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Kids' Building Blocks[8/4 · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 66-block set
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths / 4-6"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A heavy, solid hardwood block set that will outlast every plastic toy in the house. Every board is ripped into two square strips and cut into cubes, bricks and beams that all share one unit size, so everything stacks true. A few arches and roof triangles turn a pile of blocks into bridges, houses and towers. One pack makes 66 blocks.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square strips | 10 | Boards 1–5, two each | 23¼" × 1¾" × 1¾" | 23" × 1⅝" × 1⅝" |
| Beams (3 units) | 16 | Boards 1–2 | 5¼" × 1¾" × 1¾" | 4⅞" × 1⅝" × 1⅝" |
| Bricks (2 units) | 24 | Boards 3–4 | 3½" × 1¾" × 1¾" | 3¼" × 1⅝" × 1⅝" |
| Cubes (1 unit) | 24 | Board 5 | 1¾" × 1¾" × 1¾" | 1⅝" × 1⅝" × 1⅝" |
| → Arches | 4 | 4 of the beams | 5¼" beam, 2" half-round opening | 4⅞" beam, 2" half-round opening |
| → Roof triangles | 4 | 2 of the bricks, sawn corner to corner | 3½" long, 1¾" legs | 3¼" long, 1⅝" legs |
Unit: every board is ripped into two square strips. The strip size is the unit: 1¾" (S4S) or 1⅝" (S2S). Cubes are 1 unit long, bricks 2, beams 3.
Arches: two beams clamped side by side, one 2" Forstner hole drilled on the seam. Triangles: bricks sawn corner to corner on a bandsaw.
No glue, no hardware. Edges rounded, sanded to 220, raw or oil and wax.
Finished size: The set: 24 cubes, 22 bricks, 12 beams, 4 arches and 4 roof triangles — 66 blocks. S4S unit 1¾" (beams 5¼"); S2S unit 1⅝" (beams 4⅞").
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 · 2ft (S4S or S2S)
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Food-grade mineral oil and beeswax, or a board butter (optional)
- A drawstring cloth bag or a crate to store the set
Tools
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide)
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — or a crosscut sled, with a stop block
- Bandsaw and a V-block (for the triangles)
- Drill press with a 2" Forstner bit (for the arches)
- Thickness planer (S2S only, to square the strips)
- Router table with ⅛" roundover bit (optional)
- Tape measure, combination square, pencil
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first. No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 1¾" × 4", ¼" to square an end · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean); we plan S2S at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Check the thickness. Measure every board at both ends. Blocks only stack well if they all match, so sand or plane any thick board to match the others.
- 2 Rip square strips. Set the fence at 1¾" and rip two strips from each board — 10 strips. The boards are 1¾" thick, so every strip comes out 1¾" × 1¾". That is the unit for the whole set. The thin strip left over is waste.
- 3 Check the squares. Hold a combination square on each strip. If any strip is out of square or a hair oversize, sand or plane it now. It is much easier on a long strip than on 66 little blocks.
- 4 Set a stop block. Use a mitre saw or a crosscut sled with a stop block. Check the stop with a test cut: a cube should be exactly as long as it is wide.
- 5 Cut the blocks. Boards 1–2 (4 strips): four beams each at 5¼". Boards 3–4: six bricks each at 3½". Board 5: twelve cubes each at 1¾". Hold short pieces with a clamp or hold-down, not your fingers.
- 6 Make 4 arches. Clamp two beams side by side. Drill a 2" Forstner hole on the seam, centred on the length, straight through the 1¾" thickness. Each beam gets a matching half-round opening. Repeat with two more beams.
- 7 Make 4 roof triangles. Draw a line corner to corner along the end of two bricks. Cradle each brick in a V-block and saw down the line on a bandsaw. Each brick gives two triangles 3½" long.
- 8 Round every edge. Ease all edges about 1/16"–⅛" with 150 grit or a small roundover bit on a router table with a push block. Rounded edges don't chip and are kind to little hands.
