I am preparing to build a swinging cradle for our first child, and I am not sure what hardware I should use for the pivot point. I could simply use a wooden pivot point, but I was hoping for something smoother. Rockler has a few different pivot or roto hinges for various applications:
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/searchrslts.cfm?&DID=6&filter=roto%20hinge&ObjectGroup_ID=463&Catid=82
Aesthetically, I would prefer a hinge that is essentially hidden, but I also need plenty of strength to support the cradle. Of the Rockler hinges, the strongest one also appears to be the most visible and least attractive. Does anyone have any suggestions or experience with this type of hardware? Thanks.
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You can make wood about as smooth as you want to. I've sanded oak and several tropical hardwoods until they were literally optically smooth. A reflection of my finger was clear enough to see details, not just a finger shaped smudge. I could wring two surfaces together like machinist's gage blocks. (They didn't stay together like gage blocks do, but they were smooth enough that air pressure would hold them together for a second or two.)
I don't think strength necessarily counts agains wood either. If the gap between the cradle and the base is small, there is almost no bendng load on the pivot, just shear load. My intuition is that 3/8" dowels of almost any hardwood would provide a generous safety factor in shear strength. If you're not sure, it would be easy to test with a long lever and your own body weight.
I made a swinging cradle this spring for a friend. Used the Rockler 3/4" Roto Hinge. it's ok. Email me at [email protected] and I can send you a picture of the finished cradle
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