I wanted to make one of these for quite a while but with my child being a cat it had to be slightly smaller. The original idea calls for a piece of plywood which i dont get hold of very often and is in fact not needed for this project.

Its fairly simple carpentry with mostly butt joints used throughout, and as usual the more tools you have the quicker youll be. Heres a list of the tools I used.

Circular Saw
Jigsaw
Router or Biscuit Jointer
Chop saw
Belt and Orbital sander
Drill corded and cordless
Hammer, nails, screws, string and pencil

I added a few touches like remote control LED strip lighting and some glow in the dark highlights around the stars.

Finish was done with Briwax.

From an idea on here originally I think. Unsure of the exact origin.

Step 1: Start With the Sides

Get a couple of pallets, good ones, clean with thick decent timber and pull them to bits, denail them.

Lay the planks out, push them together, plane them so that they are butting together fairly flush.

Decide on the size crib that you want and get some string.

Find the center and put in a screw, attach the string and add a pen to the length, draw out the main circle.

Cut the circle out using a jigsaw.

Use a router with a biscuit jointing bit or a dedicated biscuit jointer and cut the slots in between the planks.

I then used a Kreg Pocket Jig to secure the planks together using pocket screws and plenty of pva glue.

Leave overnight to dry.

Step 2: Joining the Sides & Making the Base

Cut two long pieces that will be the base for the bed. Add glue and screw to the inside of each moon side.

Decide on the width, cut a load of smaller 3x1 pieces to go around the outside and for the bed of the cradle.

Balance or clamp your two sides and start adding the timber, i started at three different places, this allowed for the item to be made and be fairly structurally stable.

I used the hammer and some straight nails, once it was in one piece i switched to the air nail gun. Each pieces was glued with the outside pieces having a edge planed to fit the curve of the piece.

Allow to dry overnight.

For the base, hold up a piece of wood against the curve of your sides and mark with a pencil. Cut out with the jigsaw, cut the ends at a slight angle and nail in the ends. Make the base about 2 inches each side narrower than the main cradle for aesthetic quality.

Step 3: The Stars

I found a sheet of stars on google image search, printed them out and used them as a template. I drew around them with a pencil, drilled a hole in the center of each one and then cut the shape out using the jigsaw.

I then went further and routered a groove around each star, i then filled them in with a glow in the dark resin mixture.

Step 4: Wax Finish & Lights

The finish i decided on was Briwax, medium brown, good stuff, has a nice warm colour and buffs to a nice shine.

Applied with a brush and buffed up with a soft cloth. More applications will be beneficial to achieving a deep layered finish.

Added multi colour remote control LED lights, about £10 on ebay, used a stapler to attach as the sticky bax wont stick very well to wax. Small hole screwed into the base and the infra red receiving diode is inserted with the control box attached behind.

Be gentle with the led strips, they can be really fragile, you might want to try the outdoor ones with the added protection. Also you can damage them with the stapler quite easily, take your time.