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217 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

Using tools is not based on age, but instead on maturity and training. My 9-year-old has his own toolkit. There is a screwdriver, hammer, saw, and a couple other things that are his. He needs to ask ...
Acire's user avatar
  • 22.6k
74 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

I would say that 15 is plenty old enough to use a screwdriver or drill or hacksaw. For reference, in my boy scout troop, nearly every boy earned a Whittling Chip (even if they had already earned in ...
sharur's user avatar
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27 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

It's really up to you to decide. The important thing to keep in mind is your knowledge of your son's abilities. Is he good with his hands? Do you let him use knives? If you trust him to be capable and ...
Catija's user avatar
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16 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

I owned a bicycle since before I was 7, and learned how to maintain one almost from that time (using screwdrivers and wrenches). My father designed/contracted our family home when I was 12, and ...
Anthony X's user avatar
  • 261
15 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

If you're still looking for a specific age, I'd say about five years old. Inuit children are given razor sharp knives as soon as they're big enough to hold them. I started teaching my nieces and ...
delliottg's user avatar
  • 259
14 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

There's no simple answer to this question in the form "X years" as you'd hoped for. The right age for a child to use tools depends on the tool, the child and the parent (or other ...
Toby Speight's user avatar
7 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

I made a watchtower for my Action Man (GI Joe in the US) when I was 8, with minimal help from my dad. I don't know when I first started using real tools, but clearly by this time I knew how to use a ...
Graham's user avatar
  • 2,995
6 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

I was taught to use wood-working tools (hammer, screw-driver, hand plane, hand-saw, hand-held electric circular saw, electric drill, sand paper, paint, also sewing needle) at home when I was a child. ...
ChrisW's user avatar
  • 1,000
5 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

I coach a Destination Imagination team for 2nd to 4th graders (7 to 10-year olds). Outside of your question, first and foremost, no matter what tool and what age, personal protective equipment is most ...
Alex's user avatar
  • 51
4 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

I'll structure my answer by breaking it down by category of tool. For the age suggestion, I'll be a bit generous; a mature child could handle them a couple years sooner. He should start out ...
PunctualEmoticon's user avatar
4 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

Do not underestimate the ability of young people to learn. By the age of three they have already accomplished the two most complex physical skills they will ever develop - how to talk and how to walk. ...
Richard Grevers's user avatar
4 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

When I was 12, I received my first shotgun, along with a very strict lesson in gun safety. That year I also was taught how to use a table saw. (Note,I am 60 now and I still have all my fingers!). Over ...
Bob Thornton's user avatar
3 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

I had to wait until I was five to get my first proper sharp knife. The benefits of introducing tools early, explaining the risks, and of course being with your kids very closely when they first start ...
EdRowe's user avatar
  • 51
3 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

While this post is a bit old, I'll still comment this in case somebody ends up finding this post in the future. I'm talking about my experience as a person from Finland, and the education system works ...
Mike's user avatar
  • 31
2 votes

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

At our local public school kindergarten roundup, 4 year old children were expected to use scissors on their own before the school year started. So many toys require a Philips screwdriver to replace ...
rjt's user avatar
  • 121
1 vote

How can I be a parent with severe disabilities?

While I haven't come up with a viable solution for myself yet, comments provided by others and my own research have yeilded some potential leads that could help, though none seem be fully viable for ...
Jonathan's user avatar
  • 133
1 vote

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

Does he use a knife and fork? when did you teach him how to use them and does he understand how dangerous they could be? When I was 12 my school curriculum taught us to use pillar drills, table saws ...
Stu's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

I know a lot of others have posted but personally since about 9-10 I was allowed to use basic hand tools without asking as long as I put them back. At around 13-14 I was allowed to use powertools ...
Christopher's user avatar
1 vote

What age limit is appropriate for using tools (such as screwdrivers, hacksaw, drill, etc.)?

Personally I used all non-powered tools by age 7. At that point it was under observation, but by 8 or 9 I could use all hand tools I wanted from my own toolbox as much as I wanted. I had my own knife ...
Kitalda's user avatar
  • 441

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