Wooden Building Blocks

 

Wooden Building Blocks

(Navigate below)

 

Home

Home

Building Blocks
Small Kits
Medium Kits
Standard Kits
Large Kits
School/Bulk Packs
Weekly Special  
Booster Kits
Open Stock
Books
Gift Certificates

Free Scrap

 
Alphabet Blocks
English 
Braille 
Other Languages 
Games 
 
Craft Parts
Craft Cubes
Other Craft Parts
 
Pictures
Block Projects
Famous Buildings
 
Information
Schools
Details and FAQ
Ordering
Free Catalog
Sample
Make Your Own
Recipes
Quality Issues

Links

 
Other
Contact
Shopping Cart
Check Out

 

Children's Blocks -Details


Here are some answers to FAQs about our Toy Blocks
 



The Ocarina Hall o' Fame 
(About as wide as a kitchen table)

  Genuine school size blocks are hard to find in toy stores. There are canisters of tiny little blocks, some of them with interesting international themes or painted in bright colors, but not jumbo blocks, the kind you had when you were a kid.  These are a wonderful toy and they will last forever but alas, they've disappeared from most toy stores.  If you're tired of buying cheap toys, and want something that will last for many years, this is the place to come. We sell blocks in balanced kits, we sell booster kits for those that want to enlarge an existing set, and we sell open stock for those wanting specific pieces.   

 
I think that savvy parents or grandparents are willing to pay for this kind of enduring quality.  Our rock maple blocks are made by us from selected Michigan and Indiana hardwoods and are guaranteed for life.  We carefully check our blocks at every step of the process of manufacturing them and eliminate those that are defective. 

We also import and sell European Beech blocks for those seeking a high quality european product, and we import and sell Birch blocks from China for those seeking an economy block.
 

Our premium quality blocks (all firsts) are made of Hard Maple in our plant in Indiana.  Our first and seconds are made of identical material, but suffer from problems of color (only). 

   Blocks don't work very well unless the are cut according to the same standard.  Our basic unit block is exactly 1-3/8 by 2-3/4 by 5-1/2 and all of our 89 other shapes:  triangles, arches, planks, ramps, finials, facades, bridge arches, etc. are an exact fraction or multiple of this size.  This is the generally accepted scale for schools, preschools, and kindergartens.  Blocks come in other sizes, but these hefty blocks are the common standard in school settings.

Stonehenge
  Some really old blocks

"Blocks don't work very well unless they are cut according to the same standard"


Storage
We pack our blocks in cardboard boxes and include misprinted produce bags for storage.  We've pondered a block wagon/box, but customers find that a small bookcase is the right solution.  An alternative is a rolling plastic toy-cart from Wal-Mart.  Put the blocks in a bag, and put the bag in the cart.  Kid's tell us that you have to see through the bag, or you can't find the pieces you want.  So bags it is.  At first we saved used bags from the Onion Stomp, but then we discovered we could get misprints at an economical price.

Too Many Onions
Anyway, there we were selling blocks in old onion bags and we were getting tired of all the onions. Barbecued Onions, Onion a l'orange, Onion fritters, Onion flavored Yogurt . . .  Got Onions?   (Elsewhere I list a number of recipes that use Onions).  Happily I found the address of the bag company and they sold me a lot of  misprints without requiring me to buy the onions.  Now, all of my blocks come in a mesh bag that says something like, "Oisters," or" Onyons" or "Cabages."   You can find a fancier form of storage, but it isn't necessary because the onion bags work better and if you put one over your head you can pretend you're wearing a gilly suit. 

Dad:   "Where's Billy?   It's time to go to the dentist and have his teeth cleaned!"
Mom:  "I don't know!  Nothing here except that bag of Oisters!"
Dad:  "Hey!  That's not how you spell Oysters!  Something fishy is going on here!"

 

Some Technical Details
If you plan to add to an existing set of blocks, measure them first.  
If you need help call us toll-free at 1-877606-4374 

 

Size
 Our blocks are cut on a 1-3/8 inch modulus: the common standard for school size blocks.   The rectangles are 1-3/8 inch thick by 2-3/4, 5-1/2, 11, and 22 inches long. The standard Unit Block is the mid-sized rectangle which is 1-3/8 by 2-3/4 by 5-1/2 inches.   Blocks are made in many different sizes, but this is the most common standard.  Kits include Rectangles, Triangles, Road Planks, Roof Planks, Arches, Columns, and various other shapes.  In addition to Blocks, kits contain Square Columns, Round Columns, Wide Planks, and Narrow Planks.  All of the dimensions of these pieces are some multiple of the basic metric; this is what lends Unit Blocks their usefulness as an educational toy.

