I needed a toy for a close friends sons birthday/ christmas present ( those December babies always get shortchanged don't they?). I was going to buy something but his parents are big into not buying things made in China, which eliminates a good 95% of toys on store shelves. So I was on the hunt for a toy I could make, found the inspiration in a toy plan book, (see attached image) but as is the case throughout this particular book, the best most fun looking toy plans are not included and must be sent away for. So after many many more hours than I though it would take, here is my more modern looking version. Made of birch and baltic birch ply, walnut, pine, white oak, and whatever wood the store bought dowels and plugs are made of. Finished with two coats of GF salad bowl finish.
Boxed, wrapped and delivered, was hoping after all the time I spent on it he would like it. They had a big party for him and his sister (ages 2 and 4, both December babies), lots of people, lots of presents. He opened mine last and took to it right off, he's only 2 and he started putting the blocks in the right holes almost instantly. All the other children there including his older sister were fighting him for it, and all the other adults were totally jealous esp after they learned that I had made it from scratch.
The funny thing I noticed, despite all my planning and testing the pieces beforehand to make sure each shape would only fit in its corresponding hole somehow I missed that the round peg is small enough to fit in the square hole, lil' Max figured it out, guess I'll have to buy a bigger dowel to remedy this.
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Originally Posted by Narayan Nayar
