This is another project from years ago. The boys were growing fast and had quickly outgrown their crib. We needed new and bigger beds, so we decided to handcraft them. We wanted something unique, durable, easy to get in and out of, and lastly, I wanted the final bed assembly to be interlocking, requiring no bolts or fasteners.
Pt 1: Design and Initial Cuts
In Part 1, I am laying out the design on some heavy oak plywood, drawing the shapes of the legs and openings. We’re cutting the major pieces into the right sizes, and who is that? None other than my little helper Adam, making use of the pet door to come and help!
Pt 2: Interlocking, Sanding, and Testing
Here in Part 2, the major shapes have been cut. Now we are cutting the interlocking connectors, adding the runners to hold the mattress slats, and sanding—lots of sanding. No sharp edges, corners, or slivers allowed! We then performed a test assembly before adding decorative cutouts and taking a break.
Pt 3: Assembly and Finishing
We have transported the nearly completed beds across the mountains to our home and assembled them for the two little men. They are trying them out with their mural and artwork in the background.ains to our home and assembled the beds for the two little men. They are trying them out with their mural and artwork in the background.
Pt 4: Finally, we get to the final stage of finishing. We added a nice coat of a durable and washable sky-blue paint. We assembled the beds, and they are now ready for regular, long-term use.
Epilogue
We got about 18 months of heavy and physical use out of the beds. They were moved across the country from Washington state to Georgia, where they were finally outgrown. They were painted on, drawn on, thrown up on, and endured a myriad of other rough daily activities that involve twin boys.
We could have purchased something similar for about the same amount of money we spent on just the materials. But the long-term enjoyment and benefit that was had from hand-making something that was this durable was well worth the time and cost.
