It’s no secret that I dislike deadlines. It’s one of the reasons that I have, for the most part, stopped taking commissions at the shop. I like to make things in my own time and as my inspiration dictates. Many of those inspirations come as gifts to loved ones, which can lead to a conflict of motivations. This is because babies come when they’re ready, whether you are or not. Babies have in effect, non negotiable deadlines.

So when my nephew informed us that he and his wife were expecting their first child in March, I was both delighted and dismayed. Delighted because of a new member to the family and the opportunity to make an heirloom project; dismayed, because I now have a deadline, …one that is non negotiable. Babies can be such tyrants, and this one’s not even born yet. Just wait.

In order to ease this traumatic transition in the lives of all involved, and to satisfy my heirloom lust, I started work on a bassinet for the baby. I looked at traditional cradle designs, both rocking and swinging types, but eventually settled on a glider style. It has the advantages of being taller, so the parents don’t have to bend over so far to retrieve the child. It is also more comfortable and safer for the baby because it doesn’t tend to roll the baby and is less likely to tip than a swing type. It also incorporates a low table for necessary items.

The design is from the now defunct Meisel Woodworking Plans and is available from several retail websites. After adding up the area of all the components, I made a cut list and added 20% for waste and contingencies (mistakes). Since Kris was scheduled to be in Port Townsend for a board meeting, I decided to tag along and stop in at Edensaw Lumber. Unfortunately, her meeting was on a Sunday and the Edensaw warehouse is closed on Sundays. Their lumber showroom however was open and I was able to find 41bf of S2S black ash that looked very nice.

I built the base first and the cradle section last. The plan called for using commercially available pre-turned spindles but I instead opted to make rectilinear spindles that resembled classic craftsman detail. All told, 60 mortises and 60 tenons. Usually I prefer to cut mortises by hand, but given the size (1/4″) and number I instead opted use the bench top mortiser at the Phinney Neighborhood Association’s Community Wood Shop.

No joinery technique was specified in the plan but a fastener schedule was included, suggesting that only screws should be used to hold the components together. I decided that floating tenons would be an improvement and so used hide glue and floating tenons in addition to the long screws. My only other deviation from the published plan was to add some heart shaped cutouts in the crest at either end. One edged in pink and the other in blue.

The entire assembly was sanded, sponged with water to raise the grain and sanded again. Then Zinser’s Seal Coat ™ was used as a sanding sealer and the entire project was sanded again. The final finish was four coats of Daly’s ProFin™, sanded between coats, then buffed with abrasive wool and Mother’s California Gold™ carnauba wax.

The hardware was stock glider hardware from Rockler.

In all, I am quite pleased with the outcome, but now I have to construct a pallet and crate, secure it for transport and ship it across the country in time. Babies can be such tyrants.