Citations › Citation ID: 16

C16. BOOK: Daniel Konstanski, The Secret Life of LEGO Bricks: The Inside Story of a Design Icon (Unbound, 2022), p. 64.

Years earlier, after developing the stud-and-tube principle for the 2x4 brick and other widely used pieces, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen and his team had turned their attention to elements with only a single row of studs. Tubes sit in the centre of four studs, making contact with each stud when joined to another brick. But that isn’t possible when there is only one row of studs in a line – tubes are simply too big. Enter the bar. A bar is another fundamental LEGO construct. Generally, in elements with widths of only one stud, bars play the same role as tubes do in components with widths of two studs or more. At exactly two sections in diameter, bars are compressed slightly by studs when pieces join, creating that all-important clutch power.

The bar was initially created to improve clutch power in bricks that are 1-stud wide.