Grandson really into turning!

[John Torchick]

We finally got our schedules together. My wife and I got him a "Christmas gift" for a penturning class at our local Woodcraft store. Only took 10 months to get together. He turned one blank yesterday and found it had worm holes. When he got down so far, we could see the tube. The wood let go and we had a piece of scrap. Next, he wanted to turn something so he turned a hanging ornament. He finished it and we set it aside to dry. Then he asked if he could turn a bowl. I haven't even turned a bowl!!! I don't even own a bowl gouge. I do have a good chuck and Cole jaws so I might try for myself to turn a shallow platter for practice. Since he is so interested in turning, I might skip a drink and get him a beginner turning class at WC. He is 10. Will talk with the folks at WC and get their input. I have lots of hardwood scrap that he can practice on when he is visiting.

 

[Odie]

Wow.....that is fantastic, John.

It's getting harder and harder to "connect" with young persons who have grown up in the computer age.......so, if you can get them interested early, your chances of maintaining that connection is better than competing with all the computer games later on!

-----odie-----

 

[Tom Albrecht]

That's great. My granddaughter (Now age 6) has watched me and her dad turn. I recently set her up for the first time on my new Robust Scout. She stands on a milk crate platform that puts her elbow at spindle height. We did hand-over-hand to start and it was cool because she kept wanting to stop the lathe to see the progress of turning down a square billet. After we got a cylinder she decided that she wanted a rocket ship, at which point it was her idea to sit down and draw a rocking ship. I'll be dipped if she didn't draw a scaled rocket to fit our cylinder, which she then completed by hand.

Oh man, don't get me started about the kids!

 

[John Torchick]

Great story, Tom. I received the spec's from our local Woodcraft store for a platform. They had the Turning for the Troops and a young boy was turning when I got there.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Now that she has a Robust lathe, Tom, you need to get another one for yourself.

 

[Tom Albrecht]

Now that she has a Robust lathe, Tom, you need to get another one for yourself.

Ahh Bill, you caught me. I already have an AB for me--- way too big for a young one.

 

[Raul McCai]

that's gotta feel really good.

 

[Dean Center]

John,
Our experience with the new turners in our high school group is that most of them go from one project to the next. They seem to think when they've turned one of something, they're done and it's time to move on. Soon they run out of ideas and turn to us to tell them what to do. At that point, I trot out some pictures of work by Binh Pho and Mark Sfirri, and that quiets them down.

Now that I think about it, it seems to be the kids who want to do several of something that stick with it. Hmmmm.

 

[John Torchick]

Hi, Dean! Know what you mean. Too bad youth is wasted on the young. I'm going to stick with him helping with pens right now. John Lucas has some good videos on turning that aren't real long but very informative. One is a practice drill for turning. I might pull them up and watch them with him to give him an idea of what is involved in turning.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Spinning Tops are a great project for beginners, it is a fun item for the child to play
with when finished and they will always have a challenge to make another one that
is a different shape, color, larger, smaller, better performing.

 

[John Torchick]

Mike, tops were mentioned at the GA symposium as a great way to demonstrate turning plus it's a give-away to the kids. Have a book that gives a step-by-step tutorial on spinning tops.

 

[Odie]

Too bad youth is wasted on the young.

Now.....there is a statement worth contemplating!

How many times has each one of us told ourselves that if we could go back in time, we would do certain things a little differently?

-----odie-----

 

[Odie]

Photo taken yesterday. I'm not an instructor.....only a father. My son is working on a bowl that is identical to another one I'm doing.....with him as an observer. I do a little, then he puts his bowl on and duplicates what he just saw. So far, this method of instruction seems to be working fairly well.

Having multiple faceplates lends itself to this method of instruction pretty well, as two faceplates are dedicated to it. If you only have one chuck, well......that wouldn't work so well!

-----odie-----

 

[Lamar Wright]

Photo taken yesterday. I'm not an instructor.....only a father. My son is working on a bowl that is identical to another one I'm doing.....with him as an observer. I do a little, then he puts his bowl on and duplicates what he just saw. So far, this method of instruction seems to be working fairly well.

Having multiple faceplates lends itself to this method of instruction pretty well, as two faceplates are dedicated to it. If you only have one chuck, well......that wouldn't work so well!

-----odie-----
View attachment 23733

There is nothing better than a father and son enjoying the same hobby.

 

[Gerald Lawrence]

Photo taken yesterday. I'm not an instructor.....only a father. My son is working on a bowl that is identical to another one I'm doing.....with him as an observer. I do a little, then he puts his bowl on and duplicates what he just saw. So far, this method of instruction seems to be working fairly well.

Having multiple faceplates lends itself to this method of instruction pretty well, as two faceplates are dedicated to it. If you only have one chuck, well......that wouldn't work so well!

-----odie-----
View attachment 23733

Like the idea you are using to train your son.Name someone who has only one chuck.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Most boys and many girls when they reach a certain age do not care for the hand over hand teaching.
The step by step approach is easy to explain and display to the younger wood turner and allows them
to learn from making simple mistakes as all wood turners do. Every tool has a learning curve and using
the step by step approach allows the time needed to learn tool technique before moving on to the next stage
of a project. Most wood turners that turn a particular wood form could complete the process blindfolded.
A novice starting out has no muscle memory, tool, safety, machine, proper speed, wood grain knowledge, etc.
Keep it simple and as a new wood turner learns the different tools and uses they will move on to the more complex forms when they feel comfortable. Everyone has to experience a good tool catch and incur a wood
blank coming loose before they learn respect for the machine. Usually a good idea to show a new wood turner what can go wrong while operating a machine. Hopefully they retain the understanding of the risk involved in standing in front of a rotating wood blank on the lathe. Turning between centers is the safest when starting with
a new wood turner, compared to a blank mounted in an adjustable chuck.

 

[Bill Boehme]

Most boys and many girls when they reach a certain age do not care for the hand over hand teaching.

Even at the age of 60, that method didn't have any meaning to me because I wasn't told what I should be looking for. To me, it wasn't any more useful that just watching the other person turn while not talking about what they were doing.

 

[Tom Albrecht]

Photo taken yesterday. I'm not an instructor.....only a father.

"Only a father"? As far as I'm concerned the word father includes many connotations, including "instructor". It is the most important and valuable job I ever undertook.

 

[John Torchick]

Tom, well said!!!

 

[Curt Fuller]

About 6 years ago my daughter adopted a son from Ethiopia. Of all my grandkids, he's the one that has shown the most interest in turning. Last weekend I helped him turn a few pens for some of his buddies and relatives. He got a little help from gramps but this one is mostly on his own.

 

[John Torchick]

That is a nice pen. His smile tells it all. Uh oh, is that a green bandage I see? The real mark of a wood turner or wood worker!

 

[Bill Boehme]

That smile says that he's really proudl of that pen. Looks like silky oak (I see a subtle hint).

John, woodturners don't have accidents ... therefore, it's not a bandage, but a badge ... kind of like a merit badge to commemorate milestones of accomplishments.

 

[Curt Fuller]

That is a nice pen. His smile tells it all. Uh oh, is that a green bandage I see? The real mark of a wood turner or wood worker!

Ya John, his finger is in a splint. But not from turning. He plays soccer on two teams, both indoor and outdoor, and broke his finger in a game a week or so ago. It doesn't slow him down at all though.