Safety Turning with Kids

The lathe is one of the safest tools in the shop, mostly for one simple thing,  you hold the blade while the tool moves the wood.  This does not mean that you should not take any safety precautions, you still can get injured turning, but it is far less common then with other tools.  For this fact, it is a great tool to start kids on.  In addition, the ability to start and finish a project in one short session keeps the kids interested.  Unless you are an experienced wood turner, I highly recommend that you find a turning class for kids or Parents and kids.  Your local Woodcraft store probably has a session or two.  You can also try classes taught at schools like Marc Adams.  And there are also wood turners like Alan Lacer who put on very good classes around the US.  Videos are also very good learning tools if you can not make it to a class.  Alan Lacer has some very good beginning turning DVDs on his site.

I also would suggest that anyone who will be turning with kids use a Safety Center.  This is basically  a dead center that grips the wood in a manor that allows it to slip if a tool gets caught or a finger is pinched between the tool rest and the wood.  You can adjust the amount of slippage by how much pressure you put on the tail stock.  Oneway makes a very good one that I highly recommend and you can find it on Alan Lacer’s website for a good price.  I purchased one similar from Woodcraft that is a little different but does the same job.

Always suppervise your kids as they are turning.  Never allow them to wear lose clothing, jewelry, and make sure their hair is tied up and out of the way.  Make sure to go over how the tools work and all the safety issues of the tool with your kids.  Always, Always wear eye protection and most of all have fun.