There are many things that can be frustrating to a beginning wood worker, but I think many a frustration stems from not having the right tool for the job, or not having a high enough quality tool for it to do its job properly. When I shop for tools rather than focusing on whether or not I got the best deal I like to focus on at what level of quality does this tool cease to be frustrating to use?
In the picture you have my 10 year old son installing hinges on his second treasure chest. Ever since my husband first insisted we buy ourselves our first impact drill, that is what we have owned for cordless drills. With a good impact drill and a little practice, even kids can successfully place a screw where they would like.
I’m not comfortable letting the kids use every tool in the shop, especially saws that can potentially put your fingers in close proximity to a circular blade, such as a miter saw, or the table saw. But there are much safer alternatives that allow the kids to work almost independently. Among those I allow the kids to use are a cordless circular saw and my jig saw.
The advantage of both the jig saw and a cordless circular saw is both in size/weight and function. When you have your workpiece secured, there is very little temptation to get your fingers in way of the blade. Both cut with the blade coming through the bottom of the wood and your work bench is in more danger than the kid’s fingers.
By the end of the afternoon, Wes was getting a little annoyed by how much I insisted he could cut on his own using the circular saw. I did rip some slats down for him on the table saw, but overall he was able to work independently.
There’s nothing like using a brad nailer to feel like you’ve gotten something done in a short amount of time :0). This is another tool when used properly there can be little danger of your fingers being in the way. the point is to let’s the kids be successful in building something, not to insist on achieving perfection at this age.
I didn’t get a picture of him at the band saw, but with a small table top model and good instructions, a band saw is also a good place for kids to learn confidence in the shop. They can push the wood through very slowly at first until they get a good feel for how the machine works.
Wesley declined using my trammel points to lay out his curves, claiming it would take too much effort, instead he opted for free handing them and then cutting them out on the band saw. I think he did a pretty good job of getting them close enough ;0)
While the kids aren’t allowed to come out to the shop alone yet, I try my best to allow them to use tools they are capable of handling and attempt to build their ideas.
Wes carted his chest into the house, then decided that it needed a few more tweaks to be perfect by evening.
We spent some time after lunch reading about pirate chests and chests in general, he was intrigued by the idea of sea chests with a built in writing desk and storage compartments inside the domed top. After a little trial and error, we managed to hinge a shelf into the dome of this chest. He didn’t think it worth the effort to change the angle on the top edge of the shelf to make it fit more flush, but we got it close anyway!
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Girl with a Hand Plane 