I have a 12 yr old son and he has shown a keen interest in my shop for almost as long as he could walk. I have given him many projects, both kits and homemade, and he does a good job. My question is when to introduce him to power tools. I am a bit nervous about this and am looking for some guidance. any suggestions will be valued greatly. Thanks!
PS- The only power tool he has ever used is a cordless drill to drill a couple of holes in some wood.
Replies
I was three when I started my first tool. It was the table saw, it scared the S#$& out of me and I ran out of the shop turning the light off with dad left inside yelling out to come back and turn the light off because he could not see to shut it off.
But with that aside I was about 8 when dad showed me how to use power tools. He bought me a 3/8" drill, 1/2 sheet sander, jig saw and a small micro lathe to start out with. The next tools came at about 11 and they were a scroll saw and then bandsaw and as I learned to use everything in a safe manor he should me more. Always standing next to me guiding me each step of the way.
Scott C. Frankland
I'm teaching woodworking to 10th, 11th and 12th graders in a private school. All the students use hand tools to develop their skills. As we move along, I let them use some power tools for repetitive work like sanding large surfaces. We don't have a lot of power tools - a couple of lathes, a band saw, power drill, a couple of routers, a few orbital sanders and two scroll saws.
Obviously wood turning is better suited for a power tool. We use the band saw primarily for resawing - the students crosscut and rip with hand tools and then plane the wood. They learn to use coping saws first then they are allowed to move to the scroll saws because they can quickly cut an intricate profile which helps them develop their design skills.
We have no intention of getting a table saw or a jointer. We do use routers and I'm about to rig up a permanent router table - they discover a whole new world of woodworking that the router unleashes. Yet I still have them handcut dovetails and they can clearly see the difference between machine cut and hand cut.
Summarizing, we use power tools to speed up the routine like sanding. Yet I still have them do the final sanding by hand so they can appreciate the smoothness that a 220 or 300 grit paper imparts on the wood. Speeding the monotonous work allows them to realize their talents fairly quickly which is what you have to do with today's teenagers.
Good luck!
Ed Gregg
I think your son is well prepared if you have been working with him all along. It sounds like you have taught him the basics. I was taught to use a tablesaw at 10. I was a shop teacher for a junior high school until budgets were cut, ages 11 to 13.
Here are some guidelines.
Read the manuals on the power tools with him. ( I know, but sometimes I even ask for directions.)
He should never use any power tool unsupervised.
I made all my kids wear both hearing and eye protection. Face mask if their using a tablesaw. You can't overprotect them at this stage. I also recommend hearing protection as well.
Teach him about kick back. There was a very good article in FWW some years ago.
Use push sticks even in operations that you feel safe doing.
Let him observe you doing an operation such as ripping a board and have him repeat it. Demonstrate safe procedures and if you can, show him what can happen if you don't do it safely.
Hope this helps,
Len
I don't think the age matters so much as whether or not you think he's ready for it. If he's asking to, and he's been watching you for a while, then he might be ready.I've seen 12yo more responsible around the shop than a 21yo.
Tom
I'd say let him stay with hand tools until he becomes a master of them all, a craftsman. Then, if he should choose to do so at a later time, he can try machinery. He'll probably be an adult at that point and able to decide for himself.
I imagine your nervousness is the result of knowing that woodworking is somewhat dangerous, and working with power tools is very dangerous. As I stated in another post, I know lots of folks who've received some nasty cuts from chisels and saws, but I don't know anyone who has lost a finger, or eye, or their hearing from a hand tool.
Furthermore, hand tools will teach him to be patient and deliberate in his work. He'll learn how to sharpen and care for his tools. He'll also learn a lot more about the nature of wood by actually working it than he ever will pushing it through a machine.
Something to think about.
I have a quilt on my bed that my mother made, and whenever I show the house to visitors I always make sure I show them that quilt. They always comment on how beautiful it is, and then I mention that my mother doesn't own a sewing machine and did the entire thing by hand. Almost without exception, I get an amazed "wow". What's more significant though, is that they now stop and examine it closely and see how fine and even her stitches are, how carefully she matched the patterns in the fabrics, and how she didn't tie it, but quilted each square.
