Woodshop for Kids

Basic Hand Tools for Kids to Get Started Woodworking

Craig Stevens — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 17:29:20 +0000

Basic Hand Tools for Kids to Get Started Woodworking
(The following is an excerpt from our book, Woodshop 101 of Kids. This is the list of tools needed to build all the projects in the book.)

“You can buy the tools that you don’t already have as you get to them in the book or you can go ahead and buy them all at once. If you do decide to get the tools ahead of time, read through the lessons on tool usage first. I give suggestions as to sizes and styles that can help children get the most out of their use. The advantage in having all your tools ahead of time is that it will save you from having to run around trying to find what you’ll need the day before you need to teach the lesson and finding out that it’s sold out. Another advantage is you can often times find all the tools you need online at one site. This can save you time and money.”

“Here is a list of tools you’ll need. Use this to compare what you already have to what you’ll need to purchase. Again read the lessons on tool usage first before making purchases. You can buy each child their own set (which would be nice since one of the first projects is a tool box) or they can share tools. (But getting kids to do that is an entire book unto itself.)”

A. Measuring Tape (12’) they make measuring tapes that have the fractions labeled on the tape to make it easier to read especially if your child is just learning about fractions.

B. Ruler (12”) wooden ones are easier to read than the clear or colored plastic ones.

C. Hammer (7 – 10oz for smaller children, 16oz for older children with better hand eye coordination)

D. Screwdrivers: flathead and Phillips

E. Nail set

F. Handsaw (western or Japanese style)

G. Coping saw

H. Block plane

I. Brace Drill (Hand drill)

J. Rasp

K. Sandpaper (100, 120, 150, 180 grits)

L. Glue (white or yellow) water proof for outdoor projects

M. Screws and nails (a box each of 1 ¼” and 1 5/8” drywall screws and a box each of 3d, 4d, and 6d finish nails will get you through most projects in this book).

N. Clamps (See the lesson on building the step stool for information on clamps).

O. Safety glasses (it may take some extra effort, but find a pair that fits your child. They will become frustrated quickly if every time they start to swing a hammer they have to push their glasses back up on their noses. Manufactures do make child size glasses it just might take some looking around to find them.)

P. Combination square

Q. Speed square

Building a Book Holder

Craig Stevens — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:12:14 +0000

In this video, we build a simple but very useful project, a book holder. When this video was shot Mother’s Day was fast approaching and I needed to come up with a project that kids could make for their Moms.

I think you’ll see while watching the video that a book holder is really a great project for Mom or anyone that gets frustrated from constantly holding a book open because the pages are always trying to flip closed.

Here’s a quick run down of the supplies you’ll need for this project:

Materials

1″ x 3″ x 18″ piece of wood (We used pine, but any kind you want to use will work)

1/8″ x 21″ brass rod (These usually come in 3′ lengths, so if you don’t want to have to cut it to length, ask if they can cut it for you.)

1/2″ x 5/8″ dowel

(2) brass hooks 1/2″ size (Use the ones with the hook, not the closed eye bolts.)

Tools Needed

Sanding block with 120, 150, 180 grit sandpaper

Hand saw

Brace drill

1/8″ drill bit

Vise Grips or Pillars

Block plane (optional)

Hack saw with metal cutting blade (Needed to cut the brass rod if you didn’t already have it cut to size)

If you have any questions about this project simply leave a comment below.

Thanks for watching and Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!

Craig

We Want Your Feedback!

Craig Stevens — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:51:39 +0000

Even though this site is just getting started and there is still much to do, I want to know what you think. Are you glad we split our main site into two separate sites and devoted this one just for kids? Please say yes to this one. What would you like to see more of? How can we make it more “kid friendly”

We want to make this the best site on the Internet for teaching woodworking to kids. But it won’t happen without help for you! So let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Craig

Bench Hook Jig

Craig Stevens — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:32:33 +0000

This jig is a great way for kids (and adults) to cut small pieces of wood square and true. It can be made to be used with a back saw or a Japanese saw like a dozuki.

It’s deceptively simply in it’s design, but don’t let that fool you.

This jig can do much more than make square cuts. Watch the video to find out even more useful ways to put this jig to work.

And after watching the video, leave your comments on other ways you’ve discovered to use the bench hook jig.

Craig

Building a Folding Chair

Craig Stevens — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:20:20 +0000

How to build a Folding Chair: Video

We designed a woodworking project for kids that would be simple and fun to build, not to mention, extremely useful. It’s a folding chair. This is a project that’s straight forward and doesn’t require much in material.

