It’s totally fine to outfit the den in your bachelor pad with a cheap coffee table from Ikea, but when it comes to the crib for a baby, you’re going to want it to be made out of something sturdier than Swedish cardboard.
That’s why when Reddit user Mergs21 heard he was going to have a new niece, he got right to work on a customized crib for her, complete with an adorable animal-themed back panel!
He started small, crafting the animals that would be his niece’s best friends during her crib years.
What a crew!
Now for the jungle-themed background.
The process of applying pieces of veneer — in this case with colors — to form a pattern is called marquetry.
When everything was glued onto the panel, he noticed some gaps, so he used wood filler to amend this.
He used an epoxy finisher to leave a glossy appearance.
Finally, he mounted the panel onto a headboard.
When it came time to build the actual crib, Mergs21 wanted only the best for his niece, so he used special mortise and tenon joinery. It’s exceptionally strong but can also be broken down easily for moves.
He sawed and planed white oak boards for the body of the crib.
After treating each piece with shellac and gluing the parts together, he added drawers beneath the crib for what he called baby “baggage.”
It’s officially bedtime!
It was a lot of work, but it all seems worth it now.
What a lucky niece to have an uncle that can make a crib like this AND populate it with cute little animals.
If only he made beds for grown men, too! My Ikea frame is being held together with electric tape at the moment…
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