Thread: woodworking projects for child

I would be very careful when considering which tools to let a child use - even under supervision. The reason is - like you already mentioned with the knives - they get it into their little heads to use them when you're not around.

And the kid is 3 right? And you want him to build something useful?
Hoping that you're not one of these nuts trying to make some wunderkind, I would suggest the following:

• Discuss making a chest to put his toys in.
• Discuss the necessary size. You can make a plan together of how big it should be based on what has to go in etc.
• Design up a plan
• Go to the hardware store and purchse the wood, screws and glue you will need. (Pine is not only soft, but cheap)
• Have the hardware store cut the wood to the appropriate sizes. (German hardware stores offer this service for free if the wood is purhased there)
• Ask him to help measure and mark out the positions for drilling the pilot holes. (Drill these yourself. Or ask for assistance using a battery drill. The injury risk with any drill - especially power drills - should not be underestimated)
• Let your son make the screw head chamfer with a hand drill if you have one
• Screw and glue it up together. Unless you use a battery drill, it's my guess that he will bore after about 2 screws
• Use a water-based finish to paint/stain the chest together

Good luck and post some pics of your project!

Damien

Hello,

Our neighbourhood is flooded with kids. We have two, 7 and 9 years old, and the kiddie gang in total is something about 11-12 kids between 5 and 10. They are usually playing some noisy yard games, flying kites and paper planes, collecting bugs in paper cups and so on.

And woodworking, too. At our terrace, where I prepare my larger stock, I usually get spectators. Sometimes all of them are crowding on our lawn and checking out my tools and projects. If I happen to make the mistake that I have forgotten too interesting tools at display, it will be more than sure that someone of the kids asks if they could try it out.

Saws, chisels and mallets, handplanes, braces and drills and marking knives are widely used, tools are traded between the kids and only real hazard usually is the real possibility of saw fencing. My 24" ripsaw is thought to be the most "powerful" tool (I think that's because it is the biggest tool).

Those tools are all very sharp, and I have shown it by slicing some paper very easily with them (do NOT do the haircut trick here). I have shown how to use them, which here means like "put the chisel tip against the wood, hit it's other end with a mallet once, then change the place and hit again, and so on". They understand quite easily what's the meaning of this, and they usually try to carve their names there, or some picture. Or they use that Berg like a giant nail while trying to ram it in the wood of it's full length . No problem, kids should try out what are the technical limits, too. Sometimes tools are ruined, but that is no problem.

Those wooden planes and especially spokeshaves are also very popular. They make curly shavings that can be played with, and put in someone's shirt neck. Or they take them home and make something out of them.

That time there were only 5 kids and I already hid the saws, so I had a chance to get a camera. I gave them some 2"x4"s to do with them what ever they wanted to.

Usually, there will be some splinters dug out and patches needed, but I have never made any number of that, so it is like a normal thing. No one is ever scared, because everyone of them already knows that it is normal if someone needs band-aid. I'd say: Do not keep unnecessary noise, an advice and some encouraging feedback every now and then is enough.

In the third picture are those marvelous woodworkings. I have that second one from left as a "totem" in my workshop.

kippis,

sumu

It is great to see young ones taking an interest in Woodworking.
I myself have a 10 year old son who has in the last 12 month's taken an interest in woodworking. A great book I picked up at one of the Woodworking show's was Woodworking for Kids by K. Maguire. I believe it is available to be purchased on line at the following address.
http://www.skillspublish.com.au/BK07-38.htm
I picked it up from the Australian Woodworker Magazine stand and Jerry has not put it down. He is well into finishing his first project from the book, a bird house. I am very proud of him and only hope he will grow up to be a cabinet maker. Hope this helps?

I wouldn't be letting a child of three use power tools. I would suggest probably making something simple like a box. (no disrespect to our very capable box makers here) maybe something out of Icy pole sticks or even matchsticks where glue can be used instead of nails or screws. Maybe you could start by buying some of those raw timber little boxes or mirrors in Bunnings and let him decorate them with water paint. they are relatively cheap and would keep a child interested for a while.
I think three is a bit young to be pushing him or her into something too ambitious. Three year olds have a pretty short concentration span and get bored quickly. You could even start off making something yourself and just getting him to help you and watch what you are doing. This is a great way for kids to learn.
I guess you know your own child and what he is capable of doing safely but using power tools can be very dangerous, even for those of us who use them constantly.
Good luck to you and your son.

Hiya,

I'll prob get flamed here but I would be reluctuant to letcha kids play with tools at the age of 3!!!!!!!!!!!! jeez thats young!!

In the studies I've seen the indications are that you shouldnt let a kid play with dangerous things until they are about 12 - this is said to be about the time that
1) a kids gross and fine motor controls start to kick in to the point where they can do specific things such as drill a hole in a precise location, cut on the line etc...
2) a kid starts to realise that to lose a finger is forever. (I mean that they prob would realise that a kid down the street is missing a leg for instance at a far earlier age but at about 12 they realise the long term consequences both emotionally and logically (Some poor unfortunate kiddies learn earlier - the amputees...)

At the risk of preaching to you let your 3 yr old be 3!!! (banging on saucepans, drawing on walls, pulling stuff off the shelf at the supermarket! skinning knees, etc) if you must, show them how to bang a hammer or some such thing..... get one of those wooden toys where the kid can bang a mallet on some pegs thru to the other side... but sharp stuff no no!!! perhaps you could make a wooden boat and get him to squeeze the glue bottle... every heard of plactecine and paper mache?

