Ladies who built own cribs...

big_noise · June 2010

Thanks for your tips on that. We are considering it. I posted a link to the plans we're considering in my post below. Just curious - how much woodworking skills did you/your DH have prior to doing this? The reason I ask is b/c we're handy and we can certainly do this, but it will help me gauge what we'd have to put into it.

I know one of you said it was a 9 month process. What were the reasons it took this length?

For the other poster, how long did it take you to do this?

The biggest reason I ask is b/c we have a LOT on our plate this summer and this is just another added project, but we see it as pretty important, and might be willing to shift some stuff around to make it happen. DH is building us a bed with drawers under it right now.

Thanks so much!

BeccaMarie · June 2010

It took DH about 4.5 months to get the crib done. He would work on it in the evenings or on the weekends as he had time - certainly not every evening or weekend.

All of the slats were probably the most time consuming part - planing all of the wood, routing the corners so they weren't sharp, etc. And then, all of the slats are mortise and tenon joints, which also took a bunch of time.

DH also built DD's nightstand, toy box and book shelf.

My DH has a small home woodworking business on the side (he builds custom cabinets, book shelves, tables, radiator covers etc.) that he has been starting up, but when he built the crib 2 years ago, he honestly didn't have that much experience. He builds beautiful furniture now, so I think it is something that came easy/naturally to him.

DH isn't around right now, but I know that in addition to his standard drill, he used his sander, table saw, miter saw, router & router table, planer and drill press while working on the crib. If you have those tools (or at least know how to competently use them), then I would say you are probably good to go.

On the other hand - My gut says that if you have any question in your mind about being able to do a high quality job on the project (ie, if you're asking yourself, "Is this something we are capable of taking on skill-wise?"), then it might not be something you want to do right now. In order to get a strong construction, some of the woodworking skills needed are more advanced than you would imagine.

Good luck with whatever you decide! And if you do decide to go for the build, and end up needing any guidance, I am sure my hubby would be happy to help

BJKL · June 2010

So I was the one who said it took nine months...through probably it was less than that because we didn't start right away. The biggest challenge was just that we would get burned out on it. we would work on it for a week and then not touch it again for a few weeks. So really our own fault but it is a big committment especially when trying to get the room painted and all sorts of other things ready.

That being said...my DH has limited woodworking experience. He had built a few things in the past but nothing to this magnitude. We were lucky because he had a co-worker (who builds furniture on the side) that had some larger specialty tools that my DH was able to use to make the posts since they were so large.

We had issues with the glue and stain, in fact my DH wants to re-do the stain for the headboard/footboard part. We had issues with the plans not being completely accurate (these seems somewhat common given other projects we have done since). We had issues with how to get the mattress to the right height.

Our crib is beautiful and I love that my DH and I were able to build it for our DS and our crib is REALLY sturdy...like I could climb in/on it and not worry about it.

I guess I have a conflicting message. I love that we did it in hindsight but the process was long and frankly caused a lot of stress while I was pregnant. I have to also be honest that is caused some fighting between DH and I. It was not any cheaper than buying a quality crib. And as I said in the previous post...I plan to purchase a crib when baby #2 is on the way.

Good luck with whatever you decide. It is definitly doable!

BeccaMarie · June 2010

Tagging off on the other post, I wanted to add a couple things..

- We most definitely will build our own crib for #2. I feel like I hear constantly about crib recalls, and I have yet to find one of my friends that has a crib which seems as sturdy as ours is.

- Cost wise, I agree that building a crib isn't going to be a money saver. Ours came in slightly cheaper than buying a crib, but that is because my DH already had most of the necessary tools/supplies. In order to buy quality material (solid wood vs MDF, non-toxic stain, etc) you will find that the cost gets up there.

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