Hands-on Father's Day Projects for the Whole Family

(ARA) - Many young boys – and girls – enjoy following their grandfather or father around his workshop, admiring his tools and hoping to help with a project. With Father’s Day quickly approaching, there’s no better time for dads or granddads to encourage this interest by letting youngsters pitch in on a kid-friendly project.

“Working together on a hands-on project is one of the most rewarding activities you can engage in with young family members,” says Pat Hensiak, Dremel customer service supervisor. “You’ll create memories that will last a lifetime, and often end up with a special souvenir.” Interestingly, the company recently conducted a survey about do-it-yourself projects and found that a high percentage of men – 44 percent – believe that working on home improvement projects with another family member strengthens the relationship.

These projects include easy steps that kids of any age can follow when working with their dad or grandfather. An experienced adult should always complete power tool work, and this time provides a good opportunity for adults to explain the proper use of power tools and shop safety to their young helpers.

* Build a wooden toy racing car. Working together to create a wooden toy racing car is a classic father/son activity, stemming from derby car racing’s early association with clubs such as the Boy Scouts of America. Nowadays, derby car racing has been adapted by many other groups, including church and community groups, and could even be turned into a family race.

Start by drawing the car on a block of pine showing the top, side, front and back views. Using a vise to hold the wood block, remove large areas of wood with a scroll saw or coping saw. Then, use a Dremel 300 Series rotary tool to shape, smooth and make contours to the car. Kids can jump into hand-sand the car, then paint with their favorite colors and designs. Assemble wheels and you’re ready to roll.

* Create a homemade puzzle. Let your kids pick their favorite photo – maybe one from vacation or of a family pet – and use a photo service found in most drug stores to enlarge it to the size puzzle you wish to create. A colorful magazine page or one of your kids’ own drawings will also work. Purchase or cut an 1/8- to 1/2-inch piece of wood to the same size as your image. Allow kids to hand-sand the wood until smooth, then draw an outline for puzzle pieces onto the back. Using glue, affix the image to the top of the wood piece. Follow the puzzle piece outlines drawn on the back of the wood with a scroll saw to cut the wood into the puzzle pieces.

* Make a terra cotta birdfeeder. Kids love watching wildlife gather in their own back yards. Make a trip to the hardware store first to gather supplies: a clay pot 4 to 6 inches in diameter, a clay saucer large enough to cover the pot, a 3/8-inch threaded rod that is 2 inches longer than the length of the pot and saucer combined, three nuts for the 3/8-inch rod, three metal washers, three rubber washers, an extended nut, an eyebolt or threaded hook and a 1/4-inch dowel 3 inches long.

The saucer serves as the birdhouse roof. Using a rotary tool, grind a 3/8-inch hole in the center of the saucer. Make the bird’s door by grinding a 1- to 1 1/2-inch hole in the side of the pot. Beneath the door, grind a 1/4-inch hole using a tungsten carbide cutter and press a dowel into it for a perch.

Thread all components together to form the hanging house:
1. Thread the nut from the top of the rod to position the pot.
2. Slip the metal washer, then rubber washer, up from the bottom of the rod then slide the pot into position.
3. Slide rubber washer then metal washer up under pot.
4. Thread the nut up from the bottom of the rod and tighten against washers until pot is securely held.
5. Repeat the same procedure for securing the saucer upside-down. Then, thread on another nut to act as a lock nut. Thread extended nut on top of rod and screw eyebolt into it as a hanger.

After hanging in a nearby tree, wait for a bird family to make the house a home.

For more family-friendly project ideas, visit www.dremel.com or call the Dremel Experts at
(800) 437-3635.

Courtesy of ARAcontent and DawgByte Productions