Woodworker's Journal 1993-17-1, страница 18

Woodworking Basics

Green Woodworking with Kids

A healthv substitute for MTV

Kids love workshops. "Can I help? Whal can I make?" pipes a chorus of squeaky iiltle voices whenever I flip on ihe shop lights. A few years ago, 1 built each of my kids a little workbench and a small toolbox. Seeing me at work with saws, planes and chisels, they wanted to use them too. But. as we alt know, acquiring skills with those tools isn't easy. It takes a certain amount of hand-eye coordination and strength, and it requires that rarest of qualities in a child or adult—patience. As long as I was there to help, my kids, who were three, five and eight years old, did fine and we all had fun. But for quite awhile I found it almost impossible to get any work of my own done.

Then I got interested in green woodworking—making things of wet wood, freshly split from the log. With little more than a drawknife. spokeshave and brace and bit. you can turn out simple chairs and stools from green wood. So one day 1 built a shaving horse, an ingenious contraption that holds the

IX

pans for shaping, and began slicing long, wet strips off a stick of oak w ith a drawknife. Within seconds three Iiltle voices chirped as one, "Can 1 do that?"

Ever the indulgent father. I dismounted and sat the oldest in ihe saddle. After about five minutes of instruction on how to ride the horse and work a spokeshave (which I had prudently substituted for the drawknife), he was happily immersed in the task of making the stick round, a pile of nice long shavings growing at his feet. When the five-year-old's turn came, she, too. quickly caught onto the technique and its fascination. The (hree-year-old couldn't reach the horse's foot rests (pushing against them holds the work), but after I fixed the stick to the horse w iih a quick-action clamp, he managed almost as well as Ihe others. Each child seemed quite happy lo whittle away at the stick for long stretches of time.

Green woodworking has proved to be ideal for the family workshop. We can all work together or. if I need to get on

by Roger Holmes

with my own projecis. the kids are content lo shave sticks of wet wood on their own. Sometimes they need help—I help figure out how something should go together, or lend a hand boring leg and stretcher sockets. Other times, they're quite self-sufficient. One day my youngest labored a long time w ith the spokeshave. producing a bil of wood thai looked to me as Ihough the dog had chewed il. Far from disappointed, he painled il blue and proudly announced that ii was a batlieship.

In my experience, green woodworking has a number of advantages for children (and adults) who are just beginning lo woodwork. Materials are cheap and easy to obtain. Tools are lew and relatively simple to use. All sorts of stuff, toys as well as more "useful" items, can be built merely by fitting the end of slicks into holes. Getting results from tools so quickly builds a child's confidence—which comes in handy later on when he or she tackles more complicated tools and techniques. And

The Woodworker'¹, Journal