Walnut cradle for first grandson

[David Utterback]

This project ran overtime but so has the baby. He is still not here but will be brought into the world tomorrow - probably kicking and screaming like the rest of us.

The cradle is my first. It contains walnut that I inherited from my mother over 20 years ago with some crotch walnut that I harvested this spring. Both were under tension which slowed the work. The pivots are ebony dowels with rectangular knobs and have a retainer pin to hold them in place. The tusked tenons allow it to be disassembled for easier storage. All angles are cut at 7 degrees.

I would welcome any comments and critical insights.

Thanks,
David

[Yonak Hawkins]

It looks great, David. I like the varying widths of the side panels and the grain in those center ones.

Your grandson should be comfortable in there. ..Better strap him in.

[David Utterback]

Thank you for the comment, Yonak. We cut out sheets of paper to play with the full-sized panel sizes and liked this arrangement best.

I apologize for the picture quality and do not understand why they are rotated when inserted. Nonetheless, the cradle is now in its new home and occupied at times by Simon. BTW, the finish is sprayed semi-gloss polyurethane.