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My initial designs were for something much more complicated, with many
details and features, with drawers, pull-out changing table, built in mobile
… it was going to be the best crib ever! Then I decided I should look up
what kinds of standards exist out there for cribs, because I had heard about
many recalls and crib deaths.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is the group in charge of making the
official rules about crib construction, and after reading all of their
relevant public documents and standards concerning cribs, I realized that a
crib’s primary function is to safely contain an infant without supervision
and keep her from getting suffocated or trapped, and prevent her from
climbing up and falling. They have many stories and statistics of babies
getting injured and killed with the primary cause being poor crib design.
There are many problems with screws coming loose over time, decorations that
fall off, poor airflow, small spaces that trap fingers and hands and feet,
large spaces that trap heads, moving parts that collapse overnight, the list
goes on…
I started from scratch with my design and following the CPSC’s standards
for non-full sized cribs I came up with what I think is the safest crib that
I could build.
I tried to add as much “detail” as could, such as the alternate tapered
rails and the slightly curved tops, but the utilitarian look is also very
safe.
I chose appleply, because it was the best I could find short of having a
custom plywood being glued up to my specifications, and the only one that
said it was designed with children’s furniture in mind. It really is
incredibly strong plywood, and I’ve done lots of work with standard 13 ply
in the past.
Solid wood is a great choice for a building material, and I enjoy working
with it, but since I currently don’t have convenient access to a shop, I
knew I wouldn’t be able to make a crib that would be better than what is on
amazon for $120 (amzn.com/B002MZTZ5W), especially with so many pieces and
parts.
I have casually followed the progress of 3d printing for several years, but
I’ve never physically touched a 3d printed opject. Is 3d printing currently
capable of printing high strength, child safe materials?
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