Introducing Kids to Hand Tool Woodworking

[Jason Martin Winnipeg]

I would like to introduce my niece to hand tool woodworking. She's seven. I'm not sure if she will like it, but I figure I will do my best to introduce her to it, and if she likes it, great. If not, no big deal.

For those of you who have done it, how did you go about talking about safety before letting them get their hands on tools? I don't want her to be afraid of the tools, but I obviously want her to respect and recognize the sharpness of them. I think a chisel would not be a good idea at first, but a coping saw and spokeshave would be good, along with an egg beater drill.

I'm thinking a good project might be a twig/stick whistle or a spatula or spoon so she can use a coping saw and a spokeshave. My thought is that I will hold the tool with her while she cuts or shaves, and then let her use it herself for a bit once she gets the hang of it.

What other sorts of projects have you done with young kids get them in to hand tools, and how did you make sure they had fun with the experience?

[chris carter]

My son is seven and we started doing things in the wood shop maybe half a year ago. I always go over safety and pull absolutely no punches when it comes to how sharp things are. Too many parents downplay dangers because they don’t like scaring their kids. Fear is GOOD. So I straight up tell my son that if he touches the plane blade, it can slice right down to the bone. If you have a serious matter-of-fact demeanor, they don’t freak out, but they understand the gravity. But honestly, the best lesson was by example. I was distracted talking to him when using a chisel and slice my finger open pretty darn good. Blood everywhere. “See, this is what happens when you don’t use proper safety,” I said. I had him follow me to the bathroom, watch me clean it thoroughly, and butterfly tape it close. Blood everywhere the whole time. He got the picture. Not suggesting you intentionally cut yourself, but if you do, take advantage of it! And you are right, chisel is probably the most dangerous tool in the shop. Also pin marking gauge instead of the wheel kind if you let them use one. I also snapped a piece of wood in the vise to demonstrate that one should not stick their fingers in there and spin the handle lol.

I think you have a good set of starter tools. For my son the first three were the block plane (chamfering edges) and a crosscut panel saw. Then on the next project we used carcass saw, spokeshave, and egg beater. Most recent one I introduced the turning saw. The ones he picked up the easiest, by far, were the block plane for chamfering and the spoke shave. He can pretty much do those unassisted. He can cut with the panel xcut saw because of the weight if I get it started, but the carcass saw just goes back and forth and doesn’t really cut so I have to assist because it doesn't weight enough. Same thing with the turning saw – he just has a hard time combining back and forth with a little downward pressure.

What I have learned is that the projects need to be meaningful to them. So his first project was a gift for mommy, the second a dog tag for the classroom stuffed dog. The third we are doing right now is a pinewood derby car for cub scouts and he’s the least interested in that one. When it’s a gift he’s more into the process; when it’s for himself he just wants it done. I’ve also learned that you have to keep things moving pretty quickly. So I’ll get a cut started, then let him cut for a few minutes, and then I’ll cut the rest of the way handing it back over for the final few strokes.

Also, make sure you have a really sturdy step stool with a wide base. Position it, get them up on it, tell them to get off, adjust it, now get back on. I’ve found that Is really critical to them having fun. Their bodies are very small and they have little coordination or strength so body position means more than it does for us grown-ups. The other thing is I go over proper grip a lot. Exactly how to hold his hands on the tool and I put my hands over his and guide him so he knows the proper motion. This is also an extra time when I explain how my hand position keeps my thumb and fingers away from shar edges.

Most of all, watch their face. If they look like they are getting bored, move the project along!

I also highly recommend this book "Tool Crib Woodworking Primer for Young Folks by Matthew Lepper:
https://www.amazon.com/Tool-Crib-woodworking-primer-young/dp/0692819525/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=tool+crib+woodworking +primer&qid=1551271218&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull
It's fun to go through it and point out the tools we used on a project. It's about a first grade level reading book.

[Darrell LaRue]

We built a trebuchet. Just a little one, it throws marshmallows really well. Still have it in the basement somewhere.
Used a hand saw, a smooth plane, spokeshave, hand drill (I have one with enclosed gears!), and a brace to drive screws.
You get to teach them about applied physics too!

[David Leye]

I'm really interested in this topic too. My son wants to try my tools, but I always find myself telling him their too dangerous.

I guess we really need a project to work on together. He could help with measuring, glue-ups, malleting dowels, fasteners etc. But I'm just too stressed to give him chisels or planes.

[John K Jordan]

This isn't necessarily about hand tools but more my philosophy of engaging the kids, starting slowly and keeping them wanting to come back.

I started my grandson by letting him drill holes in soft wood with gimlets, probably age 3 or 4 at the time. (He's 8 now and still likes to do that!)

I gradually introduced him to other tools and we made lots of things together, usually with us both measuring and drawing, me cutting out shapes, and him sanding and decorating. One of the first projects was a little fishing pole and some wooden fish to catch. Made some toys. Later I let him help on the lathe but I did the turning. Our first project on the lathe was little Christmas trees - I turned and he decorated with markers with the lathe turning slowly. Now I let him do some simple cuts, often with me standing behind and helping hold the tool. (I have a platform he can stand on as needed.)

