A Poll: Woodworking With Kids
I don’t often ask for input from my blog readers as I’m fairly adept at rambling on without much guidance.
However, I’ve received several comments and e-mails (all positive) regarding my last few posts on woodworking with kids and am thinking about a more structured approach to the topic. Before I dive too heavily into it, I thought it might be a good idea to gather a little information and figure out how much interest there is in the subject and the best direction (if there is one) I should take in discussing it.
Thus, I have a short poll for you and a request. Please take just a few seconds (seriously, like 10 seconds!) to give me some feedback, if you don’t mind. Pick as many of the below choices as you want. If you care to expound upon your vote, feel free to leave a comment in the blog post’s comment section.
Cheers,
TKW
thekiltedwoodworker 
There is room, interest and possibly business opportunity in a good blog + other website stuff dedicated to this topic. I hope your results capture this, and encourage you to take it farther. Most woodworkers have a serious desire to “pay it forward” and children or grandchildren seem ideal candidates. Glad to see this poll.
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Wow, talk about encouraging! Thanks, Jeremy!
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I’ve enjoyed reading about Finley’s exploits in the workshop, and I think you have some good insights into how to encourage him. Even though my kids are older, I can see where they would grow from simply exploring a new tool. As a woodworking parent, I’d be excited to read more.
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Making use of plane shavings, like gluing them to pictures. Toothing plane shavings for hair,
or a curl for a spring, or trumpet. Use your imagination. Another note, I just saw a stanley #203 on ebay that should go pretty cheap (tiny crack) make a great plane for a kid! 5/1/14
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Denis,
Thanks for the note! Like my cat, Finley is indeed drawn to the ribbons of plane shavings from smoothing or jointing. Using the other by-products of woodworking, not just the scraps, is a great idea for getting them involved in some part of the process. I’ll see what else I can come up with along those lines.
I’ve noticed he also loves playing around with the scrap pieces of wood I have left over when I was making a test joint, especially the test box joints for the Greene&Greene-styled box I made a while back. Really, anything where one piece somehow fits into the other ends up being fun for him to play with.
Found that 203 you mentioned. Good price, if nobody else bids! My 604 1/2 has a similar crack on a cheek, which makes it undesirable to a collector, but it is still a perfectly usable plane. I’ll keep an eye on it. I saw another one for a little bit more that didn’t have the right front knob on it; would be a good use for the rosewood knob I picked up that didn’t fit my 220 (for whatever reason)!
Cheers,
TKW
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