More Advantages of a Hand Tool Shop

More Advantages of a Hand Tool Shop 07/31/2008

This morning I got to spend some quality time in the shop with my favorite apprentice. She's eager to learn, loves to spend time in the shop and loves to help with whatever I'm working on. She's also 3 years old. How many shops full of machines would you let a 3 year old in? To me, this is one of the greatest advantages of a power-free shop. Sure, there are still a lot of sharp edges, but it's much easier to keep them away from her grasp and she knows the shop rules...you must have shoes on to come in the shop and no touching the tools unless Daddy says it's ok.

She has her own areas of the shop that she spends time in when she is not in the mood to help. First is the design area.

This is a very important area of the shop. Here is where new concepts and ideas are put to paper and chalkboard before we take tool to wood. Without this area, we would be flying by the seat of our pants without any idea of where we were going. Of course, when we are ready to start working, it is important for the tools to be organized so you know where to find them. A proper tool box is a must.

It's very important to keep your tools organized and put away when you are not using them so you know where to find them the next time you look for them. You don't want to be in the middle of a project and not be able to find your blue try square. Of course there are times when we need a tool that only Daddy has so in these cases, absolute proper supervision is a must (ok, this is a serious statement). But when we work together, we always have fun. There's nothing like a morning in the shop with a good apprentice.