Looking for plans for Shaker Cradle

[Dan Spangenberg]

I have searched high and low to find some plans for a Shaker Cradle similar to the following:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/plasticmind/tags/cradle/

or:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/...-cherry-cradle

I can probably almost build it without a plan, but I am fretting over the angle of the sides. Some I have seen have the same splay on all sides, other have more on the top (head) and then the sides and bottom are the same angle.

I almost think it would look cool to make the head angled a bit more....but not sure!
I have seen angles of 11 degrees all around down to 6 degrees.

I am also undecided on the height of the sides. I do want to start with a base of 15x33 to fit a standard crib pad, but not sure on the side height.

Thanks for any direction!

Dan

[Dan Spangenberg]

I have found some plans and modified them such that I now have a workable design.
My question now is on the dovetails. It would appear to me that the in the pictures of the 2 cradles in the post above, that the dovetails are backwards.

Logic tells me that the force on this cradle is going to on the sides outwards, which means that the tails should be cut into the headboard and foot board.
The pics show tails in the sides...which means that the if the baby has strong shoulders, he may be able to break out! :-)

I suppose conversely, with the tails in the ends, he could kick himself out!

All kidding aside, I wonder how much it really matters where they are in a cradle. Does the decision come down to aesthetics?

[eugene earl king]

contact shaker villiage at pleasant hill ky... they used to have this plan...their mantaince man used to make them all the time.

[Todd Burch]

I've made a couple similar cradles. I got my plan from a 1950's Delta Craft publication. I really like the look of this cradle. I gave the first one away and the second one was for my sister's daughter.

cradle_pine.jpg lauras_cradle.jpg cradle_plan.jpg

After my niece had outgrown the cradle, and then even after subsequently enjoying laying in it while watching TV when she was older, my mom stored it at her house. However, since the rocker tips stick out so much, she kept busting her shins on it...

DSC_0017.jpg DSC_0019.jpg

and she asked me to modify it so the tips didn't stick out so much. I did.

DSC_0020.jpg

It still looks OK, but she is happy, and the modification didn't affect the rocking action at all.

DSC_0022.jpg DSC_0027.jpg

The splayed sides create what are called dihedral angles. There are calculators on the 'net to figure them out. My angles are approx. 43 1/2 degrees. I used miters and no baby yet, or time, has pushed them apart.

Good luck on yours. From a "glue surface" standpoint, the placement of the tails or pins really won't matter. They would be more decorative than functional on this piece.

Todd

[Dan Spangenberg]

Thanks for the information and for the pics! I like your design and also that you used pine. Pine is no doubt much more typical of a true shaker cradle than Cherry, but I also used a CNC heavily which I am positive the Shakers didn't have...so I have obviously completely abandoned authenticity other than the rough shape. :-)

I did get mine done finally. Here is a mini project/job report/followup.

Because I have basically unlimited access to a wonderful VERY high end CNC (Thermwood M45-6x12) I wanted to use it for as much as I could. So I ended up drawing everything in VCarve Pro and cutting 90% of the cradle on it. It was very fulfilling to learn that process and apply a very technology rich method to traditional woodworking. And while you can argue a purist approach using only hand tools vs CNC machine, there is something VERY amazing to cut hardwood parts to a tolerance of a few thousandths and see the resulting fit. Once you have tasted CNC you will never go back! :-)

It is made from 100% Cherry with nary a screw or nail! Finished with an initial conditioner coat of 1# shellac, couple coats of homebrew danish oil, followed by multiple wiped on coats of Waterlox (gloss/satin custom mixed to achieve lustre) and burnished with 4/0 steel wool. The finish is smoother than the baby that sleeps in it!


Here are a few pics:
IMG_0079 (Custom).JPG IMG_0081 (Custom).JPG

closeup -T (Custom).JPG closeup-wheat (Custom).JPG

I did some Vcarving using simple black and white clipart. This was done with a small 60 degree V bit. I cut it at 15,000 RPM and ~50-100ipm. I was pleased that the cherry held the details without tearout. In order to keep them in good shape and have excellent detail, I cut these after everything else had been done (cutting dovetails, sanding etc) - right before assembly.

IMG_0070 (Custom).JPG IMG_0085 (Custom).JPG IMG_0082 (Custom).JPG

The experts will instantly see that these are not hand cut dovetails, they are not even CNC cut! The angle gives it away. I couldn't come up with a way to do the through dovetails on the CNC since it is only a 3 axis machine. Since the 4 sides of the cradle are splayed 10 degrees, the dovetails are all compound. I know these are almost always cut by hand, but since that is a skill i doubt I will never possess, I ended up cutting them on a Leigh D4Pro. They ended up very good...not perfect but almost! Note that using the Leigh on a compound dovetail is still a arduous process with quite a bit of setup time.

It did let me do a fun non symmetrical layout top to bottom.

I used this online calculator for the compound angles. Very useful!
http://www.pdxtex.com/canoe/compound.htm
There is also a spreadsheet version of it on his site if you don't have online access in the shop.

I used liquid hide glue for the dovetails to take advantage of the long open time and forgiving glueline.

It was sure a labor of love! (aren't all custom wood projects??) I sort of wished I had kept track of the time.

I can't find my pic of the bottom. I inlaid a 2011 Silver dollar (to establish the date) and engraved it with a note and Vcarved my signature. I'll try to find a pic and update the post.

Fun project...that I am GLAD is over!

[Todd Burch]

Very, very nice Dan! Thanks for the write-up too! It looks great!

[Dave Lehnert]

You're cradle looks GREAT!

I'll add this for others who may come across this post looking for info.
I built this cradle a few years ago for a friend. Was a great project.
http://www.woodstore.net/cherdolcrad.html