What was "nice" is now seen for what it is, a work of art.
Jeff
I started using power tools at age ten. Started off using stuff that could hurt you but not permanently maime easily. Those included disk sanders, scroll saws and drill presses with small bits. (all under adult supervision). While I had a few minor mishaps, they taught me to respect the machines. By age twelve I was using all commonly found woodworking machinery including table saws and joiners. I think it's very important for anyone regardless of age to know the how and why accidents happen (and that they do when you least expect them to). These lessons are remembered best through minor mishaps. Also, hand tools can cause just as worse injury, especially chisels. Seen it too may times myself.
Jon
dnno215,
After 3 decades, I decided to invest seriously in my woodworking hobby by enrolling in woodworking courses at a local college. I learned more than enough in my first semester to justify the investment of time, energy, and money -- and that was before I enrolled in the more advanced classes.
If I was lucky enough to have a twelve-year-old son who was interested in sharing my passion for woodworking, I'd jump at the chance to take a woodworking class with him. This would be a great way to introduce him to consistent safety protocols that you could help reinforce in your home workshop.
The project for my first woodworking course was a clock. Imagine the terrific feeling you'd have every time you and your son looked at the pair of clocks you built together!
Have fun with him while he's still young enough to want to hang out with dear old Dad!
Good luck,
Paul
I was about your sons age when my grandfather bought me my first, three power tools, a drill, a small craftsmen jig saw, and a 1/4 sheet sander, Pretty safe tools I think.
A year or two later, I recieved a bench top delta scroll saw, and bandsaw.
I built a lot of "stuff" out of those tools. Not what I could call great woodworking but I learned a lot.
Added on from there.
The most important part of it to me looking back was time spent with my grandfather. I'm not a father so this may not mean much, but I would just keep an eye on him and make sure he knows his saftey first. Teach him now about saftey glasses, I know a lot of guys don't wear them but I learned early so it stuck. Most of the time anyway.
Thanks to all. The reply's are most helpful and will go a long way in developing my sons woodworking abilities.
Dnno
My kids are still young, though I've purchased a hand brace so they can drill some holes when they want to. My 5 yr old loves to help me with the drill press. I've also taught 11 yr. old scouts how to use drills, skilsaws, hammers, start fires, chop wood, whittle, sharpen knives axes and hatchets, and other dangerous things.
The most important thing is to teach them respect and safety.
Introduce them to power tools gradually. Sanders are pretty safe, good place to start. Drilling small holes isn't terribly dangerous, nor is using a cordless drill to drive screws. Jigsaws and scrollsaws are a great place to start cutting wood. Let him start with the less dangerous tools. Obviously radial arm saws, table saws, miter saws ect. are much more dangerous. Make sure he's learned good responsibility before moving on to these things.
Oh, and make sure you teach him to work safer then you do.
Example, I tend to set skilsaws down on the blade gaurd while the blade is still spinning. How I was taught. Dumb thing to do, I'm trying to break myself of the habit. When teaching him emphasise all safety rules. Before you start to teach him to use a tool think what stupid dangerous things do I habitually do with this tool. Then teach him so he doesn't develop the same bad habits.
I have taught high school kids for many years. I suggest you stat slow but teach him what to do with each machine. I'll use the table saw as an example. Show him the difference between rip and crosscut, then show him how to rip and how to prevent a kick back. Then have him rip a board with you at the outfeed end and assist him in pushing the board all the way past the blade. Make it clear to him that he is not to use the saw without you there till you are able to say that he is competent at it.
Ken
My 12 yr old son just started showing a interest in ww and hes using a scrollsaw and he loves it..IM glad that he likes ww & hanging in the shop,theres no better way for a father & son to bond than working together in the shop,plus its a good excuse to buy new tools..lol..
ToolDoc
"theres no better way for a father & son to bond than working together in the shop,"
You definitely got that right, Take advantage of it while you 're still able, time passes quick. (By the way, I have no kids, just memories of those who had a major influence in my life).
Jon
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