- 9 Sand and finish. Sand all faces to 180, then 220. Leave the blocks raw, or wipe on mineral oil, let it soak in and buff in a beeswax and mineral oil paste. No varnish.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish 1¾" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Check the thickness. Measure every board at both ends. Blocks only stack well if they all match, so sand or plane any thick board to match the others.
- 3 Make the strips square. Rip each board into two strips 1⅝" wide (the thin sliver left over is waste). Your strips are 1⅝" × 1¾". Take ⅛" off one face with a planer, or rip it off with the strip on its other face, so every strip is 1⅝" × 1⅝". This plan's unit is 1⅝".
- 4 Check the squares. Hold a combination square on each strip. If any strip is out of square or a hair oversize, sand or plane it now. It is much easier on a long strip than on 66 little blocks.
- 5 Set a stop block. Use a mitre saw or a crosscut sled with a stop block. Check the stop with a test cut: a cube should be exactly as long as it is wide.
- 6 Cut the blocks. Boards 1–2 (4 strips): four beams each at 4⅞". Boards 3–4: six bricks each at 3¼". Board 5: twelve cubes each at 1⅝". Hold short pieces with a clamp or hold-down, not your fingers.
- 7 Make 4 arches. Clamp two beams side by side. Drill a 2" Forstner hole on the seam, centred on the length, straight through the 1⅝" thickness. Each beam gets a matching half-round opening. Repeat with two more beams.
- 8 Make 4 roof triangles. Draw a line corner to corner along the end of two bricks. Cradle each brick in a V-block and saw down the line on a bandsaw. Each brick gives two triangles 3¼" long.
- 9 Round every edge. Ease all edges about 1/16"–⅛" with 150 grit or a small roundover bit on a router table with a push block. Rounded edges don't chip and are kind to little hands.
- 10 Sand and finish. Sand all faces to 180, then 220. Leave the blocks raw, or wipe on mineral oil, let it soak in and buff in a beeswax and mineral oil paste. No varnish.
Why one unit size? Every block is a whole number of units long and exactly one unit square. Two cubes match a brick and three match a beam, so towers stay level and walls line up.
Why square the strips first? It is far easier to true up 10 long strips than 66 small blocks. Get the strips square and every block you cut from them is square too.
Why saw triangles from bricks? Cutting a small cube in half on a saw is risky. A 2-unit brick is long enough to hold safely in a V-block, and the longer triangles make better roofs.
Make It Yours
- Two-tone set: mix boards from a walnut pack and a maple pack.
- Letters and numbers: wood-burn letters on some of the cubes.
- Storage tray: build a shallow box from a 4/4 pack sized to hold the whole set in rows.
Safety and Care
- Ages 3 and up. Made for children 3 and older. Supervise younger siblings.
- No small loose parts. The smallest block is a full cube, too big to be a choking hazard. No glued-on parts, nothing to come off. Throw out any block that cracks.
- Non-toxic finish only. Raw wood, or mineral oil and beeswax. No paint, stain or varnish unless it is labelled toy-safe and fully cured.
- Cut short blocks with a stop block and a clamp or hold-down. Never trap a block between the blade and the rip fence.
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Wear a dust mask when cutting and sanding, especially exotics (padauk, purpleheart, sapele).
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
66: 24 cubes, 22 bricks, 12 beams, 4 arches and 4 roof triangles. You can change the mix — any strip can be cut into 12 cubes, 6 bricks or 4 beams.
Hard maple is the classic: hard, smooth and light. Cherry and walnut add colour. Skip the exotics (padauk, purpleheart, sapele) for toys a young child might mouth.
S2S boards are narrower after you straighten the edges, so the strips come out 1⅝" instead of 1¾". The set still works the same — every block uses the same 1⅝" unit. Just don't mix S4S and S2S blocks in one set.
A thin sliver off the edge of each board, the end trims, and about ⅞"–1⅞" (S4S) or 2⅛"–3⅛" (S2S) at the end of each strip — enough for a few spare cubes. The arch holes and triangle saw cuts come out of the blocks. All 5 boards go into the set.
Yes. A 4ft pack makes two sets — or one big set of 132 blocks. Cut 24 units from each strip instead of 12.
