Activity: Basic Woodworking

Learn basic woodworking skills. It’s fun, and you can become more self-reliant.

Hold a hands-on activity to learn basic woodworking skills. Find someone who knows how to work with common hand tools—such as hammers, handsaws, and screwdrivers—and ask him or her to demonstrate their use. Using the woodworking tools presented by the expert, make something simple out of wood, such as a shelf, footstool, or picture frame.

You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish with basic hand tools. Start small and see what you can do.

As you plan this activity, please follow the counsel given in chapter 13 of Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010) and review “Safety Recommendations for Church Activities.”

Please adapt activities as necessary to ensure all individuals are able to participate, belong, and contribute.

• Invite a knowledgeable person to show you how to finish projects with sanding, staining, painting, and other finishing techniques. When items are finished properly, they are more beautiful and last longer.
• Invite an experienced instructor to show your group how to use various power tools such as a circular saw, lathe, sander, or drill. Be sure to follow the recommended safety guidelines for using power tools.

Encourage youth to talk about how what they are learning can help them and others grow closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Discussions can take place before, during, or after the activity and should last just a few minutes. You could ask questions like the following:

• Why do you think it is important to learn new skills, such as woodworking?
• How can learning a new skill help you serve someone else?
• What does it mean to be self-reliant?
• How can you turn a skill into a source of income?

• “Work and Self-Reliance,” For the Strength of Youth (booklet, 2011), 40–41