Thread: What age can Young sons get amongst it in the shed?

There at the perfect age now,
If there Keen and want to get amongst it let them go for it,
Of course being supervised but let them build make what they want to make.

Cheers Matt,


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I bought the first set of tools for my son when he turned 3. A very small work bench, a saw, a chisel, plane, hammer, nippers, etc. All fully functional tools, some razorsharp, but small enough for a three year old. My wife was very concerned at the beginning (and found quite a few nasty names for me) however I showed him how to use those tools and what to do with it and it went quite well so far. He is now 13 and never hurt himself.

My daughters (8 and 6) help me out note on occasion. I'm trying to be mostly hand tools which makes things easier, so aside from chisels they have had a try with many of my kit.

The router plane was their favorite and it's quite a safe one to start with imo.

What age can Young sons get amongst it in the shed?

As soon as they can use a brush is probably a good starting age.

I started at 3.5, not in the woodshop but the mechanic shop. By the time I started school I was the 'reach in there and get that' tool for my dad.

I cannot remember what age my son was when he started pottering in the garage but he was often there with me. He had his own bench and hammered bits of timber together.
He was allowed to use anything (no power tools) but the rule was that anything he used had to be put back in its proper place.

My Granddaughter used to 'help' in the workshop from about 3, started with helping to put on glue and tailing out. Gave her ger first tool kit with real tools (small ball peen hammer, pliers, small saw, safety glasses, ear muffs about 4, and she could cut & nail scrap. She was allowed to use the scroll saw at 6 and started making useful things about then. At 10, she's allowed to use the hand tools and the disc sander.

I'm 77. All I ever learned from my father in the shop was how to swear. He wasn't very good at much of anything using tools.

At age 11 and in year 6, I had a wood shop class in school. The NYC Board Of Education did not permit power tools. For the first 3 or 4 months I was a hopeless klutz. I learned how to use a plane, rip saw a board and in general how to complete various projects. By the end of year 8 I had made a 3 leg hall table. My shop teacher was incredibly dedicated, talented and a real teacher.

Based on my personal experience, when any child shows interest, it is time. But no power tools until you are confident that the child has the attention span necessary and comprehends the dangers / physics of the tool involved.

BTW - The kid next door would come by at 6 YO or so. He would use my pneumatic stapler. He would try to line up the staples in a scrap 2x4 so that there was no space between them and none overlapped. By the 4th or 5th load of staples he got rather good at it.

I don't discourage my boy when he wants to get in the shed. However it is VERY clear he can only be in there when I am in there. I gave him an old screwdriver or two, a very small hammer, some plyers and 2-3 bits of scrap wood and a bucket of little breakoffs/cutoffs. Couple of nails, a scew and he is happy making "towers" and hammering in the nails.

He pays attention though. He watched me removing nails from a pallet, next thing he is there with his hammer removing the nails in his little bits of wood. He watched me planing and was mimicking the movement later "explaining" it to my other half. He likes to jump up on the bench and sit there gabbering away while I work on the other end. I will not let him around when I am using the Circular saw...but that is purely because I am not comfortable with it so I don't want to have to think about watching him as well as watching myself just yet.

I have helped him use the recipricating saw seperating pallets, and he loves it. He can't press the trigger on his own, so I have no issue helping and showing him.

The biggest issue I have he keeps nicking my tools because my screwdrivers "look better". We made a very basic scew driver holder and he disappeared as it was finished. When I called him back I had it on the wall with my screwdrivers in it...second later my screwdrivers where on the floor and his where in there. So the holder got moved further up the wall and we are making a little tool holder for him this weekend. His pile of tools keeps growing too...and mine gets lower....and when I move my tools back that little bugger remembers it days later and goes looking for "his snippers".

My dad NEVER let me in the shed. Which is why I am such a late starter to this hobby. I don't encourage my boy to come out to the shed, but when he does I don't turn him away. Give him some sand paper, a broom and a hammer....let him play.

I can't keep my 1.5 year old out of the shed and he "uses" anything he can reach. Just means I have to be extra careful when he walks around my power tools and make sure any hand tools I don't want him to touch are out of reach. Going to have to cover the underside of the lathe belt now that it is getting some use. The other 2 only come in to ask for something or ride the bike through for a lap or 2 but the youngest just wants to hang out, which I enjoy.

I suffer from MS and am full time in a wheelchair.
My daughter is 10 and my son is 9.
For the past year they have been using under strict supervision a table saw, mitre saw, nail gun, drill press, chisels, belt sander etc.
This is how we bond and they love it. Let’s face it I’m useless kicking a football [emoji23][emoji23].
I’m holding off lathe work for a few years though.
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Northern Beaches Sydney

Good for you. Matt.

Your kids are learning great skills.

I start them young!

Tom ready for some woodturning1.JPG

But, you have to be very competent yourself before you can determine what is safe and appropriate for each age.

I give them careful instructions and close supervision.

The above grandson was turning Christmas presents just after his third birthday and was very competent for his age. He was turning some nice little bowls.

I'm not expecting that any of my five grandchildren will take it up as a major interest, although you never know. At least they know the basics and confident enough, for example, to turn up some spindles for a rope ladder, which the older boys (now 9 and 12) were making recently.

PS - I should also say that the girls get the same encouragement as the boys.