A Shop with no Nails

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

As a wood turner specializing in segmented turning, I’m an occasional visitor to the “Turner’s Forum”. I also do some “flat work”. I thought you guys might enjoy seeing this “Lego” shop that I built for my 2-year old grandson.

The blocks are similar to actual cement blocks in size (8x8x16). The structure can easily be dismantled and converted into another design just as with small plastic Lego blocks.

Specs: About 80” by 56” and 104” tall, 135 blocks with over 1000 posts and receiver openings. The material used is 3/8” thick “flakeboard” (rough textured side facing outward). Each block is comprised of six panels all mitered and glued (no nails). There is a workbench complete with wooden vise and an assortment of wooden hand tools.

Not a weekend project, but it was a lot of fun.

[Ryan Baker]

Haha. Very cool, Malcolm! You should look up the Episode of "James May's Toy Stories" (from BBC America) where he built a full-size house out of real Lego blocks.

[Thom Sturgill]

Malcolm, that is so cool. Only a segmenter would have the patience to make so many identical blocks needing such precise work!

[David Nelson1]

Labor of love!! Very cool!!!!!!!!

[Joe Angrisani]

That is cool, Malcolm. Any chance you have a picture of the bottom of one of the Legos?

[Malcolm Tibbetts]

Joe, I don't have a photo of a block underside. It's simply a flat surface with 8 holes drilled at 1 5/8" diameter. The posts were turned at 1 1/2". With the addition of two coats of paint on both components and with some tiny miss-alignments during the drilling, the fits came out just about right. Most blocks went together with minimal hand pressure; a few needed a little more force. It helped that the opening edges of the holes were rounded with a router and that the leading edges of the posts were slightly rounded.