I've heard that gifted kids that are prodded by thier parents to overachieve at an early age can turn out to be very unhappy (Nerds, neurotic, socially inept, suicide!! etc... dont beleive me ??? check out the suicide stats on Jap students!!!)

at 3 your kid should be more interested in other kids pee-pees not hammer and chisels!! lol!!!

As Zed says let your kid be 3.

About the only tool they might be able to use is a hammer.
so give them a block of wood, some nails and a hammer.

Whilst I tend to agree with the erstwhile Zed, every kid is different and it's up to you to decide if they are ready for an activity. Having said that, my daughter first took an interest in what I was doing at about age 5 and at about 6 I let her play with some wood, a small Japanese hand saw, a tack hammer and some nails. She made a ladder shaped thing which she then painted. My 6 yo son on the other hand is far more interested in bodily functions and Playstation games at the moment.

stop agreeing with me u bastards!!!!!!!!!!!! argue goddammmit!!!

I'm interested in any constructive answers here, I think three-year-olds are being under estimated. When I was three I was into construction with Lego and Mechano (sp?) and my grandfather would take me into the workshop every Sunday arvo when we visited. I honestly can't remember what we did in there, but I remeber having a ball doing it!

If I think of something I'll be sure to post up, in the mean time, let's see some more constructive input people

Give the kids a hammer, nails, a board, and a pic of Zed.
Tell them to make a zoo fer him ter live in

(up iz nose wifout bein nasty)

I am amazed a 3 yr old n tools a tool prodigy
why not we see kids that age playing grand piano's, playing with other electrical items.

3yr od what did I do when 3 well nah can't recall that far back.

I've always a m³ or two of offcuts of various shapes 'n sizes in the shed. Visitor's kids love to scavenge through for bits to play with. Among the most popular are the disks cut out with a holesaw in a drill... even the youngest (about 5) immediately recognised wheels when he first saw 'em.

I'm quite happy for them to use my old hand-operated drill and an old tenon saw for cutting dowels to length as axles to make toy cars... they don't need hammers 'cos other offcuts do the job just fine. One nephew made nothing but rubber-band guns for years... but fortunately he grew out of that. (Actually, he joined the Cadets and has real guns to play with now. )


But younger than 5... I dunno. Personally I wouldn't let 'em into my shed that young. I've had supposed adults hurt themselves by just walking into my shed.

Maybe let 'em pick a few "wheels" and a block of wood, help 'em to nail the wheels loosely on and then let 'em at it with a couple of files, a sheet of sandpaper and some coloured pencils/crayons/markers? (And if they don't hurt themselves, assume the same stuff is safe for their kids to play with? )

As said, in my neighbourhood the youngest of the pack is 5, the oldest is 10. Their "skills" are at different level, but not really very much. You really can't say afterwards which one of the dents was done by who.

I see it so that the most important thing is to let them use real tools, instead of silly toy tools. Constant watching over is required, but not constant interfering.

The actual result is always nothing more than free expression, in the form of crudish chiselled patterns, random sawmarks, brace-induced pits, spokeshaved corners and a lot of interesting shavings. Tools must be sharp, to get those nice shavings and splinters. They seem to be more important at the moment. But what seems to be most important, is that a tool really leaves a mark, hole, dent, cavity etc, and that becomes kinda "trophy" of succesful performance. The kid has left a mark of his or hers existence, and it is something to show others, especially to me. I approve it every time, just by nodding and smiling.

I do not yet give them nails, because even a kid can crush his/her finger severly. Instead a brace with a phillips screwing bit is in use.

My daughter is now 9 and she has classes in crafts at school. She had an opportunity to shine when she named every hand tool by it's correct name, was able to show how they generally should be used (roughly, of course, not any fine tuned stuff). She got some extra points, but also kind of respect amongst her classmates. Knowing "special" things by name and purpose is important, even at very young age. That's why I allow them to use my woodworking hand tools, because it is both fun and important to them.

I hope I can raise smart enough and well behaving kids, but I do not want to have them to become any kind of sissies. It is best to be nice and tough at the same time. If I can do something for that, I will do it.

sumu

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

I've always a m³ or two of offcuts of various shapes 'n sizes in the shed. Visitor's kids love to scavenge through for bits to play with. Among the most popular are the disks cut out with a holesaw in a drill... even the youngest (about 5) immediately recognised wheels when he first saw 'em.

I'm quite happy for them to use my old hand-operated drill and an old tenon saw for cutting dowels to length as axles to make toy cars... they don't need hammers 'cos other offcuts do the job just fine. One nephew made nothing but rubber-band guns for years... but fortunately he grew out of that. (Actually, he joined the Cadets and has real guns to play with now. )


But younger than 5... I dunno. Personally I wouldn't let 'em into my shed that young. I've had supposed adults hurt themselves by just walking into my shed.

Maybe let 'em pick a few "wheels" and a block of wood, help 'em to nail the wheels loosely on and then let 'em at it with a couple of files, a sheet of sandpaper and some coloured pencils/crayons/markers? (And if they don't hurt themselves, assume the same stuff is safe for their kids to play with? )

Yeh just read Skew's other post on he day he demolished his shed and he's and adult.