Profiles
                    Blocks are 1-3/8 by 2-3/4 in cross section( ).  
      Square columns are 1-3/8 by 1-3/8 in cross section ( ).  
            Road Planks are 11/16 by 2-3/4 in cross section ( ).  
            Roof Planks are 11/16 by 1-3/8 in cross section ( ).  

All of these profiles are chopped to lengths of 1-3/8, 2-3/4, 5-1/2, 11, and 22 inches.  

Materials 
Maple is one of North America's premier hardwoods.  It varies in color from almost white to a reddish brown, and is noted for varying patterns such as Curly Maple or Tiger Maple.  Its fine grain makes it virtually splinter free and it is very hard which prevents dents and damage from rough play.  It may be white or tan, or it may be white and tan together.  This is the block for the customer that wants traditional hardwood blocks.  The blocks we manufacture are made from high quality, knot free, kiln dried Michigan and Indiana Maple and we inspect each block individually for flaws and defects.  Blocks are rounded on the long edges and sanded and softened on the ends and corners.  Tolerances are within .01 inches.  Our blocks are guaranteed against cracking or checking and we will replace defective blocks free of charge.


Wear and Tear
  The initial pleasure for most children being the assembly of towers that provide a satisfying crash when they collapse, all blocks suffer from rough treatment, but Maple Blocks will shrug off the abuse that would destroy Pine or other economy woods.  Moreover, children play with blocks for many years, and a good set has to survive both time and siblings (not to mention probate).  Our blocks are almost indestructible and will last for generations (as you may already know if you are giving away your childhood blocks to someone you love).


      Finish
 Our blocks are carefully sanded, and are unfinished, with rounded edges and corners.  We avoid oil finishes or painted blocks because younger children tend to put blocks in their mouths and some finishes are toxic.  

All our blocks are unfinished and completely free of chemicals, paint or insecticides.  The blocks are the same size and the contents of the kits are identical.   

 

 

A Good Set
We group our customers into "lumpers" and "splitters."  Lumpers are mostly interested in rectangular blocks of large size;  Splitters are interested in lots of shapes.  There are virtues to both ways of thinking, but no kit can do both of these things except a large one.  It is true that children like to build things out of rectangles early on, and there are never enough of them.  A lot of kids also enjoy the very biggest pieces like the 22 inch rectangles (this is the child's equivalent of owning a Humvee).  Unfortunately, these pieces have somewhat limited utility.  A child can always combine smaller blocks to make larger ones, but not the other way around.

The smaller pieces are essential for building anything more complicated than a box or a wall.  Too many simple rectangles, and everything looks like Stalinist apartment buildings.  You can't build fancy stuff without columns, triangles, arches, finials and the like.  Road planks and roof planks are essential for buildings as blocks are generally unsuitable for topping boxes (A skyscraper is a box on top of a box on top of a box with a tower on top of that).  Roads and intersections are needed for building highways for matchbox cars and the like.  Small pieces are also essential for solving the "lag" problem, where the overlap between pieces demands a filler of suitable size.  Finally, the very best lesson for small children is learning the additive nature of the shapes - no variety, no lesson.  

We make sets for both kinds of customer.  Our "A" Kits generally have additional small pieces; our "B" kits are chunkier and narrower in range.

 

Safety
      As with any toy, children should occasionally be monitored for unsafe practices.  The most serious of these consist in throwing the blocks at others or hitting pets or furniture with them as with a club.  Round blocks such as columns should be put away to avoid accidental falls.  Bags shouldn't be placed over the head (jokes above notwithstanding).  Blocks should occasionally be checked for splinters, but splinters are a very rare hazard.  New blocks may have nibs or frass at the edges, but this is harmless and will soon fall off.  Broken blocks should be thrown away (and I will supply a new one free of charge).  Our blocks are all too large to pose a choking hazard and there are no little pieces to twist off that could potentially become a hazard.  Our blocks are unfinished wood.  I am always interested in feedback on these matters.

Questions? - 1-877-606-4374 (toll free)