A small start

[NeilS]

My grandson, Tom, has been watching me woodturn ever since he could sit up in a high chair in the workshop.

Now that he is 3 (just), thought it was time to let him get his hands on the chisels.

Pic 1: "Now that's the safety gear on and the right chisel, let's do some woodturning"

Pic 2: "OK Poppy, you can have a little go too"

Pic 3: "That's two Xmas presents done"

I think he is going to get the hang of it quite quickly.

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[Ozkaban]

Now that's cool :2tsup:

It'd be cooler if that bowl wasn't as good as anything I've ever done through :no:

I have 3 and a 5 year old girls. I want them to be involced in woodwork, but haven't been game to let them near the machines yet. I'll have to think about this a little more.

Cheers,
Dave

[TTIT]

I see he has a stool to get a better view like my grandson does - and they always seem to put it right where you want to walk :doh: Mine is 7 now but he still shies away from using the lathe - doesn't like the idea of getting that close to something spinning that fast . . . . . . . YET!!! - I'm working on him :U. Get plenty of photos Neil - he'll be off chasing skirt etc soon enough and it'll be over before you know it.

[gmack]

Neil, that is absolutely precious.:p

[rsser]

Go Poppy!

Dave, I tried to get my teenage daughter interested but she was too spooked by the whirring machinery. Maybe get 'em young is better.

[artme]

Great to see Neil!! Wide eyed wonderment!!:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

[Rum Pig]

That is very nice Neil:2tsup::2tsup:

I have a 2 1/2 yr old but I'm not game to let him use the lathe yet I fear I would never get my lathe back again:doh: No not true he does not always do as he is asked so I worry about his safety so it will wait till he is a bit older.

It looks like Tom has got the addiction already by the smile on his face I think granddad might need to buy him his own lathe for Christmas:U

[hughie]

Thats the way, get em young and train from a pup. :U I started at about 12 or 13, late starter :C

[Ed Reiss]

Don't ya' just love it when the lil grasshopper advances the master:q:D:D:D

[rsser]

When you think about it though, is it the only piece of power tooling in which you hold the blade and spin the workpiece?

[NeilS]

In case you are thinking that I may not have thought sufficiently about the safety angle, I should mention that Tom is:

a very observant 3 YO (and I have only let him see the safest practices),
he remembers everything (yes everything) that you tell or show him,
he does exactly what you tell him (if you are very clear in your instructions), unless it is about bedtime,
and he has very good dexterity for his age (he's been able to unscrew and replace bottle caps since he was 12 months old).
As Ern says, the job spins not the sharp tool. So it is not quite as dangerous as most other powered tools. And, to begin with, I've still got a firm grip of the tool, just in case!

Probably wouldn't have started quite so early with my own children, but then they were throwing pots (of sorts) on the wheel by the time they were this age. And, it's a lot easier to clean the shavings off them than wet clay ... :o

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[stuffy]

Well done Neil! :2tsup:
None of my kids (6 so far) have shown much interest in turning, short attention spans I think.
I've still got a chance with my 2 yo boy, he's got energy to burn.
Maybe by the time I have grandkids I'll have more patience to teach them.
BTW what powers your home made respirator/mask and are they filters in the front of it?
Steve

[Ad de Crom]

Oh yeah, that's so very nice. Just like my grandson of almost 10, if he's free from school he jumps on his bike, and than you can find him in my workshop.
Ad

[NeilS]

None of my kids (6 so far) have shown much interest in turning......

BTW what powers your home made respirator/mask and are they filters in the front of it?


Hi Steve

With 6 kids, and youngest two, I think I would want to escape to the workshop all by myself...:U

About my respirator setup, see post here (http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/do-professional-woodturners-here-use-powered-respirators-73490/#post748248).

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[GC]

That is awesome!
As a (grand)parent you don't have to justify your reasons for allowing him, it is part of learning.

GC