Starting small...sort of. :)

[Juffy]

Hi all.... been lurking in here for a couple of months while I built up my tool collection and contemplated building toys. Some of my friends have started popping out kids, so I've now got plenty of excuses for spending time in the workshop. :)

Started off with a 'small' job - a set of blocks for a friend's 1yo. Originally planned for 27 (3x3x3 cube) of 70mm3 blocks, but got corrupted/inspired by one of Stuart's blog posts (http://stusshed.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/toy-blocks/) and ended up with 81 blocks. Oops. :D

Also made an open box for them to live in when not spread all over the floor...I have to say this was the worst piece of carpentry I've ever done, thanks to some incredibly bad joinery ideas. Oh well...live and learn. :)

Piccies ahoy!

[AUSSIE]

They look good to me JUFFY
I could play with them myself
The box is great.
If you don't want that router----

[Juffy]

Thanks. :)

And no, the router's not going anywhere. :p

[sumu]

Hi,

Don't know what's with it, but rediscovering building blocks is just almost too cool. Happened to me too.

Those blocks are way cool and seem to fit just nicely together. However, that set in the seat won't ever stay organized, hehe :D.

*********

In our family, me and my wife "ask" our kids to clean up their rooms by themselves. For this, it's only fair from us that both of them have got a big toy chest where they can toss in those toys otherwise not easily organized.

I have found out that for a modern age kids who get so much toys in numbers, they also need an easy place where they can keep them in one place. For the parents, it's also easier to go through them if needed.

Kippis,

sumu

[wheelinround]

Juffy excellent Blocks now with two grandsons I guess I should fire up now spring is here.

[keju]

Juffy , one can NEVER have too many blocks! Not possible!
And the biggest possible toy box to go with it! Life doesnt' get any better.
As long as the box is solid..... I can see my boys ( now toymakers themselves) take aim and "shoot" all the blocks back into the box.
We had so many we could build a tower around one of the boys sitting on the floor. Of course we were just as bad with Legos..... a 4 drawer chest of drawer full!

Oh I LOVED playing with them.... did you notice I said "I" ? lol Many times we started out on the floor together, but an hour later I was by myself happily building away while the boys had wandered off watchign tv or something lol

Juvy

[Juffy]

Thanks for the comments guys - they were very well received by both child and parents. The littl'un was going back and forth between the blocks and her other presents at a great rate of knots.

Keju - we also had lots of blocks and lego as kids, and they were the most long-lived of any of our toys. The best toys seem to be the ones that don't dictate what you can do with them...so much plastic crap out there these days that needs batteries to play music and flash lights, when you can leave a kid alone with a pile of blocks for hours and they'll still be finding new things to do with them.

Blocks, matchbox cars and a sandpit - all you ever need. :2tsup:

[keju]

Oh you brought back memories, I used to spend my pocket money on matchbox cars.... back then they still came in matchbox like boxes!!! I was really upset when my brother took them all for his firstborn! I mean really..... just because I was a girl he thought I didn't want them anymore...... lol
When I had boys of my own I went nuts buying those little cars..... always went for the odd ones, I remember the red double decker London bus , even had a special silver edition...

We also had a sandpit.... wisely my Dad had built it was a wide rim..... the pit was triangular shaped... never seen one like it since.

you need to add to the "blocks, cars and sandpit" tho...... you need a bit of water too and later the erector sets with nuts , bolts and screws.....

Juvy

[Juffy]

*grin* My sister and I are sporadically (and good-naturedly) arguing over who gets the Lego collection. I think it should go to whoever pops out the first kid, but she's afraid I might beat her to it. :)

We never had the erector set, but did have a nice collection of 'Technik' Lego, back when it was just yellow bricks, black bars and grey wheels. And vaguely affordable. :oo:

[tea lady]

Great blocks. I too was a lego adict. I'd spend all day making the "town" to play in, and then it would be tea time and it all had to be packed up.:rolleyes: Lego these days is to specialized. All special blocks and only make on or two things out of it. I always wanted more special blocks though. Even a roof block was special to me. :cool:Although my sons collection is now all just in one box. I don't think all the original toys will ever be made again.

Just a suggestion with the wooden blocks. Some long lintel type blocks are really handy for bridges and windows and stuff. And flat ones for roofs.:2tsup:

[keju]

Ohhhhhh... I don't know if they still do that, but growing up in Germany the toy stores there had huge walls with Lego drawers.... one could buy SINGLE bricks!!!!! All sorts of really fun stuff.... even years later when I had my own kids... they kept loosing ( or stepping on, or leaving in pockets) the specialized techno legos... pneumatics and electronics, lights etc... really came handy to be able to buy them again!
We also bought all the base plates they had, streets and even moon scapes! lol

Even back then Lego's weren't just for boys tho.... we girls built houses and all the interior stuff like furniture.. those were the days......

