At what age could a boy start turning????

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el_d

el_d

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Hello most Wise ones,

My oldest son is 9 and my youngest is 8. Till now they were happy pouring PR and leting me do the turning. Thay have started to take an interest out on the porch when Im working and I was thinking about letting them get there hands dirty. They have done some sanding with a palm sander but thats pretty much all they have done with power tools. We have done stuff with basic handtools and they have there own tool bag but they want ot turn bottlestopers or sketch pencils.

So my question would be at what age(or size/height) could a boy start getting familiar with powertools and what would be the best tools to start them out with? Is the lathe far down the on the list?

Thanks,
 
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turning age?

it would depend on the child. does he/she listen well? is he/she mechanically inclined? do you feel comfortable teaching? four of my 14 grandchildren have now turned pens without any problems. two girls ages 8 and 16 and two boys ages 10 and 16. on wednesday nights during the summer months the Buckeye Woodturners & Woodworkers have a turning program at YMCA cam Y-Noah. it is full with 10 kids every week, mostly girls ages 12-13.
 
They do listen and they are pretty sharp kids. I would love to teach them I just remember I didnt really do anything till 7th grade shop.
 
I taught my nephew to turn a pen at age 9. The big question is can they remember safety procedures and precautions and do they have enough common sense in case you aren't looking for a moment for whatever reason.
 
how good a teacher are you? they, if they really want to try, will do well..you'll be the one to handle safety & other important issues..I'd say lathes are very safe as a first tool
 
get some scrap wood, put it on the lathe and create some shavings. Sounds like a GREAT opportunity for some father-son time.
During a turn-for-the-troops event at the local woodcraft we had children that age and younger trying it out.
enjoy, they grow up way to fast.
 
Marks got the right ideal.
You start kids off making saw dust and pretty sticks----they can learn safety and technique. This is something you really want to spend the time with---if they do it right to begin with advancing will be easy.
From sticks you move up to bats and bonkers---still safety and skills are the biggie.
Making a finished product comes later.
 
My daughter is 9 and absolutely LOVES turning pens. I don't let her use the drill press much but she turned 4 pens almost by herself at the recent turnathon at Wood World. It really depends on the child and your comfort level.
 
markgum said:
get some scrap wood, put it on the lathe and create some shavings. Sounds like a GREAT opportunity for some father-son time.
During a turn-for-the-troops event at the local woodcraft we had children that age and younger trying it out.
enjoy, they grow up way to fast.
Click to expand...



i forgot to say that the kids at the Y camp first turn a flower pot or "dried weed pot"(we don't mention "weed" around the kids lol) to get the feel of turning then turn their pen. we also have an experienced turner at each lathe for "one on one" help/instruction.
 
I would not say there is an "Age", but there is definitely a behavior. basically all those little things that kids do that get them into trouble before they know it. not paying attention, setting there hands where they should not be. many of these lessons are going to get corrected by a knock or two no matter what you do. So limiting them to the least destructive equipment at first is important. On that scale I consider the lathe to be one of the safest pieces of equipment but at the same time requires a higher level of skill with the hands. scroll saws are another good candidate, drill press, etc. basically let them work through the intimidation factor with the roaring motors etc. the least distraction they have to deal with when they move on the better.
Of course always be very close where you stand of chance of grabbing a wayward finger before something else does.
Basically we introduce many more dangerous things to our children at a much younger age. Riding bikes, playing sports, swimming. and the list goes on. I see the shop as just one more environment that they must be closely guarded and sometimes even held by the hand, until they begin to demonstrate that they are able to venture away from us just a bit. even then they will reach a new level such as the first time they go into the deep end of the pool, that once again we want to be there without distraction.
Children are not at all unaware or unintimidated by dangers of the shop. but just like the pool or bike, there desire will at some point overcome that fear. to me this is a huge sign that they are in fact ready to start learning.
 
My youngest turned his first pen at late-8. But he didn't have the attention span to turn safely regularly. I stood right there while he turned it and kept a very close eye on him.

His second attempt, an inside out ornament, he was doing great until someone opened the door to the garage. He instinctively glanced up to see who it was and had a snag that threw the four pieces all over the garage. One piece wasn't found for 4 months: it had flown 1/2 the length of the garage, past my ear, across the double-wide driveway and 1/2 way into the hedge on the other side of the driveway. It scared him enough such that he hasn't wanted to turn anything since.

I guess what I am saying is that they have the ability to turn earlier than they have the focus to turn safely and if something goes wrong they may never go back to turning. Better to make them wait until you are sure they are up for it in all ways. My 10 year old son was just fine and has turned several things with only "loose" supervision on the last few.

GK
 
I have found that there is no real set age for them to start turning, it depends on their maturity level. I had one son start at 8 and another one start at 11, it was when they were ready to listen and understand that they needed to be careful or they would get hurt badly.
 
I let my daughter run the scrollsaw at age 6. I let her run the lathe at age 8. She is still 8, I let her run the scrollsaw now unsupervised. I let her run the lathe, but only as I watch and advise, I do not take my eyes off her. I let her help me pour pens, she cleans my shop and she does maintanence on the tools, which I think is of utmost importance. She must understand to take care of a tool. It must be oiled and waxed. You have to respect the tool for it to perform best for you.
 
