A baby crib is much easier to make when you have templates. In the picture, you can see that the crib Top Rail has curves in it. The crib spindles fit only if the Bottom Rail matches the Top Rail. Why not have templates to make those curves?
With patience, you can make both in one pass.
This baby crib is transitional. It can change to a Youth Bed then to a Twin Bed. You can convert it back to a baby crib when needed.
Once you have these baby crib templates made, everything flows together. The process to make the Youth Bed rail is the same as making the Headboard pieces. It is the same template with a slightly different use.
Make a sample from 1/4" plywood.
When satisfied, transfer to 1/4" tempered hardboard. It lasts longer. A Router Pattern Bit makes this a snap.
Set the template on the piece of wood. Trace the pattern with a pencil.
You can use a Bandsaw or jig saw to cut out the curve. Stay about 1/16" away from the pencil line. This saves wear & tear on the router bit!
Support your workpiece from below. You don't want to cut into your workbench. Clamp the template and the workpiece to your bench. Both the template and workpiece are secure!
Use a Bearing on the shank of the router bit. Make sure the bearing hits the template. Rout your workpiece.
You need a wide base on the router for stability. Why not use your Router Table Insert Plate?
Once setup, you can rout in less than a minute. With the correct router bit, you can put a nice design in the Youth Bed Rail!
Baby Crib Template for Spindles
If you are not a wood-turner, you can still make attractive spindles for your Baby Crib.
It is worthwhile to use templates to make these "spindles".
The picture shows the baby crib template for to make both sides of the spindles.
To see this template in action, click on the movie tab. It takes less than 15 seconds to rout one side of the spindle.
With this template, your spindles are very attractive. And, you made them!
This short clip was taken with a digital camera, when testing the template on the first baby crib.
A Customer's Testimonial
A fellow woodworker took this jig and made some nice looking spindles. See for yourself:
