Eco Food-Safe Wood Block Pyramid

Sand all five 2x2 boards well before cutting anything — it's far faster and more consistent to sand a full-length board than a hundred individual little cubes afterward. Then cut the blocks to the five sizes in the cut list. Setting up a stop block on your miter saw pays for itself many times over on a cut list this repetitive.

Stack all the blocks into the finished pyramid and measure the outside footprint of the stack — this is what actually determines your tray size, not a fixed number from a plan.

Cut the plywood tray bottom about 1/8" larger than the stack's measured outside dimensions, so the blocks drop in and lift out easily. Cut the 1x2 frame pieces to fit around it, mitering the corners, and attach.

Apply a food-safe finishing oil to every block and the tray, or leave the wood raw — either is appropriate for a toy a young child will handle and mouth.