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Over the years I also introduced him to a bunch of other things in the shop, such as tapping steel with a manual tapping machine or drilling holes with the drill press, wood securely clamped, hammering, rebuilding carburators. :)

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Planing is hard so we make things that don't need to be that smooth. I now let him use a powered scroll saw with me standing there. I bought child-sized hearing protectors and we always use safety glasses.

My philosophy is to slowly introduce him to as many things as possible. I do everything that has a potential hazard but I talk though the safety as he watches. When he starts to ask about doing more himself we proceed as appropriate - I probably won't turn him loose in the shop until he's 16 or so. We choose projects he suggests or is interested in - if I sense he is getting bored we quit and go feed the llamas or something for a while. I also break up each project into short segments - I want every experience to be positive.

Recently he used a hot-wire styrofoam cutter to make a sword and a we worked together on a copy of a Gerber folding knife made from dogwood (complete with spring) - we worked together to plan and make drawings, he did part of the scroll sawing, drilled the holes, sanded and helped with the assembly. He obviously is interested in weapons and things at his current age!

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JKJ

[Lee Schierer]

My first introduction to hand tools was making bird houses, box traps, bird feeders, stilts, step stools, kite string winders, etc. I used an eg beater drill, hand saw, coping saw, hammer, auger & bits, hand plane, square, scale, screw drivers, clamps and glue.

[Barney Markunas]

I was a Cub Scout leader back when my kids were little and I helped a bunch of eager young boys not much older than your daughter build nice little tool totes. The ends were cedar scraps from my back yard fence and the sides were salvaged from a bunch of wine crates I rescued from the scrap pile at my local liquor store. A little measuring and layout, a little sawing, a little drilling - just enough to encourage some interest without things taking so long that it stops being fun. We used screws to minimize the number of rosebuds and to avoid the noise of 8 boys hammering away simultaneously. 10+ years later and my guys are still use them to hold a few tools that don't go into their main kit.

It won't get much love from folks used to using hand planes and spoke shaves but a Stanley Surform is a great tool to introduce younger kids to wood working - they can see some progress generating some shaving with minimal risk. OK the shavings are not quite what you'd see from a well-tuned #4 but shavings none the less.

[James Pallas]

When working with my children I started them out with things that they had to use both hands to operate, back saws, egg beaters are good. They loved hammers and nails. I always felt like a bit of a pinched finger with a light hammer was better than a slice with a chisel. You can also use a heavier hammer start nails for them and they will directly go to both hands on the hammer.
Jim

[James Waldron]

Years ago now, but I started my son at 8 years old on hammer and nails for a few days, then introduced him to a cross cut carcass saw small enough for him to handle decently. After a week of practice, he could start a cut nicely and get "sorta square" saw cuts. We worked in short spurts so he didn't get bored with it and I was careful to point out that he was getting better all the time, so he didn't get (too) frustrated. Then it was the first project: a (short) saw bench with angled bridle joint leg attachments. I introduced a chisel and block plane to handle the finer aspects of the joinery. With four legs, I demonstrated one, served as "hands on" guide for a second and watched over the other two. His joints were a bit ugly and he was a bit upset with them, but once he found out that they were structurally sound and could do their job quite well, he was mollified. And he found that a properly sized saw bench made those cross cuts a lot easier and (ta dah!) a lot more accurate. Not a lot of product for a whole month of work, but a whole lifetime of learning a LOT of lessons. He still keeps that little bench around in his garage shop some thirty years later; now my granddaughter has a place to sit and watch him work and explain his tools to her. She thinks she's ready to begin. Soon, pretty soon! She's only three, so it may be a bit longer to wait.

[Matthew Hills]

What are your niece's interests?
At that age, she may just like to cut up some scrap blocks and make a place to play with other small toys.
(hot glue is a good "tool" -- it isn't super strong, but not much waiting for the result)

Some acrylic paint (GF milk paint is great) is nice to have on-hand, as well.

Coping saw can be a good tool. Make sure to have good workholding at a height she can use, and spare blades.
(at this age, kids are still learning manual skills, and will be prone to forcing the tools and breaking delicate blades and bits. One of the goals is to help them sense when the tool is working correctly.)

Doug Stowe's blog (https://wisdomofhands.blogspot.com/2017/09/cats.html) might have some good ideas from his woodshop program with young kids.
(but I also like your idea of a spoon, particularly if it is something she likes helping in the kitchen)

Matt

[Jason Martin Winnipeg]

Thanks for all the replies, guys. My niece was over yesterday. Since everyone was over for her grandma's birthday, I asked my niece if she wanted to make a present for her grandma. She was pretty interested in that, so I drew out a spatula on some maple, and we cut it out with a fret saw. She was having a tough time using the coping saw, so I switched her over to a fret saw that had smaller teeth. After we had the shape cut out, we used a spokeshave refine it. I started by holding it with her and showing her how the tool worked. She did much better with the spokeshave than the fret saw after getting used to it. Then we used sandpaper to get a smooth surface and used letter stamps to put her name on it. I held the stamp while she used the hammer to punch the stamp. This was TERRIFYING for me, because she was really wailing on the stamp and I was afraid she would bash my fingers with the hammer. But she didn't, and thankfully there are only 4 letters in her name.

