COT WIP (mk2)

[SteveF]

I had a request from my daughter in-law for a cot
so here goes
request was ..not too dark
so i went for European oak
have to admit that nor many hand tools were used

drawer carcasses and drawers were ply...I know cheapskate but wont be seen day to day

length of mattress is 1.4m

3 tops and bottoms of carcass routed half way through

hope they will make sense later

5 boards 140 x 20mm dominoed and glued

mitred frame glued and clamped

Steve

 

[SteveF]

oversize "face frame"

drawer carcasses

routed out...wish i had done before glue up and had straight corner

drawer handles routed by hand...wont see the mess but admit a bit lazy

more to follow

 

[SteveF]

please bear with me whilst I upload
it is complete so hope to get all up in a row

sled ends..again will make sense hopefully
turned on friends lathe

piece of ply to check fit of sled tops

and fitted

rails drilled

test fit

marking tools

 

[SteveF]

oak veneered 6mm mdf for base

i got the pics out of sequence sorry
sled ends

feet turned with a couple of burn lines

my helper Alfie(Jimi has one,so why can't I?)

coming together

 

[SteveF]

mattress frame joined with pocket hole
supported on 2 x 140 x 20 to raise height

first coat of danish

changing mat masked and spray laquer inside

stacked in conservatory to dry

final checks by Alfie

finished product

total time including getting tools out putting away etc
4 weekends

Steve

 

[Zeddedhed]

That, Sir, is chuffing fantastic.

=D> =D> =D> =D> \/

Hats off to you.

I don't personally think it matters whether it's a power tool build or a hand tool build - it's a lovely piece of furniture, personal to you and yours and made by you.

That's what makes it special.

Well done.

 

[Roughcut]

That is beautiful and im sure will become a family heirloom.
Nice work.

 

[worsley947]

hello steve, fantastic workmanship and what a great heirloom
Did you do it from a plan, if so which one, so that I can possibly make one
thanks dave

 

[No skills]

That my friend is a great project, excellent.

 

[blackrodd]

I think the term"stunning" is over used, but not in you're case,---and an excellent WIP too.
A family piece for the future!
Regards Rodders

 

[SteveF]

hello steve, fantastic workmanship and what a great heirloom
Did you do it from a plan, if so which one, so that I can possibly make one
thanks dave

Hi Dave

thankyou

there a no plans...I winged it
I am more than happy to go through any sizes etc if you want assistant
feel free to ask away
I am so inspired by the help on this forum
anything I can do to return that is a pleasure

Steve

 

[worsley947]

Thanks pm sent
dave

 

[SteveF]

replied
I will happily do a walkthrough if anyone else interested
if not I will keep to PM

Steve

 

[Parquet Dave]

Excellent work.

 

[RogerM]

replied
I will happily do a walkthrough if anyone else interested
if not I will keep to PM

Steve

I'd be interested Steve, so why not keep it to open forum for the benefit of all? We have grandchild No.1 on order for Dec and we may need to do something about a cot ourselves. What about critical safety measurements like min and max spaces between bars etc? Any info you can share would be gratefully received.

 

[SteveF]

Hi Roger

basic construction was 3 boxes made out of cheap plywood to house the drawer boxes
I went with 18mm but have to say made it a bit heavy everytime I had to get it out and together for each part of build
measurements were easy (buy the mattress first) we went for 1400 x 700 made it easy to remember during build
it was also a decent size should you wish to convert to bed
the boxes were 1400 long once connected together (1400\3) they were 140mm tall
I built a sort of face frame 100mm x20mm
probably not needed to so big be honest
the frame was routed out to slide over the boxes 10mm deep on frame 8mm rebate on plywood
once slid together i used 3 M6 thread inserts to bolt the frame to the boxes
a board was fitted across the back of the 3 boxes (again with threaded inserts) to hold the base altogether
the reason for all above was option to pack away the cot in loft if needed, but to assemble relatively easily

a couple of safety bits I used, but you make your own decisions here please:
no gaps more than size of coke can and no less than 5cm
no gaps you get trap a finger in
it seems that a few countries (not uk yet) are banning drop sides as a few accidents from failed catches
this leaves you 2 options doors or raising the mattress
the previous one i built had bifold doors on one side and a hinged fold down flap on the other
it was ok but there is the fear of trapped fingers as they are being closed
no square edges around the top
the top of mattress should be 50cm from top of cot and no way for them to climb..mistake with first cot
the fold down side was turned to face wall as soon as little one could climb

i will continue as i get time
any of this not make sense then say so please and i could reference back to photos

Steve

 

[SteveF]

a bit more:
the base needs to end up at 700 +(25x2) x1400
the reason is the front and back rails to hold the dowels are 25mm x 1400 x 50 and sit on the base
the dowels are hardwood from wickes (light hardwood) and cheap
I done the sums and divided the 1400 with suitable gaps
marked the rails in pairs and drilled holes 15mm and 20mm deep
I could not work out to do the glue up of these so never bothered
this actually had an advantage in the end, if a dowel gets snapped it is easier to replace
onto the ends:
I went OTT and could have saved shed loads of cash and weight
I should have used a thin mdf oak veneer and grooved as a panel
but as I made mistake I will continue
the ends were 5 boards 140mm x 20mm glued up with dominoes in-between (biscuits would have worked)
5 x 140 =700
I then framed with 20mm x 50mm (next mistake) I should have routed the frame before fixing as I ended up with round corners
I wont bore with details but I added a few details as seen in pics
the template for sides of the "sled ends" was made from scrap mdf and a few trials till I was happy
the top of the sleds were turned on lathe 60mm diameter
I clamped the sled template to stock and used a follow router bit
the feet were also turned on lathe

Steve

 

[RogerM]

Thanks Steve. Plenty of info there to get my teeth in to. Not sure whether this is a "goer" as a project for me as I have so much else on, and my daughter feels that it is "bad luck" to get too much stuff in before the child is born, so we might end up reaching for our credit card instead a bit nearer the time.

 

[SteveF]

Hi Roger

I would have preferred to get the plastic out. it would have saved a fortune tbh
but I got the guilt trip and family heirloom speech, and have no regrets whatsoever
you don't need to worry about the too much before born, as you don't need to build until a few months after and only takes 4 weekends max

I will finish off the build plans if anyone else is interested

Steve

 

[DTR]

Great stuff