Workshop Skills To Teach Your Kids

I have a couple young boys, and they all have watched me do a variety of projects over the years. They see me with power tools, measuring tape, and all sorts of tools that have their own setup. I am not a woodworker by trade, I do not make money from my projects, and I feel good that it is only a hobby. For what it’s worth, I have had some practice in this area and would like to teach my sons, or you can teach your daughters that building wood projects are fun.

As much as I want to teach my boys how to do these things, you can use the same skills for yourself and make yourself a better worker in your shop. I have continued to develop these skills because it is important for speed, accuracy, and precision with my work. Almost like a muscle, it is a diminishable skill if you do not practice it on a regular basis.

Before I get through my list, I have taken woodshop classes, I’ve learned a lot through experience by actually doing it, and I still have all of my fingers. I think it is important to teach the following to your kids if they want to spend time with you in the workshop. Also, when you do any major renovations or projects on your house or at a friend’s house, they know how to properly do the job with minimal supervision.

Safety

Head protection, eye protection, ear protection, gloves, long pants, and closed toed shoes. They keep ourselves more hygienic for after work, but because we do not know if the job will remove any important parts of our pair, impair ourselves for life, or just damage our skin. When I was a boy, using gloves was annoying because I never felt that I got a good enough grip on things. However, over time I realize that my grip is stronger because of having to do it through gloves so often.

On the other hand, I can’t tell you the times that I’ve hurt myself, or known others that have hurt themselves. Table-saws have taken off so many woodworkers fingers, because they became overconfident at the location of their saw, or did not use push-sticks or sleds for their work. Never remove your piece until the saw stops spinning; you risk cutting yourself when you put your fingers or loose clothing near moving parts.

Know How to Use a Tape Measure

Fun fact, did you know that the end of the tape is sharp so you can score your wood to mark for a cut? Also, most of them come with different markings for finding studs in the walls (hint: 16-inches).

Speaking within imperial units, our measurements are never seen within the 10s. Our inches are broken down into 1/16^th on the tape, and we use fractions off the point. In getting to this point, you will realize that the 3^rd  or 4^th grade level will be the perfect time to teach this skill, or if you have an advanced student. For example, you’re not going to have 4/16ths, because this marking will be the ¼-inch on the tape. This is a great lesson upfront so your kids get to see that math is a very important tool in basic trigonometry. Fortunately, most tape measures come with both units on the tape, and come in handy with different types of jobs.

Making Quick Size Estimates

I figured out the sizes based on my hands and arms whenever a tape measure was not quickly available to me. Several estimates and practices include the width of your knuckles (mine is at 3 ½ inches), the length of my finger, the width of my finger nail, and marking out 6 inches (or 12cm) with your thumb and finger. Making these  estimates have been lifesavers whenever you are within the store and you need a quick reference to an object size. It also helps you to remember the size of your project’s over-time. Sometimes this helps in the store if you are

Knowing the Difference Between Metric and Imperial

I’m a little guilty of knowing more about imperial measurements because, I’m American and know this system quite well. It is not knowing that a meter stick is four inches longer than a yard stick (40 inches to 36 inches, respectively). These two units are often in different sizes for nuts and bolts that come a variety of locations throughout the world. Whenever I work on an import car, I will want to use metric instead of imperial because the fit on the nut will be much tighter for that tolerance. With that being said, each country will have different codes and measurement throughout the world. It is safe to assume that most of the world will use metric when working on machinery.

When and how to use handsaws and the power saws

I might be slightly guilty of this one. Using a power saw is amazing, quick, efficient, and has precise cuts. They do a general bulk of labor when you perform rough cuts. What you do not always see is two things: 1. The kerf on these saws are usually wider than a handsaw, and 2. Spinning blades usually go too fast and cause burn on the ends. For example, if I’m doing rough carts for framing, it is ok to have a tolerance up to 1/8^th of an inch. Sometimes this is acceptable so you have a nice squared fit. This way even when you complete the cut, you can trim slightly more with the saw.

If you are doing precise work with your saw, the handsaw is much better, and a cheaper item to own up front. When you teach your kids how to use a normal saw, it’s important to use the entire use the motion of your arm, keep the angle above your piece, and looking down to prevent warp on the blade. To do this right, some big box retailers’ own miter-boxes to give that precise angle. They do give you a better cut when precision is important to the fit of the work.

Know how to Drill

Your drill is a little powerhouse that my grandfather did not use. My grandfather was an upholsterer by trade, and had used manual tools to do most of his work. I’m sure if he had the opportunity to use hand powered tools, that he would make his work go almost as quick as he could. Anyway, a drill is among the most versatile and much needed tools for your home. Remember changing doors and knobs in your house from Eight Home Repairs Anyone Can Do? Using that drill means that you can tap new holes with a drill bit before using the screw attachment. This will let you have cleaner cuts into your work, and prevent costly mistakes. Do not forget to change the variable speeds so you do not over spin a 16^th or 32^nd screw. The speed and pressure you place on the drill can affect your work.

Know the different bits and their sizes

I learned how to use different bits because I bought myself a good-sized set with different types. Make sure they have a Philips head, flat head, star-bit, wood drill bits, and masonry bits. You have no idea what you may do with this set, but it will have differing sizes. The set I own has imperial markings and will work with the different types of nails and screws that I would use. If you decide to tape a screw into wood, go down a size so you stay straight drilling your screw into the wood.

Most of the skills I mentioned here I had learned in my 6^th grade woodshop class. Guys in my grade were required to take this course, and it was cool that I built myself a bubble-gum dispenser using a mason-jar and a couple pieces of wood. I’m proud of this piece, and still own it today. By teaching your kids these trade skills, they become much better at developing the skill for doing some woodworking and fix small problems inside your home. The most fun part of knowing how to use these tools is that you are only limited by your imagination to work with wood, metal, and other forms of construction. It is fun and a lifelong value to your family because, these building blocks support long-term self-sufficiency. What did you learn from this article? Leave a comment and follow-us for more tips and value added to your home.

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