I want to give a nephew a good start in woodwork. He is 12 and pretty intelligent.
Any ideas for a procedure?
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Replies
I recall a few books on woodworking with children. Have you looked at the taunton book list?
woodworking with children..
My oldest daughter.. I sent her to college and payed for it..
She got in business and got rich and bought me a new house!
Dear jacksa,
In my (really) humble opinion, the best possible introduction is for him to take part in some real work. I am not an educator and have limited experience with kids other than my own. And I do believe there is a place for a structured education that encompasses many different aspects of WW. But what seems to "hook" them (if I can put it that way) is to work alongside a grownup who knows what he is doing, and to really take part in a project, not a fabricated learning situation. That project can be furniture for his room or whatever. At that age he can handle a surprising number of tasks. Don't push on those he feels uncomfortable with. Summer vacation is coming soon ... make some plan together with him to get a project done together.
best of luck,
DR
"Summer vacation is coming soon ... make some plan together with him to get a project done together." Great advice. The more he's the source of the project choice the more involved he'll be.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
How about a laminated skateboard or something like that..
I think I would start with something HE likeswants! Whatever that would be...
jacksa
I introduced all 3 of my kids to woodworking with a birdhouse. All three houses are still around, (my oldest just graduated college last week), used by the local flyers. We made them out of cedar and hand tools only. I'm not sure who had more fun!
My 2nd daughter and I just made her second bird house last week, and now she wants to make a fly through seed stand for the blue jays, as they're too big for the usual feeder. We'll be doing it Saturday.
What I believe has worked so well with the bird houses, is that the kids get to see them in use, and appreciate what they build a lot more.
Jeff
A cutting board is a great place to start, followed by a box.
Butt joints on the cutting board and rabbets on the box. I'd start with a handsaw and plane for the cutting board.
Cutting, planing, gluing, finishing can all be covered.
He should work with you present.
Tell him what you are going to do.
Show him to do what you told him.
Watch him demonstrate the skill you just described and demonstrated.
Adjust his demonstrated technique during or after the activity.
Regards,
Ken
"Do as you would be done by." C.S. Lewis
Depending on where you live, some of the woodworking stores sometimes offer classes that introduce kids to woodworking(you attend and help/guide as well). They get to interact with other kids as well as you and learn some as well. Some community centers have such classes as well.
There are some kits you can buy that offer the basic parts that need to be customized and finished - They do make skate board kits and blanks that can be customized.
I started with the bird feeder and That was what we tried with my son - not interested - a wooden drum thingy I found in a book got him interested.
The library has some books on projects for kids.
My son is helping make some kitchen cabinet doors now (he is 12) - for this he is acting as helper, with a promise that when that is done we make a new headboard and footboard for his 30 year old bed frame.
1 - measure the board twice
2 - cut it once
3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go
4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
My neice is 10. when she comes for a visit she likes being out in my shop with me and she tries to make things. I tell her she can have anything she wants in the scrap pile. She has a good mind for forms and things so she will take a scrap piece of wood and tell me what she would like to make from it. I have taught her to use a coping saw which she uses to carve little figures like fish. One day we made a sign for her after school baby sitter. The sitter still has her sign posted on the wall ( says "Debs Daycare"). If kids have the attraction to this hobby it is really our responsibility to foster it and not tell them to go play with the computer. I just hope this neice doesnt get better that I am............that would be a serious blow to my ego.
Wicked Decent Woodworks
(oldest woodworking shop in NH)
Rochester NH
" If the women dont find you handsome, they should at least find you handy........yessa!"
My 9yr old thinks that the carving tools belong to him, He has also learnt that I can rough a shape on the bandsaw more easily than he can with a coping saw (no flies on him).
Just dont rely on him to stick around through a glue-up as the extra pair of hands - icecream from his mother or a phone call from his uncle are very distracting.
I completely agree that the kid should generate the idea on what to make -- but you need to offer guidance on the importance of simplicity, lest they get their heart set on something like a chair. Little boxes always seem to be a good place to start.
I think the neatest thing about woodworking is the conceptualization of an object, and then the construction of it. So I always spend a lot of time on the design phase, then moving to how you can make a plan to render that design, whatever it is.
So during the beginning stages of their woodworking experience, I always emphasized that they were in charge, and I would be their "hands" to make the cuts, etc.
But fairly soon, they want to operate real machinery. The drill press is easy, but drilling holes gets boring pretty quickly. The scroll saw is good too, and much more intriguing to them.
