Playpen

[dance]

I am thinking about making a portable playpen (raised platform on wheels with a .75m high slatted fence) for my son - but I'm curious to know how the members here would go about tackling the slatted fence. Are there slats one can buy or would they have to be fabricated? What about slots for them to fit into? Would they be routed or is there another way?

Thanks!

 

[9fingers]

You could use ramin dowelling and fit into clean holes drilled with a forstner bit?

Bob

 

[jumps]

slats is going to be a case of what tools, spare wood, or new wood v machined wood ie everyone will have a different equation.

I would use a sandwich approach around the top for simplicity and strength/weight, with fillers the width of the slats (or offcuts etc) - and this would also work around the base (the strength requirement is likely to be 'out' more than down

 

[dance]

Thanks, good tips both.

Ramin dowelling I take it is dowelling, but stronger than the vanilla stuff.

I like the idea of using a sandwich approach!

 

[9fingers]

Ramin dowelling I take it is dowelling, but stronger than the vanilla stuff.

Ramin is a creamy/yellowish fine grained hardwood that mouldings and dowelling always used to be made from nowadays, the sheds seem to stock a lot of pine mouldings which have far less strength and throw up splinters easily.
Ramin will be far more suitable but might be more difficult to find in the sheds.

Bob

 

[wobblycogs]

I seriously considered making our daughter a playpen a couple of months back but after looking long and hard into it and pricing it all up I decided it wasn't worth it (and this was something I really wanted to make). Now, having said that, a raised platform on wheels it's like any playpen I've seen for sale so perhaps it worth it but have you considered getting a regular pen and fitting a mobile base?

The only thing that nearly got me to do it was the thought that I could made one or two of the panels solid. I was going to make one a blackboard and one a white board. I also thought about making one that had softly blinking LED's in it. Good luck if you decide to try, would love to see a WIP