Recommended woodwork tools from Early Years woodworking expert Pete Moorhouse.
The four main woodworking tools are:
The best hammer is a “stubby” ball-pein hammer. They are designed for adults to hammer in awkward places but they could not be more perfect for young children. They are a perfect weight for young children, have short handles so are more controllable and have a large hitting surface making it easier to hammer the nail.
Schools used to use long pin-head hammers which made it much more likely children would miss the nail.
Saws that cut on the pull stroke are so much easier for young children, being more controllable and require less effort. There are many pull saws available these days. I am a huge advocate of Japanese pull saws – these are light, have thin blades and everyone who uses them is taken aback but how easy they are to use. These are used with both hands holding the handle, making sawing much safer.
The best hand drills are those with enclosed mechanisms as there is no chance fingers can get caught in the exposed cogs. Ensure work is clamped when drilling. Short drill-bits are less likely to snap.
Use a stubby pozidriv screwdriver. Short-handled screwdrivers are easier to control and the Pozidriv “cross” shape means the screwdriver is less likely to slip out from the screw.
(not exactly a tool but an important bit of kit...)
Safety glasses eliminate the
risk of eye injury. They are much more comfortable than chunky goggles.
Woodwork tools in the Muddy Faces shop
We have collated a shop category pulling all Pete's recommended tools together in one place:
Both inspiring and informative, Learning Through Woodwork will become an essential tool for early years practitioners and teachers wishing to explore and develop woodwork provision.
Introduction from Pete Moorhouse
Pete Moorhouse is the UK’s leading authority on woodworking in Early Years education and has written several books and journal articles.
In this introduction to our Woodworking & Tools section Pete tells us about the benefits of woodwork in the Early Years and shares some very useful resources.
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Woodwork & safety
Woodworking in the Early Years expert Pete Woodhouse offers important health and safety guidelines for working with wood.
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Woodwork & learning
Woodworking in the Early Years expert Pete Woodhouse explores the learning that can come from working with wood.
Read More about Woodwork & learning