She didn't want to touch the tung oil/mineral spirits mixture because she said it was stinky and she didn't want to get it on her hands, so I took care of that. She was better with the orange wax, and my sister said she kept saying her fingers smelled really good on the drive home.

We wrapped the spatula up and gave it to her grandma, who seemed to really love it. It's not the nicest spatula, but it has her name and the year on it, so I'm sure it will be a keepsake for a long time. My sister said my niece also wrote about it in her school journal the next day.

[Matthew Springer]

My 6 year old loves the coping saw and block plane. I've heard a lot of folks also swear by spoke shave to.

My big limitation is getting a place she can clamp stuff down. I think I'm building a kids station into a roman style bench this summer something.

At that age she's not focused enough to do a whole project by breaking it down into steps, so mostly it's about playing and realizing she can actually make things she wants to. She still get bored about 10 mins in.

Safety wise, I actually let her cut with the sharp knives in the kitchen too, which is arguably way more dangerous. The main trick I'm trying to teach her is actually nothing to do with the knife and everything to do with not losing focus when you're in the middle of doing something dangerous. She's learned the two hand positions (handle and top of tip) to avoid the sharp bits.

[Jake Rothermel]

My niece is 10 and she loves driving nails with both a hammer and my pneumatic brad gun. My son is only 3 years old and I can't keep him away from the shop. For a short time I tried to keep him out (on the basis it wasn't safe) but it pained me too much; all he wanted to do was spend time with me. So I don't anymore. My wife and I talked it out so we agreed on the hows and the whys (consensus is KEY). We started small, and are still on only small things, but that's good for now. He likes hammering, using a screw driver, and helping to hold tools for me (think "scalpel," "scalpel" kind of thing). That last part was really good for teaching him how to hold something safely and how to treat a tool properly and safely. Sometimes he's too nervous to hold a chisel, so I don't make him.

He calls any kind of work we do "fixing". Those memories will be with me until I'm feeding the trees myself. So, I guess I'd only echo a lot of the advice here already and perhaps only hone it with my own.

-- BE PATIENT. With them, with yourself, with the pace. Some days they might not want to do anything you've planned - and then you've got to ask yourself what's more important: Keeping their interest or keeping the project moving. Some days, it's perfectly fine if the project stagnates.

-- I've found, with my niece AND my young son, that talking to them like they're adults (and hence, "responsible" like one) is one of the biggest draws to a craft of any kind. They take it seriously because you're trusting them to take it seriously; because you're taking it seriously. That goes a LONG way with teaching them safety, especially. Don't talk down to them and don't simplify things for them (even if they don't get it right away or even the first time through).

-- And remember that, just because they show an interest today, doesn't mean they'll show interest tomorrow or the next day or the next week; that can be disappointing, sure, but ultimately the best thing is to let them go at their own pace. That's been my biggest lesson for ME to learn.


--jake

[Bill Houghton]

There are books on this topic; see if your library offers any.

[Matthew Hills]

He calls any kind of work we do "fixing".

This made me smile.

[Jack Frederick]

We have been primary child care for my seven yr old Grandson since he was born. It has been wonderful. He was here when we did the major re-model of the house and for the shop build. I feel like I am fishing with him. I kinda lay the fly out there and sometimes he goes for it. I give him all the small off cuts to play with and he had the little fisher Price work bench with the plastic tools. When he was coming up to five I mentioned it and asked what he wanted for his b-day. "I want real tools, Grandpa." I bought him a tool box, safety glasses, clamps, rule, combi sq, etc. and I built him his own workbench. I put a little Jorgansen Pony camp on it as a vise. I have a little LN #2 the fits him pretty well. I have tried to get him to realize that he can make things with his hands before his goes total electronic, which is inevitable. You plant a seed and hope it grows. Like his Grandfather his attention span is a little short. His interest sways but sometimes he comes out and says, "Grandpa, we need to build something." Those are happy days. The safety discussion is always first. "Now, Jack, you have to be careful because if you get hurt, somebody gets in trouble." He emphatically points at me and goes, "You Grandpa." He gets it. His 5 yr old cousin, my Grand daughter has no trouble whatsoever in telling me what she wants built and will direct every step. When they are playing together with the off-cuts and such I move everything around to give them an area to work in next to a door so they can come and go and keep them in that confined spot for fear of them walking into the end of the jointer or the other million things that can hurt them out there. So, I shut everything down and play with them. Life is good!