10/10/2016

Baby Height Ruler - Easy to Make Wood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryvUd4PDz34

Something that we had been planning on making once our son started standing was a baby height ruler.  It is simply a large 6 foot tall board which roughly looks like a ruler and every few months you mark the child's height.  Also you can mark the height on birthdays and Christmas and things like that.

I looked online and saw many different styles.  The one i liked and decided to make was one that had a natural stain finish.  So i started by going to Lowe's or Home Depot and find a nice board to start with.  Since this would be something we would have in his room for years, i wanted to get something nice.  I'm always surprised when i see how much a board cost.
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The price of oak, cedar, and maple are crazy.  I'm not spending $30 for a board.  So i went over to the pine side of the isle.  I got a decent 6' pine board for $5.

When i got home i sanded all the sides, corners and edges and made sure it was cut to 6'.  Then it was time to layout the distances.  So using a pencil i marked every 2", making slightly longer lines every 6" and 12".

Then i used a wood burner to burn those pencil lines into the wood.  I don't use the wood burner a whole lot and it can be a little tricky.  If you go to quickly the temperature drops.  Too slowly and it burns really dark.
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I found a number and letter pattern online and printed numbers 1-6 and the letters for my son's name.  Using an exacto knife i cut them out and then traced everything onto the board with a pencil.  I wanted the numbers and letters to be large but also fit nicely onto the board.
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Close up view
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Again i used the wood burner to trace and then fill in the letters/numbers.  This is really where you have to go at a slow pace to keep the burner temperature high.
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After that i applied a cherry stain and then 2 coats of wax, with a slight polish after each coat.  I could have gone with polyurethane but i feel like the wax gives it a nicer look and feel.
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We usually only check it now every few months.
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