Nick2cd Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 As some may know (due to my boatload of questions), im in the process of making a bassinet for my son. i've made the entire bassinet out of walnut. i have walnut slats across where i want to lay the mattress. my plan was to put a layer of 1/2" MDF over the slats so i have a rigid, seamless platform and then lay the mattress on top of it. my only concern is whether or not the MDF is okay to lay his mattress on, or is it unsafe due to toxicity? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 MDF will swell up when wet. I am guessing a bassinet will get some sort of moisture sooner or later. I would use 1/4 or 1/2 ply and sand and seal it, especially the edges. I don't think MDF is suitable for long term use in a handmade heirloom walnut bassinet which could be used for several generations. I mainly use MDF for low budget reasons in areas far from any risk of it getting wet. As far as toxicity goes even plywood has glue and possible chemical out gassing Just my opinion, others may disagree.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 My wife and I looked into this a lot when I was building our daughters crib. Everything was made of solid birch with the exception of the end panels of the crib. Granted we are very organic in our choices when it comes to the little one, but the only sheet good that WE considered safe was made by Pure Bond (plywood). The issue with typical glues used (I don't know about MDF) on sheet goods is formaldyhyde gas off over a period of time. The pure bond is made with soy glue (no issue with formaldyhyde)and we were able to find it at our local home depot.. If it were me, I'd scrap the MDF and go with the Pure Bond (but that's just me)... Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted February 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 given the 2 above responses, the MDF is for sure out. my local home depot doesn't carry pure bond, but i imagine they can order it. what about solid wood? i could make a panel to fit out of poplar and leave some room on the edges for expansion. would that be ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 Solid wood should be fine, as long as you can cope with wood movement, and it's well sealed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 ^^^ yup, what Beech said.. Have you decided on a finish for everything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WorkTheWood Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 Check out the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) for MDF from Georgia-Pacific... http://www.gp.com/build/pageviewer.aspx?repository=bp&elementid=4510 It is the first item on the list in the link above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 Solid poplar is a great idea! If you have time and the inclination breadboard ends would help prevent cupping. You could get a little practice and even the quickest rough breadboard would be out of sight. Also even if you don't want to do breadboard ends the mattress should conceal any cupping. I would glue up several narrow pieces and alternate the grain. Wide pieces of poplar are common and tempting, but narrow strips alternated are more stable for a loose panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted February 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 what do you guys think about cedar? i have some of that on hand right now. i know it's good at resisting moisture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 You'll end up with a kid who gets a warm, peaceful feeling every time he/she smells ceder. Not the worst thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatworks Today Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 Here's a link to one of the many sites that talk about considerations for newborn furnishings. http://www.erikorganic.com/solid-wood/organic-furniture.shtml There's alot out there, but this seems to touch on some of the major things to think about. Sounds like cedar may be fine to use, but has been known as an irritant to some (soft wood in general).. I think that the type of wood finish is going to be more of an issue than the cedar. Personally if the cedar doesn't have a strong smell I'd probably use it. It's going to be sealed with some type of wood finish and have a mattress, blankets, etc over it as well. Just my thoughts... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMadson Custom Wood Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 I would avoid the cedar, the smell might be too much for a little one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmac Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 Is this panel you're talking about actually attached to and part of the crib, or does it just sit in there under the mattress? I was thinking if it wasn't really part of the crib, you could use a sheet of 1/4" Plexiglas® or something similar. That would be flat, stable, baby friendly (I suppose), immune to damage from moisture, easy to clean, etc., etc., etc. Is that a crazy idea? Is it a crazy idea even if the panel is part of the crib? -- Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulMarcel Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 I had the same question as Russ while reading this: is the panel part of the crib or just sitting on the slats to better support the mattress? If the latter, you could even resaw some of the Walnut you have left, sand, finish, and lay them across the slats. No need to glue them up into a wide panel; the mattress won't slip through a 1/4" gap between those loose boards. It would look nice, too, if anybody could ever see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted February 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2012 Is this panel you're talking about actually attached to and part of the crib, or does it just sit in there under the mattress? I was thinking if it wasn't really part of the crib, you could use a sheet of 1/4" Plexiglas® or something similar. That would be flat, stable, baby friendly (I suppose), immune to damage from moisture, easy to clean, etc., etc., etc. Is that a crazy idea? Is it a crazy idea even if the panel is part of the crib? -- Russ strong idea here! this is why i post things on WTO I had the same question as Russ while reading this: is the panel part of the crib or just sitting on the slats to better support the mattress? If the latter, you could even resaw some of the Walnut you have left, sand, finish, and lay them across the slats. No need to glue them up into a wide panel; the mattress won't slip through a 1/4" gap between those loose boards. It would look nice, too, if anybody could ever see it. Paul, i thought about doing exactly what you've stated. no one will ever see it, so i considered pine, poplar, cedar etc... i have to say though, i like Russ' idea regarding the lexan. if i don't go with cedar, this will be my next choice. it may even "supersede cedar".....rolls off the tongue nicely too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted February 5, 2012 Report Share Posted February 5, 2012 As some may know (due to my boatload of questions), im in the process of making a bassinet for my son. i've made the entire bassinet out of walnut. i have walnut slats across where i want to lay the mattress. my plan was to put a layer of 1/2" MDF over the slats so i have a rigid, seamless platform and then lay the mattress on top of it. I think you may be over thinking the design. A baby mattress plus a baby really doesn't weigh that much, and if your slats are spaced closely enough, you won't need the seamless platform. If the spacing is wider than what you should like, you could add more slats. If you really wanted a seamless platform, I bet a piece of 1/4" plywood would do that job. Make sure that the mattress is really well fitted to the bottom of the bassinet. You don't want your son to roll and trap part of his body between the side of the mattress and the bassinet. To me, that is by far a more important design consideration than the support for the mattress from underneath. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RalphKolva Posted February 5, 2012 Report Share Posted February 5, 2012 If it's not too late in the build you could use some caning or rush work on the bottom, either should provide plenty of support and ventilation under the mattress. IMO provides a more finished look to a project that could be used in your family for generations. Did some caning on canoe seats years ago and even for my first attempt it came out well, patience and careful layout really paid off. If you're not keen on doing the caning yourself you might look at cane webbing or hiring out the cane work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick2cd Posted February 5, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2012 If it's not too late in the build you could use some caning or rush work on the bottom, either should provide plenty of support and ventilation under the mattress. IMO provides a more finished look to a project that could be used in your family for generations. Did some caning on canoe seats years ago and even for my first attempt it came out well, patience and careful layout really paid off. If you're not keen on doing the caning yourself you might look at cane webbing or hiring out the cane work. this is an interesting idea but i think im too far along in the project to accommodate this design change. thanks though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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