# Children in the Shop: Seek tips, tricks, and gizmos to foster the thrill yet be safe



## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

Hey you woodworkers with kids and teens around.....

What do you do to:

(1) Make the shop irresistible and fun?

(2) Keep 'em safe, when you're there doing stuff together?

(3) Still keep 'em safe when they sneak in?


Take your pick, that's three different questions!

Steve El


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## gus (Oct 31, 2010)

*what i do is..*



SteveEl said:


> Hey you woodworkers with kids and teens around.....
> 
> *my two boys are 6 and 2.*
> 
> ...


*have fun with the kids Steve.*


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

Quite a crew you got there! Enjoy!


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## papagreg (Jan 4, 2011)

One of my first rules is to stand by the door with their hands in their pockets and wait till I say something to them. This keeps them safe and doesn't startle me if I should be running a power tool.

Another thing I do is to have safety glass's and hearing protection for them by the door for them to put on when they come in the shop. Continuing to stress not to touch anything until they have permission. This means going over the safety rules with them to make sure they understand theres no room for fooling around. This is good for me as well to remember the safety rules.

What ever tool I teach them to use they learn what its for and how to use it safely and properly. Hand tools are great starting tools to learn proper safety using tools. Before long they will be reminding you of safety rules your forgetting to follow. Can't tell you how many times my daughter has said to me.* Remember to wear these your safety Glass's.*


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

As far as safety, when my daughters used to come into the shop with me, every tool had a 24 volt LED attached to it. The rule was that if anyone entered the shop, they would have to push the button located at the entrance repeatedly. This button would flash the LEDs at every tool signalling all operators that someone was coming in. You were not allowed to leave the doorway until all machinery was completely stopped. This made the element of suprise non existant. Nothing is worse than running a cut through the table saw and having someone come in and accidently scare you. :blink:
Another rule of thumb was that no work could be done without a grown up present. All safety gear had to be worn at all times. Safety glasses and hearing protection. Having girls, another rule was that long hair had to be tied back and tucked inside their t-shirts. Yes, I said t-shirts. No long sleeves allowed and shirts must be tucked in. Nothing left to chance on some article of clothing being caught in a machine. 
A rule that I always stressed was "if you can see all 10 fingers, you have a better chance of keeping all 10 fingers". What this meant was that you have to be 100% aware of where you hands are and what they are doing at all times. Take nothing for granted and don't take chances. This rule was repeated, almost like a high school pep rally before any machine was ever operated. It helped to keep safety in the limelight.
We kept it fun and intersting by letting them choose the projects and although I cringed at some of the things that they wanted to do to wood (painting it pink comes to mind) they still had fun. I had to remember whose project it really was, mine or theirs. The answer was clear and the wood got painted pink. :laughing:
There was never a safety door on my shop. There was a strict policy that the shop is not the playground and although it was okay to have fun in the shop, it is not a place to screw around. A healthy fear that these machines can and will remove your body parts if you abuse their power was enforced. I did have a master switch which killed all power to the shop and a control panel that could turn the power on or off to each tool individually if there was too much happening in there to keep track of. 
Nowadays, my daughters don't come out to the shop very much. But when they do, they still have the respect of the tools and they have safety in their mind. 
Basically, rules have to be in place and as long as everyone follows the rules, everyone can have fun. People who break the rules lose the use of the shop. It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye........................or worse.
:yes:
Ken


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## thehunter (Oct 27, 2010)

im 16 and have free reign over my dad's tools. i use them probably more than he does. i worked my way up though. started with basic handtools, then drill and sander, then jig saw, then circ saw and table saw, sawzall. my dad built me and my brother our own work benches. right now me and my brother buy most of our wood and tools. my dad is not much of a wood worker but more of a DIYer. my grandpa is a woodworker. he was actually the one who showed me how to use most machines. id say the best thing to do is give them their own space and tools, even if they are cheap or spares. and remember safety glasses and ear plugs


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## WWWorker (Jan 12, 2011)

My shop is freestanding on my property. It has a lock and the key is on my key ring so no chance of getting in without me. If they do get in I have a master kill switch to the power about 6 feet off of the ground that they don't even know is there. So even if they get in they won't even be able to turn on a light never mind a saw.

