Would like to make a wooden erector set

[Thomas G. Marshall]

My 1 1/2 and 3 1/2 y.o.'s love to assemble things, and I was considering making a wooden erector set of sorts. They would help me build the parts as well.

But I was wondering if anyone here has ever tried something like this.

I'm envisioning something like 8" x 3/8" x 3/4" "boards" with holes in the end for simple nut+bolts.

The 1 1/2 y.o. of course would be supervised, since choking hazards are basically anything that can fit.

There are plastic ones on sale of course but I was wondering about wood because my older son likes to create things and not have them disassembled later. Which causes trouble with construction toys. So if he creates something and wants to keep it, I'd like to just add materials to it.

Anyone actually attempt this?

[randyswoodshoop]

Dont know of a set like that.. I did build a build a boat toy for my son when he was smaller.

It started with a 3/4" pieces of wood about 4" wide and 8" long shaped like a boat. I drilled an assorment of holes into this. In which you could place different size dowels. I then cut out pieces that could be placed on the dowels to create different shape ships each time. He spent hours playing with it, I even built a case for it, let me know if interested and I will send a pic.

Randy

[nailshooter41]

I have not done this myself, but I would probably start with something like this:

modify different pieces of wood to interact with it. When you look at the pieces, they are about $1 a piece. I am sure you could find something similar for less.

You could also make yourself your own Tinkertoys (or just buy a couple of sets) with some time and imagination, and not have to worry about a choking hazard.

Just a couple of thoughts.

Robert

[Lee Michaels]

That little pile of scrap sells for $65!

You certainly will have no problem beating that price.

[Owen Lawrence]

A surprising amount of thought goes into those products. My children have a set like that, and it's really worth it. Get two! Sorry, MAKE two. But make sure all the sharp corners are knocked off, no slivers anywhere, and choose a species and/or finish that's going to be safe. I wonder if the manufacturers put them in a huge rotating drum to do that. Match sizes so his structures will be sturdy and easy to build.

And make a good sized coopered bucket to hold them all so cleanup is a fun game of tossing the blocks in.

- Owen -

[Thomas G. Marshall]

Owen Lawrence said something like:

I once had gifted to us one of those sets of cardboard blocks. The kind that you fold together into these surprising brick-like blocks of surprising strength. Some of them as large as half a shoe-box, or thereabouts.

Problem is, they committed the mortal sin of block making. A true caning offense: they did not make every dimension a multiple of the smallest dimension of any of the blocks.

Sooooooo....it was nearly impossible for my then-2 year old to create a structure that would "line up" or be steady. I dug out the box they came in to see the sample picture and the picture was merely a horrible wall---no building, no castle, no anything. Even the marketing people couldn't build something identifiable.

All the thing did was teach my son futility. I threw most of the blocks out and bought a new cardboard set right away that followed the dimension rule.

...[rip]...