This free plan makes two wooden stacking toys from one 1 × 8 maple board. The ring stacker has five rings, from 4-3/4 in. down to 2-3/4 in., that slide over a 1 in. post glued into a round base. The rainbow stacker has five nested arches and a center half-disc, 13-1/2 in. wide and 6-3/4 in. tall. You can download the plan as a printable PDF, with no sign-up.
Both toys are designed for children aged 3 and up, and every piece is larger than the CPSC small parts test cylinder. Stacking toys appear in our list of wooden toys to make and sell. The work is drilling, curved cuts and a lot of sanding, so the plan suits a beginner who has used a band saw or jigsaw before.
Wooden Stacking Toy Plans at a Glance
| Part | Name | Quantity | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Base | 1 | 5-1/4 dia. × 3/4 in. |
| B | Post | 1 | 1 dia. × 4-3/4 in. |
| C | Ring 1 | 1 | 4-3/4 dia. × 3/4 in. |
| D | Ring 2 | 1 | 4-1/4 dia. × 3/4 in. |
| E | Ring 3 | 1 | 3-3/4 dia. × 3/4 in. |
| F | Ring 4 | 1 | 3-1/4 dia. × 3/4 in. |
| G | Ring 5 | 1 | 2-3/4 dia. × 3/4 in. |
| H | Arch 1 | 1 | 13-1/2 × 6-3/4 × 3/4 in. |
| J | Arch 2 | 1 | 11-1/2 × 5-3/4 × 3/4 in. |
| K | Arch 3 | 1 | 9-1/2 × 4-3/4 × 3/4 in. |
| L | Arch 4 | 1 | 7-1/2 × 3-3/4 × 3/4 in. |
| M | Arch 5 | 1 | 5-1/2 × 2-3/4 × 3/4 in. |
| N | Center half-disc | 1 | 3-1/2 × 1-3/4 × 3/4 in. |
| Ring stacker | 5-1/4 in. wide, 5 in. tall |
|---|---|
| Rainbow | 13-1/2 × 6-3/4 × 3/4 in., 6 pieces |
| Wood | Hard maple (poplar works); a hardwood dowel for the post |
| Ages | 3 and up |
| Skill level | Beginner to intermediate |
| Build time | About 5 to 6 hours, most of it sanding (estimate) |
| Finish | None: leave the wood unfinished |
Tools You Need
- Drill press, or a drill with a drill guide
- 1-1/4 in. and 1 in. Forstner bits
- Band saw, scroll saw or jigsaw with a fine blade (a coping saw works, slowly)
- Compass, tape measure, square and pencil
- Spindle sander, disc sander or sanding block; sandpaper in 120, 180 and 220 grit
- Clamps and a scrap board to drill into
- Wood glue and a damp cloth
- Wood-burning pen or stamp for the tracking mark
- Safety glasses, hearing protection and a dust mask
Follow your saw and drill maker’s instructions, and keep your fingers well away from the blade on small curved pieces.
Materials
- 1 × 8 × 4 ft. hard maple board (actual 3/4 × 7-1/4 in.): 1
- 1 in. × 36 in. hardwood dowel (actual 1 in. diameter): 1
Choose a straight board with no knots, cracks or splits, especially where the arches and the small rings fall. Do not use plywood, MDF or treated wood. You also need wood glue for the post.
Ring Stacker Drawing
Rainbow Stacker Drawing
Cutting Diagram
How to Make Wooden Stacking Toys, Step by Step
Step 1: Choose the Wood and Mark It Out
Use solid hard maple, or poplar if you can’t find maple. Pick a straight 1 × 8 with no knots, cracks or splits; the rings and arches are narrow, and a knot there will break. Do not use plywood, MDF or treated wood. Follow the cutting diagram: draw the rainbow first with its base on one factory edge, using a compass set to each radius. Then draw the six discs along the rest of the board, about 1/2 in. apart, and press a clear dent at each center.
Step 2: Drill the Holes First
Drill while the board is still whole, so it is safe to hold. Clamp the board to a scrap backer. Drill a 1-1/4 in. hole right through at the center of each ring (C to G). For the base (A), set the depth stop and drill a 1 in. hole 1/2 in. deep. Test-fit your dowel in a scrap hole first, because dowels can run a little over or under size.
