A little timber bassinet + a big lesson

Hey! Welcome to my first DIY post on the site, woo!

Here's a little backstory for this one. We had a perfectly functional co-sleeper / crib / bassinet in our room, cozily snuggled next to my side of the bed. There was nothing wrong with it at all. In fact it was very practical and has served us well with both of our babies. Unfortunately, though, I have always found it unattractive (ooo, how terrible! What an awful problem to have in life!).

Since we have settled into our new house a little bit better now and I have started to enjoy a bit more time on my hands, I decided it was time to build a bassinet that would work with the rest of our room's aesthetic. Definitely not the most important / high-priority project I've worked on, but it was a way to keep myself happily occupied for a few afternoons and it has yielded decent results (for a first go without a drill press - more on that later). I like custom pieces which create the feel of a cozy and welcoming home - that's the kind of home one wants for one's family, right? And this bassinet fits into that category relatively well, despite a couple of hiccups along the way in its construction.

This little piece was super easy to make and you might be inspired to make your own or something similar! In fact, I'm sure (it's pretty obvious) that a better craftsman or someone with more advanced / precise tools could easily knock this up much better than I did.

What I love about this bassinet is that it is delicate and sturdy at the same time, and the natural timber really adds warmth and character to our bedroom while the dark steel legs tie in with the black accents we've got goin' on around the place. It's interesting and pretty to look at, but it's also a very simple shape that doesn't demand too much attention when you look around the room. My favourite thing, though, is the fact that my baby girl (and any future babies) will have this to sleep in - to dream in, to be cozy in, to snuggle in, to be near to us in.

Alright, cooing aside, read on if you'd like to know how I made it.

Now, I am not known for the conventional way in which I approach building projects, but there is one thing I will always do and that is to sit down with a pad and pencil and draw up a plan of what I want to build. I would say this is pretty important, especially if you're like me and suck at maths and need to have the safety net of writing down and calculating everything first. I made a bassinet that is 500mm wide, 897mm long, and 350mm high (without the legs). I chose these dimensions to fit our bed height + shape, and also to reliably accommodate a somewhat tall baby for a number of months.

TOOLS I USED Measuring tape Cordless drill with an 8mm drill bit (if you have a drill press, this is a better option). Circular saw Spirit level Carpenter's square Hammer 50mm bullet head nails Wood glue Bolt cutters (optional time-saver) Palm sander

MATERIALS I USED I bought the following from Bunnings: 8 - 19mm x 64mm x 1.2m planks 4 - 19mm x 42mm x 1.2m planks 14 - 8mm x 1.2m dowel rods 2 - 7mm x 600mm x 897mm plywood sheets 4 - furniture legs I also found some 19mm dowel rods in the shed which I used as well.

CUT LIST 14 - 19mm x 64mm planks cut to 462mm long 2 - 19mm x 64mm planks cut to 897mm long 2 - ply panels cut to 462mm(w) x 859mm(l) 2 - 19mm x 42mm planks cut to 462mm long 2 - 19mm x 42mm planks cut to 897mm long 56 - 8mm dowel cut to 263mm long 4 - 19mm dowel cut to 244mm long

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1) First I made a box frame by attaching two of the 19mm x 64mm (462mm long) planks to two of the 19mm x 64mm (897mm long) planks - making sure the 897mm long ones were on the outside of the other two. I used the carpenter's square and level to check for square. This box will be the base of the bassinet so I wanted to make sure it was sturdy, level, and square.

2) Next, on the inside of the frame I had just built, I marked the two 897mm long sides 7mm in from the edges and drew a line (see picture, above right). This was so that I'd know where to put my slats - ensuring I'd leave enough space for the 7mm deep plywood sheets to sit nicely on top of and below them, and to sit flush with the top and bottom of the frame.

3) Next I created slats using 19mm x 64mm (462mm long) planks - I lined each one up against the lines I had drawn in step 2, top and bottom, and nailed them in place. I used 12 planks (6 on each side, making sure that on each side there was a plank pressed right up against the end plank). Maybe it was overkill to use that many slats for a baby who weighs less than 10kg, but I wanted this thing to be REAL sturdy. 

4) The next step was measuring the intervals for my 8mm dowel on the frame. I basically did this by halving the measurements of each side of the frame to find its middle point, then working from the mid-point outwards I marked every 4.6cm. You only need to put the dowels on the top side of the frame, so just mark that side. Also, it's probably better to mark and drill your holes before nailing in your slats to make sure you don't drill into any nails. I didn't do this, and didn't encounter any problems, but it's something I realised might work better so thought I'd just share that lil pearl o' wisdom with ya.

