At a glance
Finished dimensions
Overall sizes
- Module
- 1-3/8 × 2-3/4 in section
- Half unit
- 1-3/8 × 2-3/4 × 2-3/4 in
- Unit
- 1-3/8 × 2-3/4 × 5-1/2 in
- Double unit
- 1-3/8 × 2-3/4 × 11 in
- Pillar
- 1-3/8 × 1-3/8 × 5-1/2 in
Materials
| Item | Quantity | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hardwood, surfaced to 1-3/8 in | About 101 in of 2-3/4 in wide stock and 23 in of 1-3/8 in square | Planed down from 8/4 stock; buy extra for defects |
| Abrasives | 120 and 180 grit | To ease every edge and corner |
| Finish (optional) | Small amount | Or leave bare; see the finish notes |
Cut list
| Part | Qty | Dimensions | Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half unit | 4 | 1-3/8 × 2-3/4 × 2-3/4 in | Hardwood |
| Unit | 8 | 1-3/8 × 2-3/4 × 5-1/2 in | Hardwood |
| Double unit | 4 | 1-3/8 × 2-3/4 × 11 in | Hardwood |
| Pillar | 4 | 1-3/8 × 1-3/8 × 5-1/2 in | Hardwood |
Tools
- Jointer and planer, or stock bought surfaced
- Table saw or miter saw with a stop
- Router with a small round-over bit, or sanding block
Why blocks
A good first toy has no parts that can come off, no hardware, no pinch points and no finish a child could chew off. A set of solid blocks meets all of that by design. This set is built on one module: every block is 1-3/8 in thick; the half unit is 2-3/4 in square; the unit is twice as long, 5-1/2 in; the double unit twice again, 11 in; and the pillar is half a unit's width, so two pillars stand in for one unit. Because the sizes are multiples, the blocks stack and bridge evenly.
Rules that apply to toys
- Small parts. Children's products for children under 3 must not contain small parts, under the CPSC's rule in 16 CFR part 1501. A piece fails if it fits entirely inside the rule's test cylinder in any orientation — and any piece that breaks off in the rule's use-and-abuse tests is judged the same way. Every block here is one solid piece with nothing to come off, but BenchRoot has not tested them; if the set is for a young child, check every block against the rule's own procedure.
- Paint. Paint or any surface coating on a children's product must contain less than 0.009% lead by weight under 16 CFR part 1303. Leaving the blocks bare avoids the question.
- Selling. A product designed or intended primarily for children 12 or younger is a children's product. Selling one requires a Children's Product Certificate based on tests by a CPSC-accepted third-party laboratory. These duties fall on manufacturers and importers; anything you sell must meet them.
- Toy chests. Not built here: the CPSC has reported 34 deaths since 1996 involving children under 18 and storage or toy chests, from lids that fall when their supports fail and lids that latch shut.
Stock and layout
Plane 8/4 hardwood — sold 1-3/4 in thick when surfaced — down to 1-3/8 in, then rip a strip 2-3/4 in wide for the half units, units and double units, and a strip 1-3/8 in square for the pillars. The 2-3/4 in strip must hold 4 × 2-3/4 + 8 × 5-1/2 + 4 × 11 = 99 in of blocks plus 15 kerfs of about 1/8 in: at least 100-7/8 in. The pillar strip holds 4 × 5-1/2 = 22 in plus three kerfs: at least 22-3/8 in. A close-grained hardwood such as maple keeps its edges; choose boards with how to choose lumber and work out the board feet with the board foot calculator.
Building the set
From board to blocks
Mill the stock
Flatten and plane the 8/4 board to 1-3/8 in, then rip the 2-3/4 in and 1-3/8 in strips with square edges. Milling is covered in the jointer guide.
Cut the long blocks first
Crosscut the four 11 in double units, then the eight 5-1/2 in units, then the four 2-3/4 in half units, all against a stop so each size matches exactly.
Cut the pillars
Crosscut four 5-1/2 in pillars from the square strip against the same stop as the units.
Check the module
Stand two half units on a unit and two units on a double: the ends should line up. Trim any that do not.
Ease every edge
Round every edge and corner slightly with a small round-over bit or with 120 then 180 grit, so no edge is sharp and no splinter can lift.
Finish, or not
Leave the blocks bare, or use a finish whose maker says it is safe for children's products; the Forest Products Laboratory describes dipping small items such as toys in melted paraffin wax.
Safety— Cutting small blocks safely
Cut blocks from long strips against a stop, with the offcut free to move away from the blade; never hold a short block by hand against a blade or fence. Follow table saw safety, the miter saw guide and woodworking safety rules.
Before giving the set
- Every block cut to size and checked against the module
- Every edge and corner eased; no splinters
- Bare wood, or a finish suitable for children's products
- Each block checked against the small-parts rule if for a child under 3
- Not offered for sale without the certification the CPSC requires
Other small builds are mapped in wood craft ideas; a one-board start is in small woodworking projects.
Sources
A BenchRoot design; every dimension is on the drawing and in the cut list as final sizes. The set has not been built, tested to the small-parts rule or any toy standard, or certified; nothing here says it complies. Rules are as the CPSC and the Code of Federal Regulations set them out. Toy chests and toy boxes are not built here because of the hazards the CPSC describes. No downloadable plan is offered.
- 1.
Small Parts for Toys and Children's Products Business Guidance (16 CFR part 1501). U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Used for: The small-parts ban for children's products intended for children under 3 (16 CFR part 1501), the test cylinder approximating a young child's expanded throat, and certification on a Children's Product Certificate.
- 2.
16 CFR 1501.4, Size requirements and test procedure. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations.
Used for: The test: an article — and any piece that comes off it in the use-and-abuse tests — fails if it fits entirely in the cylinder in any orientation without being compressed.
- 3.
Lead in Paint (16 CFR part 1303). U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Used for: Paints and surface coatings on children's products banned at 0.009% lead by weight or more (16 CFR part 1303).
- 4.
Children's Products. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Used for: A children's product as one designed or intended primarily for children 12 years of age or younger.
- 5.
CPSC Business Desktop Reference Guide. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2023.
Used for: Manufacturers and importers of children's products certifying them with a Children's Product Certificate based on tests by a CPSC-accepted third-party laboratory, after deciding the intended age.
- 6.
CPSC Warns Consumers of the Deadly Dangers of Storage and Toy Chests (release 14-121). U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2014.
Used for: Toy chest hazards — lids that can fall on a child's head or neck when supports fail and lids that latch shut — with 34 deaths reported since 1996 involving children under 18.
- 7.
Mark Knaebe. Finishes for Wood Bowls, Butcher Blocks, Other Items Used for Food, and Children's Toys (FinishLine). USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2013.
Used for: Finishes for items used with food and for children's toys, including melted paraffin wax, into which small items such as toys can be dipped.
- 8.
Chapter 6: Commercial Lumber, Round Timbers, and Ties. USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory — Wood Handbook, FPL-GTR-282, 2021.
Used for: Standard hardwood thicknesses: 8/4 lumber surfaced two sides to 1-3/4 in, enough to plane down to 1-3/8 in.
About this project
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