Step 3: Cut the Rainbow
Cut the rainbow block off the board. Cut around the outside of arch H first, just outside the line. Then make cuts 2 to 6: start each one at the base edge and follow the line between two arches. Each cut frees one arch, and the 1/8 in. gap between arches is the saw kerf. Keep the cuts smooth; every bump has to be sanded out.
Step 4: Cut Out the Discs
Cut each disc about 1/16 in. outside its line. On a band saw, make a few straight relief cuts from the edge to the line first, so the waste falls away. Then sand each disc down to the line on a spindle or disc sander, turning it slowly so it stays round. Keep the edge square to the faces.
Step 5: Round Every Edge and Sand
Round every edge to about a 1/8 in. radius: both faces of each disc, the edges of the ring holes, the arch curves and the arch feet. For the holes, wrap sandpaper around a scrap of the dowel and twist it. Sand all faces with 120, 180 and 220 grit. Cut the post (B) 4-3/4 in. long and sand one end into a smooth dome.
Step 6: Glue In the Post
Brush a thin coat of wood glue on the walls of the socket in the base. Push the flat end of the post in until it bottoms out, and wipe off any squeeze-out at once. Check that the post stands square to the base from two sides. Let the glue cure for 24 hours before the toy is used.
Step 7: Check, Mark and Pack
Slide each ring on and off the post: they should drop freely. Stand the arches in a row and nest them. Run your fingers over every edge and face for splinters or rough spots. Burn or stamp your tracking mark on the base and on the center half-disc, and print it on the packaging. Leave the wood unfinished.
Toy Safety and the Small Parts Check
- Toys designed or sold mainly for children aged 12 and under are children’s products. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) regulates them, whatever the size of the business.
- The toy safety standard ASTM F963 is mandatory (16 CFR Part 1250). It covers hazards such as sharp points and edges and small parts, and many tests follow drop, pull and twist (use and abuse) tests.
- This plan is designed for ages 3 and up. Every part is too large to fit fully inside the CPSC small parts test cylinder, 1-1/4 in. wide and 2-1/4 in. long, so no choking hazard warning is needed for small parts.
- Children’s products need third-party testing at a CPSC-accepted lab and a Children’s Product Certificate (CPC). Small batch manufacturers who register with the CPSC get relief from some third-party tests, but not all.
- The CPSC has determined that unfinished, untreated solid wood does not need third-party testing for lead content or the heavy metals in ASTM F963. Paint, stain, varnish and other finishes or treatments remove that exemption, and paint and surface coatings must not exceed 90 ppm lead.
- Each toy needs a permanent tracking label on the toy and its packaging, where practical: who made it, where, when and the batch.
- The glue sits inside the base, under the post, where a child cannot normally touch it. Lead limits apply to parts a child can touch, and accessibility is judged after the use and abuse tests, so ask your testing lab how it treats the glue joint.
Selling Wooden Stacking Toys
Stacking toys are children’s products, so the rules above apply before you sell them, including at craft fairs and on marketplaces. Many rainbow stackers on the market are painted. Leaving these unfinished keeps the exemption from lead and heavy-metal testing for the wood. For contrast without paint, you can cut alternate arches from a darker unfinished hardwood such as walnut or cherry.
Testing is per design, so the ring stacker and the rainbow can be sold separately or as a set. Ask your testing lab how it wants to test each one. Pack them in a bag or box printed with your tracking label details.
This is a summary to help you plan. It is general information, not legal advice. Read the CPSC pages listed under Sources, or ask the CPSC Small Business Ombudsman, before you sell.
See how to set the final selling price on your craft and how to sell woodworking projects. The top 10 woodcrafts to sell has more ideas.
Download the Printable Wooden Stacking Toy Plans
The PDF has 9 pages on US Letter paper, with the cut list, cutting diagram, drawings, steps and the toy safety summary. It is free, with no sign-up.
Download the wooden stacking toy plans (PDF)
Build status: plan checked by calculation; not yet test-built. Facts checked: November 2026.
Sources
- The Home Depot, 1 in. × 8 in. maple S4S board listing
- The Home Depot, 1 in. × 36 in. hardwood round dowel listing
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Total Lead Content FAQ (accessible component parts)
- eCFR, 16 CFR Part 1250: Safety Standard for Toys
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Small Batch Manufacturers
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Small Parts and Choking Hazard Labeling FAQs
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Determinations Regarding ASTM F963 Elements in Unfinished and Untreated Wood
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Tracking Label Requirement for Children’s Products
- US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Component Part Testing
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