Passing it on

[Blaughn]

No projects to show.  Instead, I worked with my 11-year-old and 13-year-old grandsons teaching them the fundamentals of using the scroll saw.  They made a lot of sawdust, many scraps and nothing you would post in "Bragging Rights" - BUT, they didn't touch their smartphones for several hours and can't wait to be turned loose again.  

 

I cut up the pallet my EX 21 arrived on and ran them through the surface planer for them.  They are using my Hawk 26 which I will lend to them as long as they can show they are using it safely and well.

 

The scroll saw is one of the few woodworking tools where you can teach them the basics and then turn them loose.  With any luck that will be their lifelong addiction - you could do worse.  

 

[wombatie]

I agree, and it's great to see kids liking what we love.

 

Marg

[WayneMahler]

WOW. What a great legacy to leave with them. Wish mine would show this interest :(. 

[Scrolling Steve]

Way to go Bruce !

[Gordster]

Good stuff,they stay at it at their age,one could just imagine what they would turn out.

[hawkeye10]

Bruce I wish my two grandsons would take even a little interest in wood working. Looks like yours are liking it pretty good.  

[TripleJScroller]

My 4 year old Granddaughter loves to sit and watch me scroll.  I can't wait till she's old enough to learn to do it herself.  I just hope in the mean time she don't lose interest in the mean time.

[stoney]

That is great Bruce.   I started my grandson when he was about 9.   Starting a youngster on a scroll saw is about as good a way to introduce them to woodworking that there is.   It gives them a sense of accomplishment in a relatively safe manner.   It is good to start them with simple patterns and easy to cut material with no sharp turns required.   I hope they like scrolling and become proficient at it. Enjoy.  

[meflick]

Congratulations to you and your grandsons.  A great bonding experience that hopefully can turn into a life long passion for them. Thanks for sharing.

[Lucky2]

Good on you Bruce, hopefully, they stick with it.

Len

[Clayton717]

that's great. my grand daughter likes to be in the shop with me so maybe someday she will want to try scrolling.

[Ron Johnson]

Credit to you Bruce for taking the time and credit to your grandchildren for showing the interest.

[amazingkevin]

No projects to show.  Instead, I worked with my 11-year-old and 13-year-old grandsons teaching them the fundamentals of using the scroll saw.  They made a lot of sawdust, many scraps and nothing you would post in "Bragging Rights" - BUT, they didn't touch their smartphones for several hours and can't wait to be turned loose again.  

 

I cut up the pallet my EX 21 arrived on and ran them through the surface planer for them.  They are using my Hawk 26 which I will lend to them as long as they can show they are using it safely and well.

 

The scroll saw is one of the few woodworking tools where you can teach them the basics and then turn them loose.  With any luck that will be their lifelong addiction - you could do worse.  

 

IMG_05961.JPG

yes there's more to life than cell phones an TV. good job of getting them interested in creature comforts of do it your self crafts.

[lawson56]

Now that is So Cool.My 12 year old Granddaughter,comes down to my shop,I have been teaching her.Once again So Cool Bruce  

[Phantom Scroller]

It's always great to see the youngsters getting involved in the addiction. Roly

[heppnerguy]

My grandson showed an interest in scrolling a couple of years ago and cut a couple of pieces for  Christmas gifts for his sister. He seemed to enjoy it but never was interested in it after that, I hope some day he might go back at it again. I love that the kids are willing to give this a try. It is really good for them and us

 

 

Dick

heppnerguy

[rjR]

Good going Mr. Dick.

 

I have tried with some of the G -kids. Seems to be too much competition from video games and TV.

I am not going to force them or even try too.

 

The one with the most interest in making/fixing is over 1600 miles away; so that puts a huge damper on that.

 

They do seem to like the things that I make though.

[Bill WIlson]

Outstanding!

 

My oldest grandson is 7 but I don't know if I can get him to sit still long enough to give the scroll saw a fair try.  I've been thinking about it.  He has shown some interest in the shop, but outside of video games, he has the attention span of a goldfish. 

[Denny Knappen]

One of my grandsons was interested in scrolling, but now off to college.

[Blaughn]

Outstanding!

 

My oldest grandson is 7 but I don't know if I can get him to sit still long enough to give the scroll saw a fair try.  I've been thinking about it.  He has shown some interest in the shop, but outside of video games, he has the attention span of a goldfish. 

That is the beauty of the scroll saw - it is safe enough for them to use, has capabilities unlike any other device available to them and most of all - they walk away with something concrete that they have made.  A beautiful contrast to the video game addiction.  

[Sparkey]

Good for you for getting them started.

[RangerJay]

It is amazing how things get passed on from generation to generation in a very permanent way:

 

- spent a lot of time with my older son in rewiring an older home - he went into the solar business and now is the one to advise me on wiring.

 

- spent a lot of time with my youngest son in the workshop - now - in his off time from work (a fireman) he completely renovated a century old home - is now on his second - and still finds time to help me with major tasks I no longer feel comfortable doing.

 

Neither has picked up the scroll saw yet ..... but I can see them looking .....

 

For sure .... the blessing between us, our kids and grandkids is mutual ......

 

 

 

Jay

Edited January 5, 2017 by RangerJay

[CharleyL]

I started my granddaughter on the scroll saw at 8 and she is now 17. She is the daughter of my deceased oldest son who died when she was only 1 1/2.  Her other grandfather was a new home carpenter and her mom is a licensed building contractor who had worked with her father in house construction, so I can't claim that my granddaughter learned everything from me, but furniture and cabinet making was something that her mom and other grandpa never really got into much.

 

When very young, she used to come into my shop while I was working in my shop and play with the small scraps from the scrap bin, making use of them like block building toys to build things on my shop floor. I sometimes gave her some glue to put them together, but most were just dry assembled and went back into the scrap bin when she went home. She has always shown an interest in what I make, but she has understood how dangerous the tools can be if not used properly. Like her father, she has always been interested in building things. She has progressed through the safe use of my tools over the years and is now allowed to use any tool in my shop whenever she wants to without supervision, except for my Unisaw. She now uses the Unisaw, but only with me watching closely. Next year she can probably have the keys to my shop if she wants them. She is a very good woodworker and very careful when using the tools, having been gradually trained in the safe use of them.

 

She is off to college now and studying to be a teacher. Maybe some day even teaching woodworking, but who knows? I'm very proud of her, and I have loved working together with her on projects all these years. On each new tool to her I took the time to carefully teach her what to do and what not to do when using it, then worked very closely with her for the first few hours, and then gradually let her make the decisions and slowly give her more ability to do the work. When I've been totally certain that she knows how to do the task and do it safely, I have still stayed close by for a while, but let her do the work completely on her own, while still answering any questions that she has had as she has worked.

 

We have usually talked over each project together before she starts, for me to make certain that she has a good plan to follow, but I'm not even doing much of this with her any more.  She has reached he point where her knowledge and abilities of woodworking exceed those of her dad's, who I had raised and taught woodworking to in the same way. Last Summer she spent 7 weeks in Haiti, helping to build a church, where she has taught several young teen boys and girls how to do some of the woodworking that was needed. While there, she also learned how to mix concrete and lay bricks from one of the other teacher/aids that was there. She is quite beautiful in appearance now and surprises many people when she begins doing the work now. I guess they expect her to be a model, or someone with beauty but no abilities.

 

Start your kids early on some easy projects that don't require dangerous tools and see if they enjoy working with wood. Then gradually introduce them to the fun of woodworking and power tools as they become competent. They can assemble simple pre-cut projects before the age of 8, but most do not have the coordination and attention span needed to use even simple and relatively safe power tools until at least 8. Some never do, so don't force it on them. If they enjoy it and have the needed abilities, coordination, and attention span, gradually help them learn woodworking. Try to avoid frustrating and difficult parts or do this part for them, but let them do enough to keep them interested.

 

At one point, when my granddaughter was about 9, we were making  two laptop desks from mostly 1/2" pine that I had pre-cut. I made her help me sand all of the pieces and then made her do the assembly gluing and clamping, with very little help from me. Two joints were not aligned well, so I made her take them apart before the glue dried and do them over. Then several holes needed to be drilled for the lid hinge pins, and to attach the bottom securely with screws. She did the drilling and countersinking, but I held onto the drill to guide it so we got straight and properly aligned holes. By the time the last hole was drilled, she almost didn't need my help. We did the final sanding and finishing together too. Then I made her pick the one that she liked best of the two finished desks. The other one was sent to my grandson in California (my daughter's son) along with a photo of her working on them. He was also close to her age, 8 months younger (wish I could also teach him, but he's too far away and 17 now). I can only hope that his dad has taught him something that he can use in life.

 

Charley 

[heppnerguy]

I started my granddaughter on the scroll saw at 8 and she is now 17. She is the daughter of my deceased oldest son who died when she was only 1 1/2.  Her other grandfather was a new home carpenter and her mom is a licensed building contractor who had worked with her father in house construction, so I can't claim that my granddaughter learned everything from me, but furniture and cabinet making was something that her mom and other grandpa never really got into much.

 

When very young, she used to come into my shop while I was working in my shop and play with the small scraps from the scrap bin, making use of them like block building toys to build things on my shop floor. I sometimes gave her some glue to put them together, but most were just dry assembled and went back into the scrap bin when she went home. She has always shown an interest in what I make, but she has understood how dangerous the tools can be if not used properly. Like her father, she has always been interested in building things. She has progressed through the safe use of my tools over the years and is now allowed to use any tool in my shop whenever she wants to without supervision, except for my Unisaw. She now uses the Unisaw, but only with me watching closely. Next year she can probably have the keys to my shop if she wants them. She is a very good woodworker and very careful when using the tools, having been gradually trained in the safe use of them.

 

She is off to college now and studying to be a teacher. Maybe some day even teaching woodworking, but who knows? I'm very proud of her, and I have loved working together with her on projects all these years. On each new tool to her I took the time to carefully teach her what to do and what not to do when using it, then worked very closely with her for the first few hours, and then gradually let her make the decisions and slowly give her more ability to do the work. When I've been totally certain that she knows how to do the task and do it safely, I have still stayed close by for a while, but let her do the work completely on her own, while still answering any questions that she has had as she has worked.

 

We have usually talked over each project together before she starts, for me to make certain that she has a good plan to follow, but I'm not even doing much of this with her any more.  She has reached he point where her knowledge and abilities of woodworking exceed those of her dad's, who I had raised and taught woodworking to in the same way. Last Summer she spent 7 weeks in Haiti, helping to build a church, where she has taught several young teen boys and girls how to do some of the woodworking that was needed. While there, she also learned how to mix concrete and lay bricks from one of the other teacher/aids that was there. She is quite beautiful in appearance now and surprises many people when she begins doing the work now. I guess they expect her to be a model, or someone with beauty but no abilities.

 

Start your kids early on some easy projects that don't require dangerous tools and see if they enjoy working with wood. Then gradually introduce them to the fun of woodworking and power tools as they become competent. They can assemble simple pre-cut projects before the age of 8, but most do not have the coordination and attention span needed to use even simple and relatively safe power tools until at least 8. Some never do, so don't force it on them. If they enjoy it and have the needed abilities, coordination, and attention span, gradually help them learn woodworking. Try to avoid frustrating and difficult parts or do this part for them, but let them do enough to keep them interested.

 

At one point, when my granddaughter was about 9, we were making  two laptop desks from mostly 1/2" pine that I had pre-cut. I made her help me sand all of the pieces and then made her do the assembly gluing and clamping, with very little help from me. Two joints were not aligned well, so I made her take them apart before the glue dried and do them over. Then several holes needed to be drilled for the lid hinge pins, and to attach the bottom securely with screws. She did the drilling and countersinking, but I held onto the drill to guide it so we got straight and properly aligned holes. By the time the last hole was drilled, she almost didn't need my help. We did the final sanding and finishing together too. Then I made her pick the one that she liked best of the two finished desks. The other one was sent to my grandson in California (my daughter's son) along with a photo of her working on them. He was also close to her age, 8 months younger (wish I could also teach him, but he's too far away and 17 now). I can only hope that his dad has taught him something that he can use in life.

 

Charley 

 

  Charley,

 I enjoyed reading your story of you and your grandchildren. I believe that a lot of people look on the work we do with our scroll saws as something that is rather beyond their ability to do, that is, until they give it a try. I remember when I first tried to use the scroll saw to see if it was something I could possibly do and to my astonishment, I found that not only could I make something nice from a piece of wood but that I also enjoyed doing it. I believe when i am gone, my woodworking skills,,( as poor as they are) will be talked about and even cherished by my family. I also think that some of them will want my equipment and will also take a stab at scrolling on their own. One can offer another person the opportunity to try the scroll saw, but it HAS to be something they WANT  to do as well.. Thanks for the fun read.

 

Dick

heppnerguy

[Blaughn]

No one on their death bed ever spoke the words:  "I wish I had spent less time with my kids and grand kids."