turning with kids


-MattK-

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1 hour ago, TIODS said:

That's awesome!  My kids have always helped me when we build the Christmas gifts each year.  Wish'd I'd of gotten some great photos like you did!

I'm trying to get her interested in the shop - that was the first success I've had.  re: photos, it's so ridiculously easy to get photos in the shop these days having your phone there.  No way that would have happened before camera phones!

 

1 hour ago, wdwerker said:

That's much better than my first bowl !

I will plead 1950's Craftsman lathe and a 10 year old. How do you like the vacuum Chuck setup ?

better than my first, too!  luckily she's artistic like her mom!

I like the vacuum chuck a lot.  It's the JT Turning Tools model.  The chuck is great - it has a groove for a pvc pipe fitting, then you true up the fitting's edge and apply some sticky craft foam to it.  Much better grip than the longworth in my experience though a bit more fiddly to get it spinning true.

I haven't had good luck with changing the pvc fittings in the chuck/hub  (they stick in there pretty well!), so I bought a second one to have 2 different sizes.  That was an extra $80 I wasn't expecting to spend when I first committed to the kit.

 

 

 

 

 

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B, the lathe is great for kids, depending on their age.  It can be a bit scary just because of the weight of the pieces and the RPMs (less an issue with a mini lathe, of course).  A tool catch can be pretty scary.

Most importantly, you can start and finish a project in one session... so they get the satisfaction of walking away with something they've made.

My youngest is a boy (almost 9).  He's happy to stand at the lathe making a spindle... just making beads and coves.  I need to build a platform for him to stand on, though, as the lathe's a bit high (rule of thumb is you want the center line at elbow height, I believe).  He was also stoked to get in the shop and make a gift for his teacher at Christmas (a hurricane lamp project I bought) - she's still talking about it.

My eldest (12) is tougher.  I think there are more interesting things than hanging with dad in the shop at this age... we'll see if we continue to have traction after the weekend.  I'm hoping the next potential project (a bangle) will be interesting and get her out there again.  I'll let you know!

 

 

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New to the forum.  Forgive me for starting off this way but, IMHO, sandals or flip flops have no place in a shop.  Ever drop a piece of wood or tool on your foot?  Sharp turning tools would create a bad cut.  I dropped an Xacto knife once.  I thought my leather shoes would be OK.  It penetrated the leather and I had a time stopping the bleeding from a pinhole puncture.

Great that many of you are getting kids involved in woodworking.  I had my grandson helping turn a cork grip for his sister's custom fishing rod.  This is my project for all of the grandkids.

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