This is one of my favorite subjects, so I have to chime in.

First, regarding this...
> They like to clean up shavings with a hand broom and dustpan.
>
My eight year old son (and a friend of his) have decided these have some 
sort of value. They have been collecting them into a box for reasons 
that are way beyond me....

My eight year old also loves his rasp.  He will rasp and rasp and then 
sand and sand.  He also has a 12" Disston saw (which I want back, so I 
may trade him a 16" saw) which I let him us.  The eggbeater drill has 
been a hit for a while as well.  We bought a cheap set of bits ($2?) 
from the 'cheap tool guy' at the local flea market - so lost and broken 
bits are not a huge issue.

Over the weekend, we were camping at a relative's hunting camp.  I took 
some handsaws (and a froe, and a drawknife, and some chisels that needed 
handles, and...well I am a Galoot).  While there, I let the GITS cut up 
some small branches for kiddlin' wood with the handsaws.  This was a 
HUGE hit.   My six year old used a 20" panel saw and my 8 year did okay 
with a 26" saw.  (Meanwhile, I just left a lot of drool marks on the 
pile of cherry firewood.)

Finally, the talk of spokeshaves reminded me of something.  When my 
eldest son was younger (3 or 4), he went to a one day a week pre-school 
program at Mercer Museum.  Every week had a different theme (making 
butter, wool/spinning, etc...) but one or two weeks were on 
woodworking.  My wife said there was nothing cooler than a bunch of 
little kids trying a drawknife on a shaving horse.  My wife said the 
instructor said the blade was sharp, but that it was actually safer that 
way as it would really cut the wood - versus jerking loose and hitting 
someone.

Bruce Love
Pipersville, PA

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