By the time my oldest granddaughter was 12, she could run the SCMS and do edge routing. But I should also add, she at that point was a champion gymnast, and as such, she knew how to assess risk, and was exceptionally well coordinated.
Through that process, she started pestering me about building a playground thingy for her backyard; so she and I dreamed up this huge complex (20' X 40') in a FLW style, and spent all our free time that summer building it. Best parental experience I ever had....
But alas, she got interested in boys, so we've not spent much time in the shop recently.
Her sister was interested in painting , not wood -- so the shop became an art studio. And her little brother, well he is a sports nut, so we spend all our time throwing balls around the backyard.
In sum, not all the kids will take to woodworking, at least at that age; but if they do, it can be very special. I'm not saying that art and football aren't special .......... but you know what I mean.
-- Bertrand Russell
I completely agree that the kid should generate the idea on what to make -- but you need to offer guidance on the importance of simplicity, lest they get their heart set on something like a chair.
Hey, my first project was a chair, when I was 10 or so. Ugliest, ricketiest, least comfortable chair ever built, but it disgraced my bedroom for quite a few years. My grandmother made a cushion for it, so it would be slightly less ugly and uncomfortable.
Chip,
My first project, around age 8, was a house for my pet. I didn't have a dog, so I made a house for my cat. I was around age 25 before it suddenly occurred to me why my dad had such great fun inviting all the neighbors over so that I could show them my new cat house! Anyway, I guess it worked, I'm still hooked (on woodworking, not cat houses).Woody
I am "Woody", whose real name is Woody, not "woody", whose real name is Ken. I am so confused...
Whats wrong with a cat house (the animal kind anyway)? I still make them, only they are on platforms with runways and ramps. Great fun, the cats enjoy them and every once in awhile I have someone ask me to make one for thier cat.
1 - measure the board twice
2 - cut it once
3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go
4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
I started my son with bookends.
Used pieces of scrap poplar or pine, taught him how to cut, shape, sand/plane and cut dovetails. Then he got to play with finishes.
Something simple, with fairly rapid satisfaction.
Lesson No. 1 - work safely. Lesson No. 2 - do not use hammers on Daddy's boxwood-hafted chisels.
Later, he learned to turn, first project was a David-sized mallet.
Good luck.
Thank you for sensible comments. Best wishes
David-sized mallet LOL!
I just loved that one.. Kids just love to hammer things!
All children must be born with that!
My Father loves to remind me (40 years later) how I "helped" him when he built his house. I was about 3 years old, got my first hammer (metal) and proceeded to pound his brand new window sills in one of the bedrooms. The hammer marks were mostly sanded out, but they are still there :-) (and I'm no better with the hammer)Mark
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
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TRUE story.. My little daughter.. She was little forget the age.. I was in a VERY TALL ladder..
I was painting.. She WAS playing in the yard.. I felt a 'tug' on my pants leg!
She said can I paint too? DAMN! I was about 20 feet up there and scared of faslling off!
She yelled DAD! Yky you holding me by my hair!
Really true story.. She is still something!
I had all of my girls in the shop by the time they were 8. If you can find it, 4-H offers a good woodworking program. Though it's mostly locally dependent.
Let him practice on scrap until he's confident with his skills.
Don't over-extend his span of attention in one sitting.
Don't try to be perfect, but just good.
Making something he is interested in and will use as "his own" is worth 12 goo-gaws that sit on a shelf or in the utility room. Look at his interests or hobbies.
For a first project something with 4-6 pieces is about the right level of complexity.
Many thanks for your thoughts
Twelve! Whatcha been doin all this time?
Best guy, Norm Messinger, just left the planet - he built boats with all his "grandneighbors"
I think this will get you to one of his photo albums: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4292123583
Most important - it's got to be fun, or at the very least enjoyable. As was already noted, pay attention to the attention span.
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Edited 5/13/2005 2:05 pm ET by EdHarrow
Jacksa,
Just my 2c worth, my father taught me when I was a kid and I did segmented turning on the lathe at 9 years old. He use to cut the pieces, I would glue-up and turn.
Unlike my kids of today though, I had a very serious and strict upbringing and the old man scared me to death about how dangerous table saws, planers etc. are. I was warned about this every day in the shop and could only use these under his direct supervision. The end result is, after several years, I still have all my digits and never had a woodworking accident.
