Thread: I Hope This Isn't Your Kid

Oh I'm getting too old! I'd have loved that when i was a kid. Now i look at it & think "You could have someone's eye out with that!"
I might knock one up & ambush my wife, just to re-assert my inner child!

I think the gun is fine (when I was a kid we were making zip guns). But when he uses scissors to cut wood and doesn't know the word "serrated" instead of "jaged edge knife". I think he may be living with a single mom. Or maybe his dad is an investment banker.

what's wrong with that? hell, when i was a kid we used to put on our heaviest sweaters and sunglasses and run around shooting each other with pellet guns.

I have less a problem with the gun than I do withthe fact that it is clear that no one ever shwoed this kid a damned thing about tools and wood. (and my dad WAS an investment banker! He also taught me a thing or two about wood and tools. The point, however, was clear enough!!)

Originally Posted by jockeys

what's wrong with that? hell, when i was a kid we used to put on our heaviest sweaters and sunglasses and run around shooting each other with pellet guns.

I have said that I have no problem with the gun. I also want to say I admire the kid's ingenuity. If the kid had a little bit of guidance he'd probably be able to come up with some really impressive projects. (Maybe a full auto version) My issue is that the kid is foundering and he seems to be very sharp.

Thank you Smokelaw for not taking my "investment banker" reference personally. Generalizations are generally not good. However they are often useful in writing to help illustrate a point.

That little gun is fine, christ it's not going to be as powerful as the elastic band holding it together would be!

BUT - someone needs to show the lad how to use a knife, or he's going to have a scar on the 'webbing' between his thumb and first finger just like I do.

Originally Posted by icedog

One group will work with the boys sincerely trying to create a car that will not be an embarrassment to the kid on race day. The other group of fathers will abandon their sons and gather in a corner of the shop to discuss investment strategies, the new Bimmer or how hot the nanny is.
The latter group would know the difference between a hack saw and a table saw and their kid never sees them but they consider themselves superior to me as I teach their sons shop safety.

Wow, what a superior attitude you display against those fathers. Who is it you think feels superior to the other?

Matt

edit: Also, my father is a doctor (veterinarian) and he taught me how to make one of these "guns" when I was 7 years old. He also taught me how to throw horseshoe nails, how to fix a car, build a retaining wall, rebuild an engine, replace a clutch, build a building (12x12 shed), wire the electricity to a house, etc... . Your generalization of the wealthier individuals in society is baseless and completely absured.

Originally Posted by jockeys

what's wrong with that? hell, when i was a kid we used to put on our heaviest sweaters and sunglasses and run around shooting each other with pellet guns.

We did that! And we had giant cushions as shields & 3 darts each as spears. I fondly remember seeing one of mine removed from a rivals back by his friend! Those were the days.

Originally Posted by icedog

I have said that I have no problem with the gun. I also want to say I admire the kid's ingenuity. If the kid had a little bit of guidance he'd probably be able to come up with some really impressive projects. (Maybe a full auto version) My issue is that the kid is foundering and he seems to be very sharp.

I am thankful that before my dad ever let me hold a knife that he explained to me the rules (you know.. never cut toward yourself, blood circle, etc). Just like when he taught me to shoot a gun, I had to know the rules before I could even touch an unloaded gun... then I had to prove over time that I knew how to handle an empty gun before he ever let me chamber a round. He also taught me the safety protocols for table saws, band saws, welding equipment etc. just like he did with everything else. When people have this kind of knowledge they can exercise their ideas and really pull off some cool stuff. This post isn't about the stupid little gun, IMHO it's about a need for people to teach proper ways to do things and how to respect tools. From what I see there is an extreme shortage of this kind of knowledge... high school shop classes are closing and parents either don't know or don't teach.

I agree Ice, I see the point you are making and I am not sweating the generalizations.. you said yourself that it was meant as an illustration only. This is a good example of a smart kid with some creative ideas, who would really benefit from some basic instruction on tools and shop-work. At least I think this is the point.