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Comment by bradly

3 days ago

My kids (8, 10, 12) have all used my scrollsaw with supervision without issue. Jigsaw is a bit more sketchy and reminds me of most the injuries I've seen in the shop around handheld router after the cut is complete. My lathe is the kids favorite tool to be honest.

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bradly

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WillAdams  2 days ago

Yeah, I am trying to re-arrange my house so that I can make and store and set up and use a spring pole lathe (bodge for the Brits) --- seems a nice fit for kids (and great exercise!).

  • bradly  2 days ago

    My dream is a spring pole lathe!, but it seems most people make there own, and my skills/confidence are not quite there to tackle that project.

    • mauvehaus  2 days ago

      I built one out of home center 4x4 posts with hand planes, chisels, and a mallet. I did mortise and tenon joinery on mine, but honestly, construction screws and plywood gussets would probably get you there too. Go for it; you can probably do it!

      Learning how to turn on one is a bit of a trick. A lot of good turning technique is body motion rather than arm motion. Standing on one foot while you treadle makes it harder to do the body motion well.