for the care of a HUMAN child!!!! Please don't put a baby or child into this crib! It is only intended to be used as a TOY for children to PLAY WITH!!!
The Baby Doll Crib is finally built, just not "finished"! In my effort to get this plan out to you before Christmas, I have simply built it and not filled holes, sanded, or finished the crib. Please excuse the mess!
SHOPPING LIST: (You may have some of these pieces on-hand as SCRAP)
2x2: 4 - 18" long (legs)
1x2: 4 - 24" long (long side rails of crib - top and bottom)
1x2: 4 - 10 5/8" long (ends of crib - top and bottom)
MDF: 2 pieces @ 9"x12" (vertical ends of crib)
MDF: 1 piece @ 12"x24" (bottom of crib)
1x2: 4 - 12" long (screwed under 12"x24" MDF for support)
5/16 dowel: 14 pieces at 8" long (side rails of crib - Home Depot has them in 4 foot lengths - buy 3)
3/8" drill bit
t-square level
tape measure
2" wood screws
countersink bit for the screws
1" nails (toenail on the vertical end pieces of MDF)
wood putty to fill holes and knots
Paint or stain to finish your piece
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Mark your sizes on your wood and cut out your pieces. (I always mark the wood with sizes AND where it is to be used (leg, side) so that I can move faster when building.
2. Sand your pieces (on the ends to be joined, at least, if not completely). You don't want to deal with edges that won't join cleanly and snugly.
3. Using a flat piece of board at one end, line up your 4 pieces of 1x2x24" rails so that they are all flush:
4. Lay a tape measure on one of the boards, measuring from one end to the other the full 24", and make a small mark every three inches (3", 6", 9", 12", 15", 18", & 21"). These will be the placements of your 7 dowels per side rail (my daughter is helping with her OWN play tools....I wonder WHY this takes me SO LONG???):
6. Here they are, all lined up and marked:
7. Get out your 3/8" drill bit. Making sure to drill in the CENTER of each mark, drill out a hole for each dowel....SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY, making sure to keep the drill bit VERTICAL to the board so you get straight holes. (This is the tedious part - you will drill a hole 28 times! But if you go slowly, your efforts will be worth it!):
8. Pre-drill one of the 1x2x24" rails with a countersink bit in the top right corner of the rail (making sure the dowel holes are pointed toward you):
9. Attach the 1x2x12" support (making sure that the support is laying "down flat" when drilling) to the 1x2x24" rail. Repeat pre-drill on opposite top left corner of the 24" rail, and attach another 12" support (laying "down flat"). You should now have a U-shaped frame that looks like this (dowel holes facing UP):
10. Now just attach another 24" rail to the other side of the frame, using the pre-drilling step with a countersink bit, and you should have a frame that looks like this (BOTH rails with dowel holes facing UP):
11. Now lay your 12"x24" piece of MDF onto this frame (the support pieces laying DOWN FLAT help form a little "tray" for the MDF to sit onto). You may have to sand down any tight edges of MDF to get it to fit:
12. Now for the 2x2 legs: Pre-drill through the TOP LEFT of one 2x2 leg, and the TOP RIGHT of a second 2x2 leg (you will repeat this step again for the "other side" of the crib for a total of 2 frames like this). Screw on a 1x2x24" rail at the top of the legs (dowel holes on rail pointing down from the top of the legs) so that you have a frame that looks like this:
13. Repeat last step so that you have 2 leg frame pieces that look alike.
14. Now we join the bottom frame with the 2 leg frames: the easiest way I found was to turn one leg frame upside-down (legs sticking into the air, 1x2x24" rail FLUSH SIDE out), arrange dowels into holes, then turn the bottom frame upside-down and line dowels up into that bottom 24" rail. Screw the bottom 24" rail into the 2x2 legs, one at a time, and then turn right side up. It should look something like this:
15. Next: repeat the last step for the other side of the crib, as pictured below:
16. Now attach last two 1x2x12" supports under the crib, using a countersink bit and screwing them into the 24" rails with 2" wood screws:
17. You will find the crib will "wobble" A LOT... SO
18. Using your countersink bit, screw on a piece of 1x2x10 5/8" end piece between the 2x2 legs. Make sure that the 1x2 is flat (as pictured):
19. Now place your 9"x12" MDF end pieces inside the crib, flush with the 2x2 legs. Toenail these pieces into the 2x2 legs and top 1x2x10" piece using 1" nails and a nail gun:
20. Last: nail the last 2 pieces of 1x2x10 5/8" pieces onto the sides of the crib between the 2x2 legs and level with the top of the bottom end supports:
21. Fill all nail holes and knots in wood with wood putty.
22. Sand piece well.
23. Finish as desired with paint or stain.
(I have not filled my nail/screw holes or painted this piece yet....in an effort to get the plans out to you so that you may build this in time for Christmas! Please forgive the lack of "finish"!)
Here is a picture of the crib next to the changing table that we previously built:
These two pieces are pre-school kid-sized (my daughter is almost 3, but the size of a 5 year old)
and they fit her well.
Here is the crib with the mattress and pillow from my tutorial :
(The doll measures approximately 13", so this crib can be used for even larger dolls!)
Please feel free to use these plans to build furniture, for sale or for pleasure, but please do not sell the PLANS as your "own". Please also give credit to me and link back here! I hope you enjoy them!!
***I am NOT LIABLE for any plans featured here. Please take every precaution and use your own discretion to make sure these toys are safe for children to play with them.
Way cute! My kid already has a doll bed that her great-grandpa built years ago for my sister and I, but if not, I'd totally use this. :)
ReplyDeleteLeigh: thanks for the kind words! I love that you have something from your childhood that you can pass down to your kids! Heirlooms are AWESOME!! :)
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