 
COVERTIBLE CHILD'S SLEIGH BED A beautiful piece of furniture that grows with the child. SHOP OWNER: Roberto Marquez LOCATION: Rio Linda, CA I recently completed the construction of a convertible sleigh crib for my first grandchild. It is of American cherry, designed, and constructed 100% by me. The design idea was borrowed from other beds we’ve seen. However, since none matched the quality and beauty my daughter wanted, I set out to put all my years of experience to the test. My design started with a magazine photo of the basic idea my daughter wanted. 
After studying how to best combine her vision with mine, I created this template that I followed during construction. 
Using scrap lumber, I constructed the headboard panel press. 
I used 8/4 material for most of the components starting with the legs. 
To save time, I band-sawed and sanded the curved slats rather than press forming. 
This is a shot of the panel after forming. 
I used standard bedrail hooks to join the components for convertibility. 
Again saving time, I chose to cut a continuous groove in the rails and insert wood fillers between the slats. 
I continually mock-up as I go. 
The curved headboard panel is grooved into the four sides for strength. 
I needed a rosette for concealing fasteners and as part of the design. I acquired used rosettes from the church pews where my daughter was married. 
This is a mock-up with full-sized rails. 
Using a router, I formed a bead around the perimeter of the components. 
The finishing process starts with a basecoat of stain. 
Next, the sanding sealer coat is applied. 
The final steps involve a tint stain and lacquer process. 
Close detail shot. 
This is the finished crib. 
Converted to a toddler bed. 
Converted to a full-size bed. I have approximately 150 hours in the project with material costs of $1,600. My daughter is very happy and I was able to complete it before the birth of my first grandson. . . .
Roberto Marquez
|
|
|
INDEX!