# My first REAL project - labour of love, literally...!



## Gary S (18 Apr 2007)

Morning all,

Thought I would post a piccie of my first proper sizeable project - building a cot for my new born daughter. I had to persuade my wife (and Mum!) that it would be a good use of my time rather than just buying one, and now it's finished I'm really pleased with the result.

I used Oak and finished it with a few applications of Danish Oil. I also made sure it was built in accordance with the safety standards for cots (minimum / maximum widths between slats, height etc etc). It has two heights - currently it's in the highest position.

Quite a challenge for me but it made the most of all the tools I've been buying and sneaking into the garage...! My SIP 10" x 6" Planer thicknesser came in particularly handy...

Hope you like it, but more importantly I hope my baby Phoebe likes it and sleeps soundly in it!

Cheers

Gary


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## Adam (18 Apr 2007)

Cracking! A great project, well done.

Adam


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## les chicken (18 Apr 2007)

Lovely project something to be proud of. 

In a few years time the baby will realise what a clever dad she has and will want it for a family heirloom.

Les


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## Paul Chapman (18 Apr 2007)

Lovely =D> 

Cheers :wink: 

Paul


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## mailee (18 Apr 2007)

Great looking cot Gary, I wonder if Wizer has seen it, could be his next project too. :lol:


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## Lord Nibbo (18 Apr 2007)

Cracking job there my man. An heirloom for sure.


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## wizer (18 Apr 2007)

:tongue9: Fantastic Gary!

Right on time too 

Did you follow a plan or is it your own design?

PS: where's the WIP pics?


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## Gary S (18 Apr 2007)

WiZeR":22igkkg7 said:


> :tongue9: Fantastic Gary!
> 
> Right on time too
> 
> ...



Just about on time...! It has taken me a month or two to do it, but Phoebe will be in her moses basket for a good few weeks yet... So will you be making one for your new arrival? :lol: 

I loosely followed a plan in a woodworking mag (name escapes me, but it was one I picked up in a bundle at the Ally Pally show - perfect timing...!) - it was particularly useful for the 'regulation' information. I wasn't worried about the Cot Police coming round and confiscating my handywork, but at the same time I wanted to make sure it was as safe as it could be.

Unfortunately there aren't really and WIP pics - shame on me  

I started to take some but then just wanted to crack on with finishing it! My next project (not sure when that will be given baby's arrival!) will definitely have WIP pics...


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## Corset (18 Apr 2007)

Lovely, everbody seems to be giving birth around me so could be a next project. really nice
Owen


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## Scott (18 Apr 2007)

Fantastic job Gary! Well done! =D>


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## dedee (18 Apr 2007)

Excellent Gary, a future family heirloom I am sure.

Andy


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## Anonymous (18 Apr 2007)

Lovely Gary and so much better than a bought one eh? Not only the enjoyment of building, but the pleasure when your daughter is old enough to understand what here daddy did for her when she was a baby - that can't be bought :wink:


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## woodbloke (18 Apr 2007)

Gary - fantastic project, well done. I suppose you and SWIMBO did have a look at the price of a wooden (probably pine) cot in the 'babysheds' and realized that a far better one in a much superior timber could be made for about a third the cost  Thumbs up =D> - Rob


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## dlowry_uk (18 Apr 2007)

Congratulations - beautiful piece of work. Wish I'd done the same for our first. We bought a cotbed, changing table etc, and I've since seen beautiful homemade versions on the forum.

Maybe next time!

Well done,

Drew


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## Gary S (18 Apr 2007)

woodbloke":20m9pc0m said:


> price of a wooden (probably pine) cot in the 'babysheds' and realized that a far better one in a much superior timber could be made for about a third the cost



Absolutely - much cheaper and made from solid oak, not some kind of pine or 'white' wood!! Still took some persuading with SWMBO that it was a good idea but she's delighted now it's finished.



dlowry_uk":20m9pc0m said:


> Congratulations - beautiful piece of work. Wish I'd done the same for our first. We bought a cotbed, changing table etc, and I've since seen beautiful homemade versions on the forum.
> 
> Maybe next time!
> 
> ...



Thanks for that - I guess that's what really drove me to building the cot - I wanted to create something that was special and ideally would be passed down through generations. I would have loved it if my great, great grandad had built a cot that my family had grown up in - hopefully this cot will become such an item! Either that or my daughter will grow up hating it and use it for firewood :shock: :shock:


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## Paul.J (18 Apr 2007)

Gary.
Fantastic job.
Looks better than the ones you can buy anyway  
Paul.J.


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## Newbie_Neil (18 Apr 2007)

Hi Gary

Well done, a beautiful job which looks much better than the ones that you can buy.

