Woodworking Made Easier Through Best Baby Furniture Plans

Want to use your woodworking skills to build a unique gift that will be remembered over a lifetime? Creating baby furniture is a special way to show your love and support for expecting parents.

Hi, fellow sawdust aficionados! My name is Mike Best from Best Baby Furniture Plans (

In 2006 my brother was having his first baby, and I decided to do something really meaningful for him ( I know, it doesn't happen very often between brothers! ). I scoured the Internet, found some great convertible baby crib plans, and got to work in the basement.

It was my first major woodworking project (outside of building walls, routing whatever I could get my hands on, etc.), but I never regretted it. The look on my brother and his wife's faces when they saw the crib for the first time was priceless. I'm only sorry I didn't take more photos!

You'll find tips in many woodworking books, but here is my advice...

Every project is different. Instead of throwing out saw blades when they won't cut through your wood or watching your project rot as it soaks up moisture or (God forbid) watching your baby furniture disintegrate under too heavy of a load...

Match the wood to your woodworking project.

Starting with the right wood is a simple step with incredible value. In my case, I chose oak. Pine was really inexpensive, but I thought it would be too soft and unstable for a crib, plus I didn't really like the knots and wood grain. I loved all the exotic hardwoods, but they were out of my price range. For this crib, oak wood held the perfect combination: it was attractive, easy to work with, and I didn't have to sell the dogs for lumber money.

Speaking of wood, some home improvement stores have a good selection and some don't. You are usually able to find a wider selection and higher quality lumber at a lumberyard. If you don't have one near you, you can have wood shipped to you through a woodworking store like Rockler.

If you need some suggestions for what wood to choose, I've listed some popular choices and their characteristics here:

One of the regrets I had about building a baby crib is that I didn't account for how much space it would take up. It may not look that big fully assembled, but as pieces and parts all over your workshop, it's a beast.

Here are my suggestions for simplifying your life to make your woodworking a little easier:

Clear a space. Make sure you have enough room to swing your hammer without hitting the wall or cut your boards without breaking a window. You should be able to navigate around your workshop without tripping over tools or slipping on sawdust.
Organize your tools and materials. This step is a great time-saving, and it's especially important if you have a small woodwork