Yes it is, yes you can. Want to see photos of it?
I've been doing this work for so long, paddle making for work has forced me to look at woodworking with a certain eye towards time efficiency. I have to constantly remind myself about the situation that complete newcomers to hand work and woodworking are in. I have to set up the work environment, schedule, tooling, and talk, to focus on the person and not the work. This has to come across, in this instance, to the kids. The paddle is not the goal, building their skills and confidence is.
What does this look like? Well, with this group of 3 boys and 2 girls:
-fear of the bandsaw
-timidness in using the tools
-no idea at all if what they are accomplishing is good or not
-not listening to instructions and having no clue what to do when it comes time to do it.
-getting carried away when the plane works well and not stopping at the line.
-asking me if their work is good enough, not because they believe that it is but because they want me to tell them that they can stop.
On the plus side, I have no patience at all for anyone who tell me that the youth of today are no good. Everywhere I go I see great kids, but they are only going to be as good as the communities that raise them. These kids were polite, respectful, willing to learn, easy on themselves when the work wasn't easy, worked a good 8 hour day without complaining, and cleaned up. They even said "Thank you" at the end.
)
