Building blocks are one of the most popular toys available, and if you have children you probably have more than one set of blocks. Instead of storing or giving away your extra set of blocks, use them to build this cute coat rack for your growing children.
A drill press will make this job much easier because you need to make sure the hole goes down and not at an angle, otherwise the blocks won't line up properly. But we used a small table and a cordless drill, which worked very well.
Drill enough blocks to accommodate the desired height of your cutting frame. We use 18 blocks.
To make the top of the coat rack, drill a hole the size of the large dowel in the bottom of the rectangular block. Change the drill bits and drill the four holes, one on each side, for the grid pins. Drill those holes at about a 45 degree angle.
Cut the 7/16" dowel into four 5" dowels. If you want, paint the pegs and let them dry. Apply some wood glue to the end of each dowel and insert them into the holes in the wood block.
Slide the blocks onto the peg. Our 18 blocks took up 30 inches of peg space. We determine how much more pin we will need for the base and then cut off the excess.
Clean, sand or paint the base of the coat rack.
Drill a pilot hole in the bottom end of the dowel to accommodate a wood screw. Drill another pilot hole through the bottom of the base. Insert the dowel into the base and fasten with a wood screw. Add some wood glue to make sure it stays seated on the base.
Not only does this project recycle an old set of blocks, but we also repurposed an old lamp for the base. You can use the base from any small piece of furniture or make a base from a square or round piece of pine.
