Titanic Model
I’ve hoped to get my boys interested in tools and building projects, so I purchased a child’s tool kit.
I also built a child’s folding workbench.
My three-year-old loves hanging out in the garage and playing with tools, but he is a little young to build a project. My seven-year-old hasn’t shown much interest. A couple of days ago, he asked if he could build a model Titanic out of wood.
I thought up a design and put him to work cutting up some pine. He used the handsaw from the tool kit. A hand plane was included in the kit, but I haven’t sharpened it or tried to use it. I showed him how to use my Stanley 60 1/2 block plane to smooth the saw cuts.
He used the miter box in the kit to cut the stacks. He drilled the holes for the stacks with a bit brace. I helped with a belt sander to even the height of the stacks. He used a sanding block to shape the hull.
The Titanic is a great first wooden boat project (it’s ok if it sinks).
That is so cool, and very cute, As a grandfather I am VERY impressed and will be passing the project on to a couple of my grandchildren here in Australia.
Thank you Steve and a special thanks to your 7yo he is an inspiration
Not bad at all!
And to your son’s credit, unlike the real RMS Titanic, I believe his would actually survive a collision with an iceberg rather nicely.
The Titanic turned out great.
The thing I’d be concerned about with a “kids” toolkit (or any other toolkit for that matter) is the quality of the tools. If the kid gets frustrated by tools that don’t work well or that can’t keep an edge, it might actually turn them off to woodworking/building. On the other hand I know my daughter has been frustrated trying to use my tools because they are too big.
The tools in the kit are made in Poland. They are not great quality, but certainly usable. I should sharpen the plane iron and the chisels to see how they work.