Teach a kid to fish, feed him for a lifetime

[KMinAF]

My nephew loves to make things, he has been that way for as long as I can remember. Last year I invited him to tack a couple pieces together, now he is hooked. Last month we made a simple bench, this month we made a stool from old motorcycle parts. Here's a pic of him working away in the garage. Not bad for an eight year old.
The saying "give a man a fish feed him for a day, teach a man to fish feed him for a lifetime" definitely applies to welding.

 

[PFSard]

Slick. I didn't even know that welding existed when I was his age. Looking forward to seeing some of his creations.

 

[Farmall450]

Awesome of you to get them started young. When I started (about that age) it was with a Lincoln Tombstone & 1/8" 6013

 

[spike99250]

Tell him this, if all you have is a hammer, everything is a nail, if you have a welder anything is what ever you want it to be.

 

[ZX3ST]

Love it. My nephews/nieces have no interest in things like this.

Watch that loose coat on the grinder though!

 

[Bellaireroad]

My nephew loves to make things, he has been that way for as long as I can remember. Last year I invited him to tack a couple pieces together, now he is hooked. Last month we made a simple bench, this month we made a stool from old motorcycle parts. Here's a pic of him working away in the garage. Not bad for an eight year old.
The saying "give a man a fish feed him for a day, teach a man to fish feed him for a lifetime" definitely applies to welding.

Get him educated on the importance of PPE as well.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[8man]

Nice!

 

[Jazz1]

There is 2 week "welding camp" up here for boys and girls 12 to 15. Held a college tech shop.
Its hugely popular whether the kids consider a trade in future or just a life skill.

 

[jhelrey]

Watch that loose coat on the grinder though!

I was about to make a comment on that as well.

 

[ddawg16]

We need to bring back shop in schools.

Not everyone is going to be a f'ing engineer or doctor. Someone has to make their **** for them

 

[Two Door]

Not everyone is going to be a f'ing engineer or doctor. Someone has to make their **** for them

True. But equally true that one shouldn't make permanent life decisions based on what you find interesting as a child.

 

[nmr1981]

I agree that shop classes should be brought back, i still use the skills I learned in wood shop 18 years ago. I am now a high school teacher myself and sadly the shop classes are long gone due to budget cuts and a more "college oriented" curriculum. Fact of the matter is our school gets a "report card" for how many students are enrolled in advanced classes, amount of discipline write ups etc...so everyone is a future college student and behaves like a saint. Shop classes were a blessing for me even though I didn't parlay this interest into a career, I think we should support and nourish the interests of kids with projects like this for as long as they are in the garage they aren't on social media.

 

[bczygan]

Even a f'ing engineer or doctor should develop other skills and abilities.

Bill

 

[brokeboater]

i still use the skills I learned in wood shop 18 years ago.

Shop class was the only class I excelled at. I took as many as I was allowed to then the shop teacher, who was the only teacher I remember fondly, made me his assistant so I could get another year in. I can't say I learned that much hands on wise but it was an atmosphere I was comfortable in and the teacher seemed to understand me. Excelling in any subject was well within my grasp but school never really clicked with me. I was one of the few boys who signed up for typing class and I did it to be in with all the girls. The skills I learned there, typing, have served me for a lifetime. At the time nobody had any clue proficient typing skills would be so useful in the computer age. AAMOF, nobody had any clue there would be a computer age back then.

 

[bad_idea]

It's awesome that you have him out in the shop. BUT, I swear that picture belongs on a safety poster. Gloves, face shield, and ditch the loose coat. I'm assuming he is wearing ear plugs? Momma ain't gonna let him work out there if he gets hurt bad.

 

[gtae07]

We need to bring back shop in schools.

Not everyone is going to be a f'ing engineer or doctor. Someone has to make their **** for them

Hell, the engineers definitely need shop class. I wish I'd had a bit of welding experience when I started full-time after graduation and a major part of my job was designing welded structures. I drew up lots of stupid stuff and pissed the welders off until they realized I was doing it out of ignorance (not malice) and more importantly, was trying to learn from them. Same thing with the machinists, too.

They didn't have shop classes in my high school, at all. But my dad basically ran his own version at home, at least within his skill set of carpentry, auto repair, and later on aircraft sheet metal, and I think I'm going to be doing the same with my son. He's only two and a half and already asking "help daddy airplane".

 

[cvairwerks]

No gloves ever around power tools that are rotating....Grinders, lathes, drills, ect.

 

[aka Larry]

We need to bring back shop in schools.

Not everyone is going to be a f'ing engineer or doctor. Someone has to make their **** for them

This is what I keep saying! Nothing wrong with getting a good education, but every job can't be done sitting behind a desk.

 

[nmr1981]

Not intending to hijack this thread but an interesting book on this topic of shop class and the benefits on kids.
"Shop Class as Soul Craft"

 

[ericlar80]

I do like to see him learning a new skill, but that loose sweatshirt is an accident waiting to happen. My brother in law had an angle grinder grab his shirt and the wheel pulled into his stomach. Luckily he only needed stitches.

He really should be wearing short sleeves, a face mask, eye protection and hearing protection with one of those things. I'd argue it's the most dangerous tool in the average garage, particularly because people don't realize how bad you can get hurt by one.

 

[jd_1138]

Love it. My nephews/nieces have no interest in things like this.

Watch that loose coat on the grinder though!

I tried to get my nephew interested in helping me build my mom a little 6x8 shed. But he didn't want to help his grandma and me, and wasn't interested in learning basic construction. I was going to pay him too.

It'd take away from the time he wanted to spend on the Snapchats, FB, Instagrams, Twitters.

 

[KMinAF]

The irony of the safety comments is that this pic was taken by his mother in their garage after spending the previous afternoon with me. I had instructed him on the use of appropriate safety gear while in my garage. He thought he was being extra safe with the added layers of "protection". Its a steep learning curve when first starting out!