Why do they need any tools when playing with a Wii, Xbox or Nintendo?
I am 41 and just got my very first one ever, and it is awesome. It is so fun that I literally walked my property and looked for things to cut up. A lot of tree limbs lost their lives that day!
Excellent ideas.
Good list. We all need these basic tools.
Thank you for posting this article.
vise grips, wrenches, and screw drivers of various sizes, types are also basic. and necessary for most all projects.
#12. Pocket knife
#13. Hatchet
Lots of bandages.
Also, I'd suggest that while it's good for a child to have "his own" tools, his toolkit can be built up according to need ... using Dad's tools under Dad's supervision is where to start. Again, IMHO.
First of all, in my opinion, should be instruction on how to READ a tape measure and that it is made for the right hand.
Each inch on a tape measure has lines of varying lengths ... the 1/2" line is the longest .. the 1/4" lines are next, followed by eighths and maybe sixteenths being the shortest.
I really heard from a grown man, "8 feet 3 and a half and 1 little line inches"
I'm right handed so I usually use the tape measure in my left while I mark with the right ... this forces you to read the tape upsidedown, because the tape was engineered to be pulled with the right hand and marked with the left.
I would include a coping saw in the list.
Learning to cope is a wealth of finger/hand/wrist training that works out well in other tasks.
Prolly most important will be a good Boy Scout type whittlin' knife.
Jes' th' two o'ya, whittlin'
What's that?
An arrowhead
Yep .. fine one too
priceless.
For cooking... err... *looking at* ants.
I can think of about a million, but Vise Grips, Channellocks, and saw-horses come to mind. My dad was a superintendent for one of the largest construction companies in the world, and I spent a good deal of my youth on mega-construction sites. He knew his way around tools and passed some of that on to me. I worked as a farmhand as a kid, and later worked in the printing industry, so I got a lot of practice building and fixing things; as a home-owner those lessons have saved me tens of thousands of dollars. Every person - man and woman, boy and girl, should be able wire a switch, change a fixture, replace a faucet, frame a wall, build a table, sharpen tools, and use an electrical meter to check a circuit. I am stunned to know men my age (early 50s) who wouldn’t have a clue on how to do any of those things - if you know how, pass it along to someone who doesn’t; if you don’t, learn.
ISBN: 0143117467
In building anything, the more precise you are, the easier the job will go. Whenever you need check the square of most anything, always remember this rule. 3-4-5. Measure 3’ on from a corner. measure 4’ from the same corner on the adjoining line. Measure from the 3’ mark to the 4’ mark. If it is square, the measurement across will be 5’ exactly. multiples of the 3’,4’,5’ holds true; 6’,8’,10’, 30’,40’,50’. This works every time. One of life’s absolutes.
Some basic knowledge is as vital as the tools you use. And I agree that it’s better to start with manual tools to learn the basics. My grandpa taught me and I don’t remember him owning any power tool. But I do remember his saw collection. And I remember “borrowing” one of his prized saws. 2 times; the first and last time all rolled into one time. Man was he a heck of a carpenter. He could plumb something without ever touching a level. I never proved him wrong either.
Garage sales are great places to pick up tools for kids. Also, living out here in rural Wyoming, auctions are great places to pick up all sorts of tools.