Grandson Made a Pen

[montmill]

I was a little nervous about having my nine year old grandson work on my lathe. He's a good student and listens well but still young. He wanted to make a pen for his woodworking project for the county fair as well as a wand. The picture is of his completed Sierra Vista. Unfortunately his mother was exposed to covid and out of respect for her old , immune compromised father, took the family home so the wand wasn't made. Of course kids are different but generally is there an age you feel comfortable working with?

 

[leehljp]

For me it depends on the individual child. I have three grandsons who at an early age showed strong mechanical, logical and detailed visual acuity at the age of 5 and 6. By the time they were 8, they could handle a scraper on a blank with me simply watching. Then there are the other grandsons - 18 (twins) and 22, that have very little concept of action-reaction in moving mechanical things from a screwdriver or hammer to a lathe and chisel. One grandson was using my welder by the time he was 9 (with me watching). To another grandson, I gave an extra bench drill press and 10" table saw when he was 15 and he was fully competent and accountable in using them. He totally re-floored a room for his mom and dad with his dad assisting before he was 16. At 16, he totally re-built a bathroom after tearing out the walls to the studs. He knew more about it than his dad, and his dad only handed or held things as he told dad to do.

It depends on the individual kid.

 

[tomtedesco]

Looks like you made the right choice with this young man. It's a project he and grandpa did together when he was nine, lifetime of memories.

 

[MedWoodWorx]

For me it depends on the individual child. I have three grandsons who at an early age showed strong mechanical, logical and detailed visual acuity at the age of 5 and 6. By the time they were 8, they could handle a scraper on a blank with me simply watching. Then there are the other grandsons - 18 (twins) and 22, that have very little concept of action-reaction in moving mechanical things from a screwdriver or hammer to a lathe and chisel. One grandson was using my welder by the time he was 9 (with me watching). To another grandson, I gave an extra bench drill press and 10" table saw when he was 15 and he was fully competent and accountable in using them. He totally re-floored a room for his mom and dad with his dad assisting before he was 16. At 16, he totally re-built a bathroom after tearing out the walls to the studs. He knew more about it than his dad, and his dad only handed or held things as he told dad to do.

It depends on the individual kid.

Oh man, i wish i had a grandad like you!

 

[Woodchipper]

One grandson got a penturning class at Woodcraft for a Christmas present/ He has turned a few pens but has branched off in other things. The local Woodcraft store has a minimum age of 10 years, if my memory serves me. As others said, depends on the individual kid.