5) Next I drilled what felt like a million holes (but was actually only 56) where I had marked them on the frame. I drilled to a (rough) depth of 9mm. If you are like me and don't have a drill stopper you can make one with a little bit of tape and a ruler (I followed this guy's instructions and was good to go). Note: If you have a drill press that can drill to exact depth and exact angle, USE IT. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD. This will save time trying to fit and line up dowels later. It took me a literal million years to put together the parts of the bassinet later because my holes weren't all exactly the same depth and angle.

Anyway, I then placed and nailed down my 2 plywood sheets, which sat so perfectly flush on top of the slats that I audibly gasped with delight and genuinely believed for a moment that I was Queen of the Universe. Nothing in my life was as satisfying as seeing how perfectly the ply fit in the frame. If I could, I would relive the moment over and over again.

6) Once the base was pretty much done, the next thing to do was measure and cut my 8mm dowel down to 56 (yes, 56) 263mm lengths. Thankfully, I discovered that 8mm timber dowel can be easily cut with bolt cutters and doesn't need to be sawn over and over. So I actually got these bad boys all cut in about 20 minutes, which was terrific. I then lined them up in an aesthetically pleasing way for the sake of this photo (see above), which took an extra 90 seconds I could have spent doing something else, but was worth it - I MEAN LOOK AT THEM.

7) I repeated step 1 but with the 19mm x 42mm planks instead.

8) I repeated steps 4 and 5 but, again, with the 19mm x 42mm planks instead.

9) On the base piece, I sunk all visible nail heads into the timber and applied a stainable wood filler. I then sanded back both the base and top frame using an electric sander and progressing from coarse to fine sandpaper. Because this is an item for a baby, I didn't want there to be any sharp edges anywhere whatsoever, so I sanded and sanded and re-sanded and sanded. Approximately ten years passed while I did this.

10) After rinsing and wiping and leaving the pieces to dry post-sanding, I applied a stain. I wanted to use something that was entirely non-toxic since my baby would be in regular contact with the bassinet (obviously), so I used coffee to stain the timber. This is really easy to make, ya just mix some coffee grounds with some hot water, let it sit for a bit and then apply up to four coats. If you want a darker stain, use more coffee grounds and less water. I wanted something fairly light - all I wanted to do was bring out the grain of the timber - so I used a lot of water and a comparatively small amount of coffee. Yes, those are my exact ratio terms.

11) Next I flipped the base upside down and screwed in some furniture legs. I bought these badboys from Bunnings years ago when I had lotsa money and couldn't think of a use for them (that's the kind of buyer I am). I'm thrilled that they finally came in handy and I that didn't have to go out and buy anything new this time around (#BudgetLyf). Thanks, past Jenna. You're a champ.

12) This part crushed my soul a little, because it was at this point that I realised I should have paid more careful attention to the angle at which I drilled my dowel holes. Anyway, I placed and glued my 244mm dowel lengths into the holes of the top frame, and then essentially my husband and my father-in-law had to help me guide these little monsters into the corresponding holes on the base piece. It was a total nightmare that took like an hour, and could have been avoided entirely if I had drilled all holes at the same depth and angle. Also, once the bassinet was assembled the top was slightly off square because of the angles of the holes and how they affected its placement. So, if I ever make a bassinet again, I will definitely be using a drill press. Also, you're welcome for the cameo of the toe in this photo - I actually am not sure whose it is.

13) I glued and nailed in place four 19mm vertical dowel posts at each corner joining the top frame to the base. I then wrapped them in twine (gluing down the twine as I wrapped it) and created the pattern that you see in the photo, taking twine from the top of each corner post and bringing it down to the bottom of the middle dowel on each of the long sides of the bassinet - gluing in place. Once it was all dry and sturdy and tested, I placed a mattress inside, shortly followed by a sleeping baby. Et voila! We are done.

For a first try, this project didn't turn out too badly. Is it exactly the vision I had in my head? Nope, no, not at all. It is a little off square and some of the dowels are angled sideways. It's imperfect. Like my parenting and my life. Haha. Was it fun to make? You betcha! Did I learn a lot from this experience? Absolutely! Do I love it? Yes. I am all about trying new things and being super ambitious about their completion, and honestly even when it doesn't turn out perfectly I am still thrilled to have made something with my own hands that is beautiful in its own way. Plus, it is a compulsion in my soul that I can't change. I must make ALL THE THINGS and dream big and make mistakes and grow and repeat the whole process.

I think it's important to have a little imperfection in life and sit with it, live alongside it, embrace it. I hope our home will continue to fill with imperfect, loveable things.

I also hope that you enjoyed reading this post and that it inspired you in some way. Please let me know if you give this a go, or if it inspired you to try something new today! 

Now it's time for me to go and put the baby to sleep, put my feet up with a cup of tea and dream about my next DIY project.

love, Jenna