I have to agree with most everyone here.

There is a two part answer to this question though. I have taught several youngsters as little as 6 to as old as...well we wont go there.

The little ones fall into two categories. Those that you can stand there and "help" hold tools, show them how things work, and give them a feeling of how things should go. These are usually how the kids start out. This requires constant oversight, and making sure nobody does anything to hurt themselves or others. You really have to point out safety here. This is a very exhausting but worthwhile moment to spend with them, and can set down a lifetime of a love for tools, woodturning, and personal accomplishment. Try not to take any shortcuts here, and make sure that if you are taking any "safety" shortcuts, that you do not pass them along to the little ones. Always make sure you are giving them as much safety and good technique information as they can digest. Sometimes it takes several sessions to get them all in because of attention span. You can always review what they learned in prior sessions, just so you are sure they understand and remember what they did last time.

The second category is, being able to step back, and let them discover how they can use the tools, and get a sense of being independent. Meanwhile, you are either watching over them, or in a more independent version, listening for them to make the right cuts and use the tools correctly and safely. As an instructor, you get a sense of "hearing" that things are going right, and hearing when someone is struggling.

I envy you that you are teaching your own kids. I teach quite a few folks, but it has to be very rewarding when they are your own kids. Good luck and have a great time with them. I always take a bag of shavings from their first project, and put it in a zip baggie, and label it with the date and the name, and the "First Shavings" title. I have several people who put them up in the shop on the wall, and several who put them into boxes for keepsakes. I hope you instill a lifetime of wonderment and appreciation in them for woodworking, we need some younger folks to get bit by the bug so we can pass our knowledge along.
 
My two cents -

As a previous poster said, it all depends upon the maturity level as well as how well the child llistens. I started my daughter off at the Home Depot Saturday workshops designed for kids when she was 5, which was perfect - a hammer and nails here and there, glue, etc, but pointing out safety as they had the "neat" projects designed for the small helper - their own toolbox, picture frame for mom, etc. Then gradually moving up as we started doing projects around the house together. Always stressing the safety with her own set of safety glasses, etc.

She turned her first pen on her 10th birthday with me standing right behind her guiding here and there - that pen will probably be with her for the rest of her life if she doesn't lose it first! It got her interested in it plus gave us our own special bonding time that will always be there in her mind long after I'm gone.

Now, my son is another story - his attention span on some things isn't as long!
 
My oldest Grandson Justin age 8 attended a No Cal meeting at Nolans and learned how to make blanks with Alumilite. He spent 2 weeks here this summer and cast and turned pens for all his family and friends. He mixed, poured and used the bandsaw to cut them into blanks. He drilled and trued the blanks. I did the gluing and rounding of the blanks. He did the rest under careful supervision. He also used a face shield or safety goggles. We used the Shop Vac for dust control so we had no problems there. I had bought a bunch of Pearl X on ebay so, he had fun mixing it. Some of the color combo's were BAD but they were his. He made Slims, Seirras and a few Credit Card size pens. I kept the tools sharp. It would take him up to 8 hrs per pen but that was because of his attention span. He would go do something else for a while and then come back for a while. He was also leaning how to build Plastic model car and airplanes also. He also built a Pine Derby car for Cub Scouts, so he had plenty to do. Decide how much you are willing to let them do and make sure they understand the safety aspect of it. Have it is a joy to pass a skill on.
 
I teach kids 8-9 years old at church to turn pens. If they are big enough to hold a tool well(I have steps for them to stand on if needed) and show a decent knack for working the tool, with little or no help, they can turn. I do the cutting on the band saw, and most of the drilling. They love it.
 
I think the one thing that everyone forgot to include is that you have Mom's blessing. I know if I tried something like that without talking to her about it first it would be bad news if something happened.
 
Both my daughters have been using tools since they were little. each with their own tools and tool boxes. My youngest, 14, just made her first pen, as a present for a friend. I just stood by and corrected tool holding or technique when it looked like she might need it. The confidence and pride that she gained from making that pen and now other things was worth any time or effort on my part. Plus it was a great time spent together.
 
Thanks for the input. What types of tools should they start with? maybe a scraper and I should probably lower the lathe for them too.
 
Perhaps I'm starting my son a bit early. He's 28 months old and asking to make a spinning top.

There's not many projects we can complete in the few minutes he'll pay attention, but to him it's fun just getting his hands covered in shavings.
 
Scroll saw is a good one to start with. Make them do some of your segmenting cut with it, or cut the blank to lenght. Brign them to the drill press. How to align the vise , drilling at slow speed. These are good tool to teach the basic safety rules too. You can also evaluate their confort working with those tool. By experience, anything that require too much concentraiton an attention for more than 5 minutes can be dangerous for them. Insert the tubes, work with glue, learn patience. Then to the sander for squaring off. After they master these parts, you can evaluate if they are ready for the lathe. Of course, tablesaw is way out of the question. Even myself is scare of this one :)) Bandsaw could probably be the next one. And safety is always the top priority. When my grandsons (6 and 8) come to visit in my shop, i have a hook at the entrance, with safety glasses for them. No one comes in the shop without them. Even if its just to kiss goodby or say hello!!.
And they love to sort all my blanks !! That's a good way for them to learn the different woods name.
 
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