Cot's Coming Close to the End

Today I was fully in the saddle to almost close out the baby cot project I've been working on. It went particularly well and the end result will indeed be the sturdiest take apart, knock-down, almost flat pack cot in existence. The fasteners facilitate taking a large rectangle of frames and panels apart into five elements to get them through narrow doorways, along corridors and passages and on up awkward stairways with with equally awkward turns around corners and on into a nursery bedroom. Almost all beds of different types and sizes must have knock-down components. It makes for an easier life.

This particular project has been as much about measurements and sizes as anything, measurements tried, tested and passed to ensure a safe place for a baby to rest and sleep. Inn other words kept from harm in a confined area yet in comfort. The gaps and hole diameters are all part and parcel of this when it comes to children's safety whether that be for toys, furniture or whatever.

This weekend went quickly and some of the steps needed completing ahead of today's filming rather than unnecessary repeating. Much of what is involved is the repetition of joints, things like that. Planing all of the surfaces can be tedious, but plane them I did and I enjoyed every stroke, even the in the awkward grain figured oak has. I suppose it was as much to do with the reason I was building it as the project itself. This is for my granddaughter who I can't believe is now in her fourth week of life. Over the weekend I bobbed in and out to prepare some areas of the frame for applying the finish. Some projects are better with the components pre-finished (for which I give reasons in the video) before gluing up because the finish looks and feels better,  otherwise awkward internal corners can look ugly. You see you can pull the strokes through without internal corners globbing up to where you cannot sand them flat afterwards. Today I glued up to camera and because this is my second cot, and I have already glued up two of everything already, it did go like clockwork. I also managed to show how to set the fasteners for guaranteed assembly ease. Bit fiddly but all came out as expected.

My favourite work has always been to gift what I make. I have made half a dozen caskets for friends that passed where I dovetailed the corners and hand planed every wooden section. It sounds morbid but it really isn't at all. Yes, there is a sadness, but they were such people that just brought gladness to you when you saw them so I enjoyed the making of something money just could not buy. I have many fond memories  making other things as gifts or donations.