Comment by noufalibrahim
3 days ago
I remember cutting chart paper (thin card stock), then corrugated cardboard which was easy unless you were cutting perpendicular to the grooves and finally heavy card which, I agree was finger bruising. There's also some amount of fun in improvising tools from what you have around you. I'm wandering dangerously close to the "back in my day" territory but nevertheless. I think there's a place for childrens tools that are close enough to the real deal but still safe. However, going too far away from the real deal makes it just a toy.
I got my son some balsa, sandpaper and a sharp knife. I also got him a pair of gloves which were resistant to the blade. Showed him how to use all of those and he's quite good with his hands. Carved a few trinkets for his friends.
I remember an article about, I think the Inuit, exposing their kids to cutting tools early on in their lives. Can't find the link. Perhaps there's some kind of optimal point in between that balances between "real" and safe.
With proper education, children (obviously) are safe around tools... Louis Braille notwithstanding. We've had sharps for 40,000 years. Use this one. Don't touch that one until you're bigger. Same as crossing the road: small ones OK; big ones DO NOT GO THERE.
The problem lies in the words "proper education". Dropped off at school is not sufficient, so kids get blunt scissors that will barely cut.
Your mind will play tricks on you, the last thing you'll think before the accident is 'this is safe'. In machining a technique to fight that thought is - don't touch anything with your finger that you wouldn't touch with your 'pecker'. With falling asleep while driving you'll often think a little nap wont hurt - an absolutely ridiculous thought in hindsight but you're not working with 100% of your faculties 100% of the time.
There are many activities where accidents are rare but severe resulting in overconfidence. In activities like motorbike riding or gliding aircraft people will convince themselves that they're skilled enough when all that has happened is that they've been lucky, and given enough instances their luck will eventually run out. Knowing the stats can help avoid confusing luck with skill.
I generally study the stats and even I get caught out, usually when working while fatigued so I simply have to refuse to work when that happens - the accidents are not worth it.
My woodworking teacher in highschool was missing two fingers on his right hand. I don't think anyone is 100% safe around tools, child or adult, educated or otherwise. Life's about risks and how you manage them.
Which is not to say that kids can't be trusted to use tools! It's just that they're probably more vulnerable to overconfidence and complacency than adults, who are by no means safe from these things themselves, so it's probably better to let them cut themselves once or twice on a sharp knife before you let them use something with more permanent consequences, like a bandsaw.
In my observations the most overconfident and complacent tool users are the ones with the most experience, not the least. But perhaps it depends on the kid.
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Why knife is good for Balsa?
I was working on wood 3d model and one piece broke, and I was trying to cut a replacement out of the extra wood available, and couldn't get a cutter to work.