Creative Woodworks & crafts 2000-08, страница 34
s learn the basics of scroll sawing. First, I went over the shop's safety rules, then 1 explained to them what a scroll saw is and what can he done with it. Oncc the introductions were out of the way, I gave the boys an opportunity to cut freehand lines and curves from scraps of pine, then I gave them a square of wood marked •with some straight lines, simple curves, and zigzags. I After they felt a little more comfortable with the saw. I gave them a of 3/4" pine with a series of |irregular circles on it. I then tilted ftheir saw tables to about 2-1/2 gdegrees and asked them to begin cut-in the center and work their way utward. The result was a nifty •mountain-like piece that opened out io a height of about 6". j .1 also provided a small square of gstackcd 1/8" Baltic birch plywood with a pattern traced on it of a simple bell shaped Christmas ornament. By time, their confidence had grown, 'so 1 continued to encourage them by having them to cut out small tree shaped ornaments. It is absolutely amazing how seven and eight-year-old boys can enter the shop and leave their aggressiveness, rowdincss, and pother common kid stuff outside. They jpevote all their energy and concentration to their work. I have seen kids jiwith ADD focus on their project with fthc same amount of concentration that SSuperman had when he cut doorways ^through walls of steel with the power |of his eyes. Several Cub Scout groups called fWebloes have also visited my shop. |This age group, made up of nine and >;ten-year-olds, required the same introduction as the little ones. Oncc they liad completed the basic cutting practices, we began our main project: £book racks. —-—----t After only an hour and a half, Dave kiimchuk explains the shop rules while some dads look each boy had made his own book on. The kids are, from left to right: Todd Bednarek, Robert rack to proudly show off. At the end Buyea, Matt Hageman, Kyle Randall, and Andy Depczynski. Qf clasS) J invited all of the children and their parents to come back anytime to work on different techniques. Their parents were certainly pleased to see the smiles and expressions of pride on their faces. Sharing our craft In light of the recent decline in school age industrial arts opportunities, I have opened my woodshop to area youth groups in hopes of filling a void undoubtedly felt by many children. For the past two years, 1 have been working extensively with children ages six. and older. 1 never tire of watching kids create something on their own using a power tool. Possibly the most rewarding cases are those where the child comes to the saw with a great fear, not able to hold the piece of wood down, or having difficulty following a line. Then, just an hour and a half later, I see them totally relaxed cutting everything in sight. I am equally amazed watching a child saw for the very first time, quickly unleashing a natural ability to work with the scroll saw. I have invited several area youth groups into my shop for weekend woodworking lessons and have also taught many students who have visited my shop independently. These lessons mainly deal with the scroll saw, however I have had the occasion to teach some basic skills to a few teenagers involving the use of several other woodworking tools. The scroll saw, compared to other power tools such as the band saw, table saw or wood lathe, is relatively safe, making it an ideal introductory tool for children entering the fascinating world of woodworking. There's nothing quite so rewarding as sharing your knowledge with a new generation. Here, the Scouts proudly display their finished book racks. Left "to right: Andrew Hoppe, Alex Schollard, instructor Dave Kiimchuk, David Lee Kiimchuk, and Justin Blasko. My experience with the Cub Scouts A Cub Scout group called the Bears, which is comprised of seven and eight-year-old boys, had come to my shop to continued on page 35 Creative Woodworks & Crafts by Dave Kiimchuk |