I agree with tea lady...... some special bricks would be really good... maybe even bridge looking ones, triangular shapes and you got to have some columns!!!!! and and and....... gets me excited just thinking about the possibilities! Some blocks with holes , some dowel shaped ones.... you can add to this kids brick collection for years to come... you'll never run out of presents for b-days and x-mas! lol

Juvy

[Juffy]

Ohhhhhh... I don't know if they still do that, but growing up in Germany the toy stores there had huge walls with Lego drawers.... one could buy SINGLE bricks!!!!!

I used to see mail-order catalogues where you could order individual pieces, or at least collections of them - so you'd get a bag of mixed yellow flat pieces, for example. Most of our pieces came from the buildings you could buy - the awesome thing was they'd come with instructions for 3-4 different versions of the building, and the pieces were all generic so you could do whatever you wanted.

Edit: They do still have shopping for individual bricks:
http://us.factory.lego.com/pab/?warning=false
But dear god...a 1x1 full-height brick is 9-14c!!! :o:o I know Lego's expensive now but that's ridiculous - even my relatively small childhood collection would have a replacement value of $500 or so at those rates.


I agree with tea lady...... some special bricks would be really good... maybe even bridge looking ones, triangular shapes and you got to have some columns!!!!! and and and....... You people are dangerous when you get excited. :)

[tea lady]

The national gallery in Melbourne had lego there in the school holidays last year. I can't remember why now. But they had their reasons.:rolleyes: Anyway it was all white. That made anything look like art.:cool:


Wandering off muttering......oh yes, lego base boards.... that's what I was going to get the small boy for his Birthday......

[keju]

at $500 you had a really small collection! :)
Shoot have you looked at the prices of some of their boxes lately? Like the star wars collection? Think my kids would miss out now.... and to think how often we sucked those wonderful little bricks up with the vac!!!!!! I'm sure I broomed up a few too.... and one time.... oh you're gonna love this...... I had to sew them into a pillow case and put them in the washer becaues one little boy ( who shall remain nameless) decided the trip to the toilet was too far ........:o
I did consider ditching the Legos..... but $$$$$$.... lol :no:

Yep...... oh you should have heard the noise!!!!! But they came out great.. nice, clean.... new looking
Juvy

[tea lady]

Aaah! So that's how to clean them.:D

[forunna]

I love those blocks and the box for them. How do they not fall out the sides?


on the lego front, this is interesting.
http://designyoutrust.com/2008/07/29/lego-sports-city-recreates-2008-beijing-olympics/

[Juffy]

I love those blocks and the box for them. How do they not fall out the sides?

Friction and a very tight fit. :)

The box was a bit half-assed, but it serves its purpose. Apparently the little tyke is using it to practice standing up which was an unexpected bonus.

[keju]

Thanks for that link Craig...... unbelievable how they recreated the Olypmics!

Juvy

[WoodworkLady]

Hi all.... been lurking in here for a couple of months while I built up my tool collection and contemplated building toys. Some of my friends have started popping out kids, so I've now got plenty of excuses for spending time in the workshop. :)

Started off with a 'small' job - a set of blocks for a friend's 1yo. Originally planned for 27 (3x3x3 cube) of 70mm3 blocks, but got corrupted/inspired by one of Stuart's blog posts (http://stusshed.wordpress.com/2008/08/14/toy-blocks/) and ended up with 81 blocks. Oops. :D

Also made an open box for them to live in when not spread all over the floor...I have to say this was the worst piece of carpentry I've ever done, thanks to some incredibly bad joinery ideas. Oh well...live and learn. :)

Piccies ahoy!



I thought making a huge bookcase (ceiling to floor) was a huge project! Your is a huge! Making all those small blocks :o

But they look amazing. I know that my niece would love playing with them. You've done an excellent job and hey.. the challenges are there for us to overcome :U

[Bulbous]

Thanks for the comments guys - they were very well received by both child and parents. The littl'un was going back and forth between the blocks and her other presents at a great rate of knots.

I am Juffy's mate, and he made these blocks for my daughter Shelby..... she can't leave them alone, and she plays with these more than anything else she has! They really are a great set of blocks, and both me and my fiance are over the moon with how good these are......

Thanks sunshine! :U:U

PS - she has just figured out how to stack them on top of each other, then she knocks em down and giggles to herself....... :U

[keju]

Oh yes..... nothing beats a set of simple blocks...... the more the better! We had so many one of my kids would sit on the floor and we all would make a wall around him... of course the fun was knocking them all down again lol
With a bit of imagination blocks can even turn into people and animals... you can built house and pretend one is a car...
Building knock down towers is just one of the many things..... have a contest.... how many can you stack before they fall over.... built a tower with closed eyes.... blocks are great for learning how to count too.... how many blue, how many red... if they are coloured.
Think I'd still play with them if I had a set! lol ( they were good for throwing too..... lol.... painful tho)
Juvy

[Juffy]

What Bulbous may not have realised is that his daughter is now my official test user for all future toy-making adventures.... and now I have a scroll saw! *evil cackle* :U