As with all of our projects, this folding chair is built using only hand tools. The main tools needed for this project are:

Hand Saw

Tape Measure

Brace and Bit (Hand Drill)

Hammer

After building this chair with my son I realized that this is a project that you’ll probably want to build right along with your kids. It’s so useful to take with you to the ballpark, fishing, camping, to the lake, etc. And it’s so light weight and compact that it stores easily in the truck of you car or in the corner of your garage.

Hey, just because we’re building a kids project doesn’t mean it has to be just for kids! If you want more information on woodworking with kids check out our book, “Woodshop 101 for Kids”.

Practice Using the Brace Drill

Craig Stevens — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:12:27 +0000

A Swiss Cheese “Sign” Project

Here’s something fun to try. Print your name on a sign like “Katie’s Room”, or “Nick’s Tools”, in big letters on a piece of wood. Use your brace and bit to drill holes along the letters leaving a space in-between the holes of about a ¼”. Be creative and make up your own signs. A word of caution here, signs like “No brothers Allowed”, or “Keep Out”, may not be appreciated by your parents or your little brother/sister.

Drilling Straight Holes Using a Brace Drill

Craig Stevens — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:51:03 +0000

Drilling holes using a brace drill is really fun, but it can be tricky to keep the drill bit going into the wood straight. This sounds easy, and it will become that way, but only with practice.

When using the hand brace, you’re putting downward pressure on the head. It can become easy to lean the drill forward or backward or side to side. To prevent this, and become accustomed to what it feels like to have the bit going in perpendicular to the work surface, have a friend stand behind you and look down the drill to let you know when you’re getting off. Once you’ve done this enough times you’ll be able to tell on your own when the bit is not perpendicular.

How can you tell if your freshly drilled hole is straight? An easy way to tell is to insert a dowel the same size as the bit you use to make the hole and use a square or combination square to measure how straight the hole really is.

You might be surprised to find the first few times you try this how much your bit wandered as you drill your hole. Don’t be discouraged though, with a little practice it’ll become natural to you in no time. So chuck up a smaller size bit to begin with (1/4” would be good) and start practicing on a scrap piece of wood!

Things to look for in a good brace drill and where to find one.

Craig Stevens — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 18:30:34 +0000

A good brace will have a universal chuck (will accept any bit with a square tang), a ratchet mechanize, and a ball-bearing head. Brace drills come in a range of sizes. The distance that the handle is offset from the frame is called the swing. The diameter that the handle travels around (twice the swing) is called the sweep. Generally, the sweep of different size brace drills is in increments of two inches. Most of the ones you’ll find are between 10” to 14”. The smaller sizes will fit smaller hands much better.

There are many places to find a brace drill but the best places will be antique stores and online auctions. You can find new ones, but they’ll probably cost more and be of far less quality. Be picky, there’s a lot of junk out there and there’s not much difference in price between the old rusted ones and the ones in good shape.

A Trick to Cutting a Straight Line with a Hand Saw

Craig Stevens — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:20:46 +0000

Using a combination square or a speed square draw a line across a scrap piece of wood. This line is perpendicular to the edge. Using your handsaw try to cut just to the right or left of the line. By leaving the line instead of cutting right on it you will be able to have something to follow while you’re cutting. If you’re still having some difficulty keeping the blade cutting in a straight line try this trick.

Place a board that has a straight edge across this line and clamp it down. Use this as a reference for keeping the saw going in a straight line. It also helps keep the saw blade perpendicular to the work surface. When you’re done, place the square back on the work surface to see how close you came to staying on the line. Keep practicing until you can cut a straight line that’s perpendicular to the edge of the work piece.

Bat Houses Anyone?

Craig Stevens — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:07:12 +0000

I had the privilege to conduct a workshop for kids at a local bookstore recently and thought I’d post about it.

We built a project that some might think a little odd. We built bat houses so we could attract more bats to our yards! A lot of people might think just the opposite, “Get rid of these blood sucking creatures before they give us all rabies!” However, the opposite is true. Here in the USA we have no vampire bats and yes, just like with most mammals, bats can carry rabies, but it’s actually rare. Bats are very beneficial to us. Number one, most bats here in the USA eat insects, LOTS of insects. Some can eat up to 2000 insects in one night! If you have trouble with mosquitoes or other small insects around your house, bats can put a serious dent in the numbers of these pests.

The best way to attract bats to your yard is with a bat house. You can find many free plans for building your own bat houses. Here are some helpful links that I used when I did our workshop:

Bat Facts and Myths

Common Questions and Answers About Bat Houses

Bat House Plans

Here are a few pictures from our workshop.

Special thanks to Cedar Springs Christian Bookstore for sponsoring our workshop!