I have a six and a four year old (Boys) and I have my father's old Lionel train table set up out there. They love to go out there and play with it. I always ask if they want to help me with my current project (whatever it is) and sometimes they say yes and sometimes they say no. 

My hope is that by just being out there and being with me they will develop a fondness for woodworking. Plus I am Captain Safety so they can see me being safe and hopefully the importance sinks in. Whenever they work on something it is glasses and ear protection just like Dad.


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## ACP (Jan 24, 2009)

My first tip is education. My son could name every tool in my shop by 3. I taught him to respect the tools and never to touch them. I also designate an area for him to play and make sure I unplug every tool when I am not using it. I keep hooks by each outlet that hold the tool plug so I don't have to fumble around for it. I let him have a few tools, like a hammer, screwdriver, vacuum, and I put him in his area to "build". I make sure my tools are not going to ever kick anything his way. My table saw faces outfeed toward his play area so kickback would be away from him. I make him wear hearing protecdtion when running the loud tools. He wears glasses so his eyes are protected. My big concern is dust collection in the winter months. I haven't found a good solution for that. I try to collect it at the source, but that only works so well and I haven't seen any dust masks for kids. I don't want to get something heavy for his face either because of his age I don't want the neck muscles being tugged on for long periods. But so far everything has worked well.


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

Lots of great parenting tips here! 

Kenbo, I love the anti-surprise LED system. Please elaborate.


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## Kenbo (Sep 16, 2008)

Basically Steve, it is something like this.
A doorbell transformers is tied into a 120 volts supply. The output of 24 vdc is what will power the leds. I ran low voltage wire to each tool and attached an led to each one connecting each led into the circuit. I used a momentary switch (a doorbell push button will do) and installed it at the doorway. Basically, the transformer is always hot on the input side but the doorbell button breaks the circuit for the output side. When the button is pressed, it completes the circuit and the leds light up. I placed each led so that it would not blind the tool user but instead, it would be caught by periferal vision. The leds and wire were all attached with zip ties (tie straps, tie wraps, cable ties or whatever trade name that you want to call them) Very effective system and I'm sure that it save a lot of scares. The kids would have to press the button repeatedly and I would give them a "one finger up" sign to let them know that I saw it. They would then stop pushing the button and were not allowed to enter the room until all machinery was off and had stopped spinning. I can honestly say, that they never broke this rule and always repected the leds for what they signified. It wasn't a game, it was a safety feature and they fully understood that.
I hope I explained this okay for ya.
Ken


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## SteveEl (Sep 7, 2010)

That's brilliant, Kenbo. My wife is eager for me to copy your idea just so SHE doesn't startle me anymore. Thanks!


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## oldmacnut (Dec 27, 2010)

I do allow my 4 year old daughter in the shop, she has been allowed to push a few scrap pieces of pine through the band saw, but not without me, and my wife together, wife on power button duty, me holding daughters hands while pushing a 5' long piece of pine.

That being the most, emmaleigh likes to sit on a stool at the bench and glue scraps, or just play with some small walnut scraps. She is not allowed to freely walk around the shop, and I either pull the keys on all equipment, or they are unplugged. Worst that can happen right now.....a splinter.


I've been wanting to make a little bench for her and my 1 year old, to play with on the back deck, maybe ill do that this weekend.

Sent from Jim's Galaxy Tab using Woodworking Talk


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## goXtreme (Jan 9, 2012)

I have taught both of my kids (18 & 11 now) and my wife that they are not allowed to touch anything with a power cord on it without me being right next to them. When my daughter was 7, she made me a sign out of a 2x4 and a router they says "I (heart) you dad". My son has helped me cut up scraps with the miter saw and has used the jig saw. In both instances, they had hearing and eye protection, that is just the way that it is in my shop, if you don't like it, don't come in.
My wife is a different story, she thinks that the rules don't apply to her, so if I am doing something that requires 110 percent, I lock the door, if I notice her come in, ALL WORK STOPS until we are done talking or whatnot. 
I really like the lights and waiting by the door

Typed on my iPhone 4S using Wood Forum


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## MastersHand (Nov 28, 2010)

AHOLE Keep your AIDS Infected Women where they belong

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