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Wooden Doll Cradle[4/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 doll cradle
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' Lengths
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak (QS)
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A solid hardwood rocking cradle sized for 18" dolls — the kind of toy that gets handed down. Glued-up end panels with a gentle rocker curve, two tall sides and a flat floor. One 4ft pack builds it with almost nothing left over. This is a doll cradle — a toy, not for babies.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End pieces (3 per end) | 6 | Board 1 (4), board 2 (2) | 11" × 4" × ¾" | 11" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Side pieces (2 per side) | 4 | Boards 3–4 | 20" × 4" × ¾" | 20" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Floor pieces | 3 | Board 5 (2), board 2 (1) | 20" × 4" × ¾" | 20" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Floor, after glue-up | 1 | Ripped to fit | 20" × 9½" × ¾" | 20" × 9¼" × ⅞" |
Panels: ends are 3 pieces edge-glued, grain horizontal; sides 2 pieces; floor 3 pieces ripped to the inside width.
Box: floor glued and screwed between the sides (long grain). Ends overlap the sides and floor, screwed only, pre-drilled and countersunk, plugs optional.
Rockers: 1½" arc cut on each end's bottom edge; box sits 2" above the corners.
Finished size: S4S 21½" L × 11" W × 12" H, inside about 20" × 9½" · S2S 21¾" × 11" × 10½", inside about 20" × 9¼". Sides stand 2" below the top of the ends.
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 18 × #8 flat-head screws: 1½" (S4S) or 1¾" (S2S)
- ⅜" wood plugs and a ⅜" counterbore bit (optional)
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Toy-safe finish (labelled safe for toys, e.g. EN 71-3 or ASTM F963), or plain mineral oil and beeswax
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square)
- Jigsaw with a fine blade
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- 6 bar clamps, 24" or longer
- Router with ⅛"–¼" roundover bit, or sandpaper
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Crosscut. Cut 6 end pieces at 11" (four from board 1, two from board 2). Cut 7 pieces at 20": the rest of board 2, both pieces from boards 3, 4 and 5.
- 2 Glue three panels. Edge-glue 3 end pieces into each end panel (11" wide × 12" tall, grain running side to side). Edge-glue 2 pieces into each side (20" × 8"). Edge-glue the last 3 into the floor. Clamp, wipe the squeeze-out, leave overnight.
- 3 Size the floor. Rip the floor panel to 9½" wide — the inside width between the sides.
- 4 Cut the rockers. On each end panel, mark the centre of the bottom edge 1½" up. Bend a thin strip of wood through that mark and both bottom corners and trace the curve. Cut just outside the line with a jigsaw, then sand to the line. Cut one end, trace it onto the other so they match.
- 5 Hand slots (optional). Lay out a 1" × 4" slot centred about 1½" below the top of each end. Drill a 1" hole at each end of the slot and jigsaw between them.
- 6 Round every edge. Round all edges and corners with a ⅛"–¼" roundover bit or sandpaper, then sand 120 → 180 → 220. No sharp corners anywhere on a toy.
- 7 Floor to sides. Stand the floor between the two sides, bottoms flush. Glue the long edges (long grain to long grain) and drive 3 pre-drilled, countersunk #8 × 1½" screws through each side into the floor edge. If you plan to plug the holes, counterbore every screw hole ⅜" first.
- 8 Add the ends. Draw a line 2" up from the bottom corners on the inside of each end. Set the box on the line, sides flush with the end's edges. Drive pre-drilled #8 × 1½" screws through the end into the sides (2 each) and the floor (2). Screws only here: it's end grain, which doesn't glue well, and screws let the parts move.
- 9 Plug and finish. Glue wood plugs into the screw holes and sand them flush, or leave the heads countersunk. Finish with a toy-safe finish and let it cure fully (check the can — often 2–4 weeks) before a child plays with it.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Crosscut. Cut 6 end pieces at 11" (four from board 1, two from board 2). Cut 7 pieces at 20": the rest of board 2, both pieces from boards 3, 4 and 5.
- 3 Glue three panels. Edge-glue 3 end pieces into each end panel (11" wide × 10½" tall, grain running side to side). Edge-glue 2 pieces into each side (20" × 7"). Edge-glue the last 3 into the floor. Clamp, wipe the squeeze-out, leave overnight.
- 4 Size the floor. Rip the floor panel to 9¼" wide — the inside width between the sides.
- 5 Cut the rockers. On each end panel, mark the centre of the bottom edge 1½" up. Bend a thin strip of wood through that mark and both bottom corners and trace the curve. Cut just outside the line with a jigsaw, then sand to the line. Cut one end, trace it onto the other so they match.
- 6 Hand slots (optional). Lay out a 1" × 4" slot centred about 1½" below the top of each end. Drill a 1" hole at each end of the slot and jigsaw between them.
- 7 Round every edge. Round all edges and corners with a ⅛"–¼" roundover bit or sandpaper, then sand 120 → 180 → 220. No sharp corners anywhere on a toy.
- 8 Floor to sides. Stand the floor between the two sides, bottoms flush. Glue the long edges (long grain to long grain) and drive 3 pre-drilled, countersunk #8 × 1¾" screws through each side into the floor edge. If you plan to plug the holes, counterbore every screw hole ⅜" first.
- 9 Add the ends. Draw a line 2" up from the bottom corners on the inside of each end. Set the box on the line, sides flush with the end's edges. Drive pre-drilled #8 × 1¾" screws through the end into the sides (2 each) and the floor (2). Screws only here: it's end grain, which doesn't glue well, and screws let the parts move.
- 10 Plug and finish. Glue wood plugs into the screw holes and sand them flush, or leave the heads countersunk. Finish with a toy-safe finish and let it cure fully (check the can — often 2–4 weeks) before a child plays with it.
Why glue the ends with the grain horizontal? It puts the rocker curve along the grain, so the thin ends of the curve stay strong. It also means the ends, sides and floor all move up and down together with the seasons.
Why screws only at the ends? The sides and floor meet the end panels with their end grain. Glue barely holds end grain, so the screws do the work and let the panels move a little without cracking.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Name on the end: carve or wood-burn a name on the outside of one end.
- Two-tone: cherry ends with maple sides and floor.
- Bedding: sew a small mattress 20" × 9" from fabric scraps and foam.
Safety and Care
- Doll cradle — a toy, not for babies. Never put an infant in it.
- Round every edge and corner, and set every screw below the surface or plug it.
- Use a toy-safe finish and let it cure fully before a child plays with it.
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
It's sized for 18" dolls with room to tuck in a blanket. Inside it's about 20" long and 9" wide. Most baby dolls and plush toys fit too.
The rocker arc is only 1½" and the ends are 11" wide, so it rocks gently and settles back. Keep the curve shallow if you change it.
Maple, cherry and walnut are hard, smooth and take a finish well. Skip aromatic cedar for a toy, and wear a dust mask when cutting exotics.
Very little: a few inches from boards 1, 3, 4 and 5, plus the floor rip strip and the rocker cut-offs. All 5 boards go into the cradle.
No. The sides and floor need 20" pieces plus end pieces from the same boards — this plan needs the 4ft pack.
