Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Block Progress


Since I finished the chest, I've been making progress on the set of blocks that will live in it. It's been slow going, but mostly because I have only had short blocks of time in the shop. Sorry - bad pun.

The wood is from the dying library chairs that I first posted about here. This works out great, as the salvaged oak is all short lengths - making it perfect for blocks.

These are "unit blocks". The basic unit is a 1"x2"x2" block. All other block dimensions are fractions or multiples of this unit.

Here's what I have so far, with the chest in the background:


I only have 25 blocks done, but I still have some time. I'm shooting for at least 100.


8 comments:

  1. I'm sure, this is going to be a much loved box. And building block towers with two-year-olds is really rewarding, maybe even more rewarding than building the blocks and the box ..

    I like the block dimensions -


    cheers,

    Michael

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  2. Dan...Your son will love this project when it's completed. Further down the line he will be able to read your postings of the project and enjoy it once more.

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  3. Michael - Thanks! I am really looking forward to playing with these with my son. He already loves Legos - but I think there is something special about wooden blocks.

    Your blog is looking great - I'm envious of your shop!

    Bob - That's one of the cool surprises about blogging for me. I've always wanted to keep journals, but it never seems to happen. Then all of a sudden here it is, without me realizing it. Weird. Thanks for reminding me about that!

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  4. There is something cool about wooden blocks. I remember playing with them even long after I had other stuff like Lego. The ones I had growing up were 7/8" thick. They were unit blocks, too, so everything was a multiple of 7/8". Somehow, I guess, that got stuck in my head as the ideal unit. It was probably due to economics at the factory more than anything else; that's what a surfaced 4/4 board boils down to most easily.

    Unfortunately, I haven't gotten around to making any for my nieces and nephews yet.

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  5. Wow I love the blocks. Really bring me back to playing with wooden blocks as a kid, I'm sure your son will love them.

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  6. Brian - I think it might be a wood vs. plastic thing. Holding a piece of plastic just can't compete with a block of wood on a very basic level.

    I wonder if anyone has done a study of the unit block concept...

    John - Thanks! I'm sure he will too. In fact, it's been hard holding out on giving them to him early.

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  7. Dan,

    Looks like you were having fun making and playing with them for the Photo Shoot lol.

    Great Job so far my friend!

    Handi

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  8. Handi - Of course, that's quality control! :) Thanks!

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