Major
Project
Article
JULY/AUG
2005
Volume 48/Issue 4
IN
THIS ISSUE
Project
Articles
•
The Heirloom Cradle
• The Spirit of St. Louis Toy Airplane
• Making All-Purpose Wooden Boxes
DEPARTMENTS
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Ask Smitty
• Owner’s Gallery
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Academy Notes
Properties
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Service Pointers
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Copyright
2005.
Shopsmith, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
The Heirloom Cradle
A wooden canopy and turned rocking treadles make this cradle truly unique.
There's something very comforting about a wooden cradle...its gentle back-and-forth movement can be almost as soothing to a parent as it is to a baby.
Since we receive so many requests for cradle project plans, we decided to expand upon the more traditional baby cradle to fulfill your modern-day needs. A delicately arched canopy shields the baby's sensitive eyes from harsh light, while the twin, turned treadle bars allow you to rock the cradle with one foot while relaxing in your favorite easy chair.
Making the Cradle
To make the cradle, you'll need 32 feet of 1" x 8" (actually 3/4" x 7-1/4")
lumber and 18 feet of 1" x 6" (actually 3/4" x 5-1/2") lumber, plus dowels,
brads and flathead wood screws.
Start by cutting and jointing the lumber to the approximate size boards needed. Cut them a little oversized to allow for squaring.
Next, edge glue a series of boards together to form the wider panels you'll be needing for assembly. For added strength and to maintain proper alignment during glue-up, you might want to consider using a Biscuit Joiner with the appropriate sized Biscuits.
- For each side (A), edge glue two 3/4" x 7-1/4" x 41" boards and a 3/4" x 7-1/4" x 18" board.
- For the headboard (B), edge glue three 3/4" x 7-1/4" x 19" boards.
- For the footboard (C), edge glue two 3/4" x 7-1/4" x 16" boards.
- For the base, edge glue two 3/4" x 5-1/2" x 37" boards and a 3/4" x 7-1/4" x 37" board
Glue up the stock you'll be needing to turn he treadle bars (J) and end caps (K). For the treadle bars, glue up three 3/4" x 2-1/4" x 26" boards for each treadle bar. For the end caps, glue up three 3/4" x 2-1/4" x 10" boards to make one blank for turning all four of the end caps.
The rockers (H), canopy support (E) and canopy pieces (F,G) are cut from the remaining stock.
While the glue dries on the assembled boards, cut enough stock to width and length to make the canopy pieces (F,G). Then use a Bandsaw to resaw the pieces to 1/4" thickness (See Fig. 1).
 |
| Fig. 1 Using a bandsaw to resaw stock. |
Next, use a Table Saw and a Hollow Ground Blade or a Jointer to cut a slight 2-degree edge bevel along the length of each piece, so the pieces will form a smoothly arched canopy when assembled.
