I hope you all had such a Happy Easter! We are officially back from our vacation and I can’t wait to share some of the details with you all. I hoped it would be relaxing and allow me to recover a bit more from this nagging infection, and I would say it absolutely did help a bit. But let’s be real, relaxing is the opposite of what a vacation with kiddos is all about. My two littles took misbehaving to a whole new level, so naturally I am thinking about an easier time when they were still babies and sleeping like angels in cribs, and not yet talking…. Our first crib plan has been such a hit that we thought we would expand the line and add some other fabulous options to it.
As with all of our plans, you are building at your own risk and you should have a firm understanding of building in general before you attempt many of our plans (some are easy as pie and perfect for beginners). With that, go forth, have fun, take lots of pictures and share them in a showcase on the site or on social media with the hashtag #builtTDCtuff and we will share our faves! Be sure to tag @thedesignconfidential on Instagram / FB and @thedesconf on Twitter / Pinterest. If you are a blogger and you post about your build, don’t forget to include a link to your post on your showcase here. Don’t forget… for all of our newer plans, clicking on the images will let them expand to enormous sizes with much greater clarity. The older plans may need updating so please let us know if you need one fixed!
- Tape Measure
- Saw – Jig Saw, Circular, Table, or Miter Saw
- Drill
- Multi-Square and Carpenter’s Square
- Sander
- Kreg Jig – if you build frequently, invest in this one.
- Nail Gun – optional
- Router with Patterning bit – or bit set – optional
- 4 – 1×3 at 8’
- 1 – 1×4 at 8’
- 6 – 2×2 at 8’
- 1 – 2×4 at 8’
- 2 – 3/4” plywood at 4’x8’
- 1-1/4″ Pocket Hole Screws
- 2-1/2″ Pocket Hole Screws
- 1-1/4″ Wood Screws
- 2″ Wood Screws
- 4 – Metal Corner Braces (and manufacturer recommended screws)
- Countersink Drill Bit
- Pocket Hole Plugs – Paint Grade, Pine, Oak – optional
- Clamps
- Safety Gear
- Edge Banding – optional
- Wood Filler
- Wood Glue
- Sanding Supplies
- Paste Wax
- Finishing Supplies
- 2 – 2×4 at 28-1/4” – Head and Foot Tops
- 4 – 2×2 at 70” – Posts
- 2 – 1×4 at 28-1/4” – Head and Foot Bottoms
- 1 – 3/4” plywood at 28-1/4”x37-1/2” – Head Panel
- 1 – 3/4” plywood at 28-1/4”x33-1/2” – Foot Panel
- 2 – 3/4” plywood at 38-1/4”x53-1/2” – Side Panels
- 2 – 2×2 at 53-1/2” – Side Tops
- 2 – 1×3 at 53-1/2” – Mattress Frame Sides
- 2 – 1×3 at 26-3/4” – Mattress Frame Ends
- 2 – 2×2 at 52” – Slat Supports
- 8 – 1×3 at 26-3/4” – Slats
Before beginning to build, always check in on my site to make sure you have the most up to date set of plans, I occasionally update and change the plans to make the building process easier or to allow for less expensive purchasing of materials! Read through the entire set of instructions and all comments before beginning this project. If you print out or save plans, be sure to check in on my site to be sure you have the most up to date set of plans, as I occasionally update things for ease of building or buying. If you are new to building, read through the GETTING STARTED section and other articles found under the BUILD tab in the menu on my site, it has valuable information about how to get started, tools and techniques. If you are unfamiliar with the finishing process, visit my Finishing school for some tips and tricks for painting like a pro and for special finishing practices. Use glue to secure your joints and Consider Painting or Staining individual sections prior to assembling. This makes the paint application virtually flawless. Coat with a spray on Poly or Wipe on Poly to protect your finish and your piece and it will last for ages. Adhere to all safety standards and guidelines, and be sure you follow safety protocol throughout your build. If you are unsure about whether you are building safely, run a quick online search for the tool or technique you are using, or contact me via email or post to the forum before you move ahead. My contact info can be found in the menu of my site.
Cut the pieces for the Posts, Head Top, Head Panel, and Head Bottom. Apply edge banding to exposed plywood edges if desired. With the Kreg jig set for 1-1/2” material, drill pocket holes in the ends of the Head Top. Set the Kreg jig set for 3/4” material and drill pocket holes in the sides and bottom of the Head Panel, then in the ends of the Head Bottom. Make sure that the pocket holes drilled into the Head Bottom piece are within the 1-1/2” that will make contact with the Post when assembled. Assemble the Head Bottom and Head Panel as shown with glue and 1-1/4” pocket screws. Assemble the Head Top as shown with glue and 2-1/2” pocket screws. The top sketch is the inside view of the Crib Head and the bottom sketch is the outside view of the Crib Head.
Cut the pieces for the Posts, Foot Top, Foot Panel, and Foot Bottom. Apply edge banding to exposed plywood edges if desired. With the Kreg jig set for 1-1/2” material, drill pocket holes in the ends of the Foot Top. Set the Kreg jig set for 3/4” material and drill pocket holes in the sides and bottom of the Foot Panel, then in the ends of the Foot Bottom. Make sure that the pocket holes drilled into the Foot Bottom piece are within the 1-1/2” that will make contact with the Post when assembled. Assemble the Foot Bottom and Foot Panel as shown with glue and 1-1/4” pocket screws. Assemble the Foot Top as shown with glue and 2-1/2” pocket screws. The top sketch is the inside view of the Crib Foot and the bottom sketch is the outside view of the Crib Foot.
Cut the piece for the Side Panels. Apply edge banding to exposed plywood edges if desired. With the Kreg jig set for 3/4” material, drill pocket holes in the ends of the Side Panels. When drilling the pocket holes, make sure to stagger them so that they do not line up with the pocket holes in the Head Panel (we don’t want any pocket screws to interfere with one another). Assemble as shown with glue and 1-1/4” pocket screws.
Cut the pieces for the Side Tops. With the Kreg jig set for 1-1/2” material, drill pocket holes in both ends of the Side Tops. Assemble as shown with glue and 2-1/2” pocket screws.
Cut the pieces for the Mattress Frame Ends and Mattress Frame Sides. With the Kreg jig set for 3/4” material, drill pocket holes in both ends of the Mattress Frame Ends. Assemble as shown with glue and 1-1/4” pocket screws.
Cut the pieces for the Slat Supports. Attach to the inside of the frame with glue and countersunk 2” wood screws.
Cut the pieces for the Slats. Attach to the slat supports with countersunk 1-1/4” wood screws.
Now it’s time to install the Corner Braces! For this crib, we have 3 positions for the mattress. The first position will be 14-1/4” from the bottom of the Head Panel and Foot Panel, the second position will be 8-1/4” from the bottom of the Head Panel and Foot Panel, and the third position will be set on the Bottom piece.
For illustrative purposes only, the sketch shows Braces at the top two positions. You will only need Braces at one position on each side. The third position, or lowest position, will not need Braces.
Here is a sketch of the Braces in action (view from the bottom)! Simply secure your Braces at the desired position, set the Mattress Frame on top of the Braces, and attach the Mattress Frame to the Braces.
Dress this beautiful Crib up with a canopy and call it done!
Fill any Screw, Nail or Pocket Holes, Sand and Finish as Desired. For Finishing Tips and Tricks visit my Finishing School
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