DIY Pink Tower and Brown Stair

Now, I got the idea from the Moosehuntress Blog. I really sat down and looked at the cost to make these materials and began to feel quite upset at the prices that Montessori sellers charge. Now, before I get into the details, I would like to make clear that the difficult part of this is finding someone who will cut in metric units. That having been said, here is my plan to make a Montessori Pink Tower and Brown Stair.


I will start by letting you know that the exact instructions for producing most basic Montessori material, especially the more expensive ones, are in the public domain writings. So I accessed them to create this plan. The Pink Tower is a series of perfect cubes measuring between 1 cc and 10 cc. The Brown Stair is a series of rectangular prisms that are 20 cm long with square ends. The square ends range between 1 sq. cm. and 10 sq. cm. Each set consists of ten pieces and because the square end of the Brown Stairs match the dimensions of the Pink Tower, it only makes sense that the two sets be cut together.

I would begin by purchasing the 6x6 pine from Lowes. They have two sizes: 6x6x8 and 6x6x12. You will also need square dowels for the smallest pieces: half inch square dowels and one inch square dowels.

Another option is to use wooden base ten units for the smallest pieces. They are already one centimeter cubes. They can be glued together and sanded.

So for the meat of the project, here is what you will do-- step by step.

First, cut your 6x6 to 10 cm x 10 cm. Now that it is a 10x10 cm square on the height and width, you will cut a 10 cm. length to make a cube for the Pink Tower and a 20 cm. length for the Brown Stair.
Second, cut the left over lumber down to a 9x9 cm. height and width. Now cut two lengths again. Cut 9 cm. to make a cube for the Pink Tower and a 20 cm length for the Brown Stair.
Third, cut the remaining lumber down to 8x8 cm and cut an 8 cm length for the Pink Tower and a 20 cm length for the Brown Stair.
Keep going in this fashion until you complete the 3x3 cm pieces. At this point, you can use the wooden dowels. Cut the 1 in dowel down to 2 cm height and width and then make the lengths and cuts: 2 cm and 20 cm. Cut the half inch dowel down to 1cm height and width; then make the length cuts: 1 cm and 20 cm.

Now, if you know someone who will cut it, but doesn't have a saw, you can always rent what you need. I have read that the best way to cut a 6x6 is with a 16 inch circular saw.

But I am not a carpenter and really have never used any power tools. I may commission this piece. To make these won't cost more than $45 in wood, pink and brown paint (if you choose), and the saw rental cost (less than $45 per day).

If you buy from a Montessori seller, you will pay $40 for the Pink Tower and about $70 for the Brown Stair. The price I included here was for the 6x6x12. If you are able to use the 6x6x8, you reduce the price by almost $20!