Spanking block

Renaissance woodcut (1592) showing a school birching over a low block.

A spanking block is an item of spanking furniture that is rectangular block-shaped and usually made of wood - like a bench without a back and with the sides closed. A birching block is the historically common form of it; it was used for birching. The Eton variant of it had a step to kneel on.

The spankee assumes a kneeling position by kneeling down in front of the block and resting his/her torso on the block. On a block, the delinquent's legs are usually together, not spread or straddling.

A spanking bench is also similar, but somewhat less block-like and more like a bench. Spanking benches are used in modern BDSM and often have padded knee rests.

Higher spanking blocks

Eton flogging block and birch.

There are also higher variants of a spanking block that are about as high as a barstool. In those, the spankee's knees are off the floor; the spankee's feet are touching the floor, but without bearing much weight. There are many different variants, but most are constructed to provide means to restrain the spankee with straps.

See the links below for example images.

See also

• Pouffe - a low, padded item of furniture, can be similarly used to a block

Sketch of a "spanking buck" (spanking bench/spanking block) by Spankart (2008). Left side view, right rear view.

• Whipping bench
• Whipping table
• Birching horse
• Piano bench

Links

• The Spanking Bench blog  Warning: 
• Punishment Box (slanted) (Link dead, Feb 2008)
• Tanya Fox Meets Julia Jameson (video clip)
• M/F spanking still from a Lupus Pictures spanking movie  Warning: 
• Painting of a birching block shown in the Eton College museum.
• Construction of a birching block based on photos and illustrations of the Eton Block, on Spanking Central  Warning:  (Link dead, Feb 2008)