Cheers
Neil


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## Dave S (18 Apr 2007)

Gary S":325stiex said:


> Either that or my daughter will grow up hating it and use it for firewood :shock: :shock:



No, no! As one who makes things yourself, you'll treasure all the more the scribbles she does for you, then the pictures she draws, the cards she makes for you.....and she'll grow up to love and treasure all that you make for her.
And it gets better - by the time you make her first bed, she'll be old enough to tell you what she thinks. As Tony says, it's a pleasure that can't be bought.

Back to the cot......very nice indeed  

Dave (getting nostalgic....)


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## wizer (18 Apr 2007)

Gary would it be rude to ask costings? Wood mainly


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## Shadowfax (18 Apr 2007)

Lovely job, Gary.
Excellent work. I love oak, anyway, so no contest, really. Making it yourself wins every time with things like that.
Enjoy putting it to good use now.

SF


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## Gary S (19 Apr 2007)

WiZeR":12mlrtwd said:


> Gary would it be rude to ask costings? Wood mainly



Yes, I am mortally offended. :wink: 

Costings is a tricky one, because I bought the timber as part of a bigger order (I didn't just buy the timber I needed for the cot). There was a reasonable amount of waste since I had to machine down the oak for the slats at the side and the 'tongue and groove' pieces at the ends. 

At a stab I would estimate about £125 worth of timber (based on my total order). Then all it cost was a few pounds for the cross dowel and cross dowel bolts from Screwfix and some Rustins Danish Oil.

Hadn't used the cross dowels or danish oil before - very impressed with both! :lol: 



Dave S":12mlrtwd said:


> Gary S":12mlrtwd said:
> 
> 
> > Either that or my daughter will grow up hating it and use it for firewood :shock: :shock:
> ...



You're right, Dave, the firewood thing was a bit tongue in cheek...! I plan to make her a bed when she's old enough, and with any luck she'll show some interest in what Daddy does in the garage (if I can get her on my side it would be great - "No, Mummy, Daddy really needs that new £500 tool"). 8)


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## Wood Monkey (20 Apr 2007)

Spot on Gary. 

I wanted to do this for my daughter (she's 2 now), but moving house 1 month before she was due meant my workshop wasn't ready. We ended up buying one from a well know baby furniture retailer and it is rubbish. Not to mention, it wasn’t cheap.

She’s moving to a bigger room soon and I’m going to make her first proper bed to make up for it.

Well done. It looks fantastic.

Jon


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## Dave S (20 Apr 2007)

Gary S":1pje4nvm said:


> You're right, Dave, the firewood thing was a bit tongue in cheek...! I plan to make her a bed when she's old enough, and with any luck she'll show some interest in what Daddy does in the garage (if I can get her on my side it would be great - "No, Mummy, Daddy really needs that new £500 tool"). 8)



Hee, hee - you've got the idea!  When she's old enough you can do things like this. 

Hopefully this weekend we will make a start on some hanging planters for the garden. She's already growing the plants that she'll put in them. I think that, not only is it great for kids to get involved in a hobby like this, but it means that persuing my own hobby doesn't have to preclude me from spending time with the family.  

Dave


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## Gary S (20 Apr 2007)

Dave S":1f21d1qi said:


> Hee, hee - you've got the idea!  When she's old enough you can do things like this.
> 
> Hopefully this weekend we will make a start on some hanging planters for the garden. She's already growing the plants that she'll put in them. I think that, not only is it great for kids to get involved in a hobby like this, but it means that persuing my own hobby doesn't have to preclude me from spending time with the family.
> 
> Dave



That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about!! I haven't been able to persuade SWMBO to get excited about woodwork so maybe I'll have more luck with my daughter... 

In 20 years time she'll be a 'Celebrity Woodworker' (yes, there will be such things - who'd have thought 20 years ago that there would be 'Celebrity Chefs' now!) with her own TV show - special guest appearances from Norm now and again. 

Now whoever said Parents can have unreasonable aspirations and expectations for their children... :roll: :roll:


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## woodbloke (20 Apr 2007)

Dave S":3hogs48j said:


> Gary S":3hogs48j said:
> 
> 
> > Either that or my daughter will grow up hating it and use it for firewood :shock: :shock:
> ...



Dave - I have _all_ the school reports for my two and all their scribbles (they are both now at uni) 'specially my daughters 'rants' that were shoved under our bedroom door on a weekend morning. They make hilarious reading and now fill a complete box file - Rob


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## Dave S (22 Apr 2007)

woodbloke":1c04q1wi said:


> 'specially my daughters 'rants' that were shoved under our bedroom door on a weekend morning.



Oh, so we're not the only ones then!!! :roll: 

Dave


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## Philipp (24 Apr 2007)

Hi Gary,

Indeed a wonderful piece of work! Could you perhaps post some more details regarding measurements (lenght, width, height etc.)? You mentioned a compliance with safety standards for cots. I am not familiar with that, yet, so would we grateful if you could help a little here.

Regards
Philipp


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