Project suggestions for a 10 year old.

[Bill Stevener]

My question is: Do you feel that you are a qualified instructor to be teaching a 10 year old wood turning??

To start, that requires an honest answer.

[Brodie Brickey]

If anyone is attending the AAW Symposium this year, I highly recommend volunteering for a session with the Youth Instruction group.

I volunteered last year and learned a lot of new turning tricks, as well as good methods of instruction from Nick Cook & Bonnie Klein. Its a lot of fun if you like youngsters and only takes about an hour and a half out of all the various sessions that are offered.

An example of one of the tricks was when roughing a spindle, if you thought it was smooth, you could lay the gouge body on the spinning spindle. If it popped up or chattered, you had more to go, if not ... by golly it was smooth!

[John Yogus]

Anyone have an idea where you can find ash blanks?

I get mine from this site www.gonebatty.com He has a few different grades and sizes to work with. I believe they offer a youth length billet. It's been a great company to deal with. Here is an example of the wood you'll get from him. These are all ash. The middle one is a poor attempt to flame the bat.

[Toney Robertson]

My question is: Do you feel that you are a qualified instructor to be teaching a 10 year old wood turning??

To start, that requires an honest answer.

No, I am not a qualified instructor. So I guess I should not continue.

[Bill Stevener]

No, I am not a qualified instructor. So I guess I should not continue.

My question reads on "to be teaching a 10 year old wood turning??

I think it would be very advantageous to join a local wood turning club and bring your young friend along. I bet he would enjoy that very much and get a lot out of the experiences there. Some very talented folks would be more than happy to help you out. In time you both will gain a lot, and more than likely wind up teaching each other a few tricks.

Best of luck with your adventure,

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>

[Toney Robertson]

My question reads on "to be teaching a 10 year old wood turning??

I think it would be very advantageous to join a local wood turning club and bring your young friend along. I bet he would enjoy that very much and get a lot out of the experiences there. Some very talented folks would be more than happy to help you out. In time you both will gain a lot, and more than likely wind up teaching each other a few tricks.

Best of luck with your adventure,

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>

The "local" turning club is over an hour away. Not really an option for someone that is ten and has a ten year olds patience.

Toney

[Bill Stevener]

I am sure some other folks will chime in to help you out with your situation.

Again the best of luck, with what you are trying to do.

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>>

[Cary Swoveland]

I recall a woodworking project I had when I was ten. It was just before Thanksgiving. All the boys in my fifth grade class made wooden muskets. Times have changed, eh?

I wonder if a pepper mill would be too ambitious? The advantage is that it would be used by the family on a daily basis, and no doubt mention would be made to visitors that he made it. That should put a smile on his face. If that would be too complicated, maybe some other practical item that would see regular use.

There's a nice, short article on making a pepper mill by Nick Cook. Goggling on

"pepper mill" "nick cook"

will bring it up.

Cary

[Bill Stevener]

I recall a woodworking project I had when I was ten. It was just before Thanksgiving. All the boys in my fifth grade class made wooden muskets. Times have changed, eh?

My Daughter, when she was 10, as well as myself, long before I was 10 had been into making wood working projects.
The BIG difference was the fact that we were INSTRUCTED by (if I may use the term) a Qualified INSTRUCTOR.
You may have had a knowledge instructor to provide you with guidance in the making of your musket, I'm sure. Did you use a wood lathe?? The subject of the discussion at hand??

Teaching someone to use a wood lathe and teaching someone to play the game of checkers are two different objectives. The game of checkers will not kill you, however a wood lathe in the hands of a person, wishing to provide instruction, not yet fully knowledge in its use may cause serious bodily injury, or worse yet a fatality.

To be frank, it is rather risky to have the blind leading the blind in a mater of this magnitude, if you care at all.

Now if you have any thing else to add to this subject that may be of some assistance to the gentleman,, like who can help him in his local area, I am sure he would love to hear about it. eh.

Bill.>>>>>>>>>>

[Greg Just]

My ten (actually 9 at the time) year olds first project was a pen. It was one he was going to keep so it kept his attention and it didn't take too long to finish.

[Cary Swoveland]

...Now if you have any thing else to add to this subject that may be of some assistance to the gentleman,, like who can help him in his local area, I am sure he would love to hear about it. eh.
Bill.>>>>>>>>>>

Don't blow a gasket, Bill. The point of my post was to suggest making a pepper mill, or some other useful item that would see frequent use.

My mention of the musket was merely an aside. (We used only hand tools--no shop class in the fifth grade--and used a piece of dowel for the barrel.) When I said times have changed, I was asking if one could imagine kids nowadays making toy guns at school.

Cary

[Bill Stevener]

Sorry for not getting the jest of your post.

The gentleman has stated that he does not have the knowledge to teach a 10 year old wood turning, which I observed as very obvious during the review of this thread. Thus my request for someone to provide him with some local assistance with his desire to include his young friend in to the world of wood turning.

Not to knock it, but I think a pepper mill would be totally out of the question at this time.

Bill.>>>>>>>>

[curtis rosche]

i would say a baseball bat just because it has some size to it so the turning with a tool part it longer and it doeant seeem like the sanding take so long for him to do. i first tunred a bat it was easy and fun. i wouldnt use ash to start with though, right now i am making a wine rack out of ash and its is some hard wood, every time i use something on it it tend to smoke in one way or another. i would use some thing easier like pine or maple. just dont make him sand it past 220 or he may not see the point and loose intrest. plus if he uses it itll get scuffed up anyway you shouldnt need to help him much with it just show him the basic tool and then let him play with it and learn what works best ex. how hard to press, the angle, just make sure your watching closely so that theres no danger ....... i know a couple of people who just started out with a log and just made chips to have fun using different tools and learn what works best for each tool

[Barry Elder]

Toney, I admire your enthusiasm and desire to teach. How about a phone call to that club that is an hour away. They might have a member who lives 10 minutes from you! You would be surprised how cooperative woodturners are when it comes to helping another woodturner. Give it a try!

[Kevin Newman]

I have a 8 year old son, almost 9, that I started out on a blank spindle. I rounded the blank and let him practice using several tools on a spindle blank(while I supervise of course). He loved it. When he was done he didnt necessarily have anything functional, but he had something he made and was very proud of it.