With the discipline we raise our kids today, I make sure I pull all the circuit breakers if I leave the shop and there is no power. To get them to replace a tool in it's right place after using it, is a challenge!!!
Good for you with your nephew, mine are into computer games and socializing with their buddies.
"To get them to replace a tool in it's right place after using it, is a challenge!!!"
You solve this one and I'll endorse you for parent of the year. :-)
Here is what I tried.
"Russell!"
"What Dad?"
"I found my socket wrenches on the garage floor."
"Oh sorry."
"Russell you can't leave tools around. Put them away when you are done."
Whines, "I forgot."
"Think of it this way. The tools are MY toys. Don't leave my toys lying around or I'll start leaving your toys around."
"So."
"Ok, let me get some of the legos from your lego robotics set and put them on the garage floor."
"No you won't. Those are mine."
"Oh, so it's different when it's your toys..."
He heard it but I don't think he HEARD it. :-)
Mark
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
View Image
hi Mark,
Your story reminded me of something that happened and I can't resist the temptation to tell it here...
My youngest son was 2 years old at the time (he just turned 30), and I kept a toolbox in the house just for convenience. The workshop was a bit too far away to go there everytime I needed a screwdriver. He was constantly playing with the tools, and leaving them all over the place, just as you describe. So one day, when I was fed up with not finding the tool I needed, I decided to put a padlock on the box and put an end to it. The next morning, bright and early, I have a look at the toolbox and there is a sh*t on top of the locked box. I got the message so clearly that I threw away the padlock and never tried to bring up the subject again. Who do you think is educating who?
best of luck with the "education",
DR
LOL (hard).He told you :-)Thanks for the great story.Mark
Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, cut it with an ax.
View Image
Hi! I just had to write with a few ideas for projects that my husband has done over the years with our nephews. It is exciting to see them gain skills even over just one summer.
He starts them out with a "treasure" box. A simple box with butt joints and a hinged lid. And of course a hasp and a combination lock. They screw this together. (We make sure Dad knows the combination too.) This gives them a place to store their junque and makes them feel like they've got a place all their own.
Next they make a shelf. Literally just two boards glued and nailed at right angles with a triangle piece for the brackets.
Now they're ready for business. (At least they think so.) They make a "z" shaped desk top bookshelf. It sits on its side like this: l/l the books rest on cross piece. If you want complete plans for this let me know.
Then they make a bench for the end of their bed. (Your basic Mission-Style bench.)
Finally they make a mirror frame with routered edges and maybe a cutout.
Then, if they can pass Uncle's safety test. They are allowed to use the equipment as long as Uncle or Dad are physically in the shop with them. After they're 14 and show some decent understanding of the world they are allowed to use the minor shop as long as an adult is home and knows they are in the shop. (Minor shop is the jigsaw, circular saw, drum sander, etc.)
By the time they are 12, they have a basic set of hand tools. By the time they are 18, they have basic portable power tools.
That's probably more than you wanted to know. In case anyone is interested, we don't do this with the nieces, because we don't have any.
Good Luck! -Joy
Now there is a comprehensive reply, Joy. While brooding in the shop I was contemplating a shelf for the toilet to put the crossword book on. So the first item will be the shelf you mentioned....
Many thanks and have joy from your nephews....
I taught "shop" to 12 yr. olds for over thirty years and found that particular age can run a very wide range of maturity, dexterity, patience, mechanical aptitude, etc.. A fellow teacher described that age as "hormones with feet".
However, I did have a lot of success with a few general ideas. I found that the best confidence builders for first projects are those that have irregular shapes rather than box construction. Scroll saws and drill presses are great "first power tools" and, in my opinion, much easier to start with than hand tools. They are also fairly safe and easy to master, while learning proper tool use.
Good first projects are one-piece designs cut to curved shapes and given a function. It was amazing what my kids could come up with for shapes and a corresponding function for the product. For example, the shape of a boat, bird, fosh, silhouette of the student's head, might end up as a clock, peg game, sign, coat rack (or any type of rack), mirror, etc.
This gave a lot of latitude for creativity and for correcting minor errors. I often meet thirty to forty-year-old former students who tell me they still have and use their first shop project.
For a first box construction project we used hand miter saws. Fairly safe and an easy way to insure success. Good ones are often available cheap at yard sales.
Good luck and have fun! That age group is a lot of fun to work with. I had the best job in the world.
oldfred
Edited 5/15/2005 2:40 pm ET by fred
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