Woodworking Projects for Teens

Working with wood is a fascinating hobby for teens and adults alike. Woodcraft projects can be as simple as using a wood-burning pen to personalize a jewelry box or plaque, or as complex as building furniture. Woodworking can provide a teen with skills that will prove handy for the rest of his or her life.

This project is pretty simple to make and there are several materials you can use to build it. A long walking stick is useful on long hikes and makes a nice gift for friends and family members. Start with 48-inch long stick or hardwood dowel. It needs to be about 3/4 inches in diameter so that it will be easy to grasp. Next you will need a small compass, a brass hiking stick tip, a bicycle hand grip and a small can polyurethane stain. If it is to be given as a gift you can personalize it by putting the person’s name on the side with a wood burning pen before staining the wood. Then, when the stain is dry glue the bike hand grip on top and the brass tip on to the bottom. Use some epoxy glue or a hot glue gun to glue the compass to the top of the grip and you’re done.

This simple project for teenagers requires some scavenging. Collect an assortment of wooden thread spools to make wheels and smoke stacks out of and a piece of 1-inch wooden doweling 24 inches long. You will also need one small wooden alphabet block. Cut the dowel in half to make the locomotive and one car out of. Now cut five large thread spools in half to make the wheels. Nail the wheels on to the side of the dowel pieces and glue the small alphabet block to the top back of the dowel locomotive. Use a hot glue gun to make smoke stacks with small thread spools. Paint the whole thing like you wish and you have a finished toy train.

If you live in a place where bamboo cane grows wild you can cut a piece of cane 12 to 14 feet long to make your fishing pole. If not you can buy bamboo poles from a garden supply store. To make the fishing pole easier to carry and store, the bamboo needs to be cut in half and have ferrules glued onto the cut ends. The ferrule pieces fit into each other to connect the rod sections for fishing. Your teenager will next have to glue a tip to the pole end to guide the fishing line through. Add a coat of varnish or lacquer to protect the bamboo and your teen is ready to fish.