Bandsaw Boxes-Working with kids!

Had to try out the band saw box idea….Pretty fun and easy to make. I built the tall one with my 8yr old son from a piece of birch firewood, and the two smaller ones from scrap juniper cut offs. I discovered band saw boxes are a very good project to work with kids on. They may not be ready for the band saw yet, but getting to help draw out the design, glue, clamp, and help sand lets them take a lot of ownership for the project. And after I explain each step before we do it, I enjoy having them repeat it in their own words to hear the project view from their little minds.

The juniper boxes I made with my “youngest” brother(6yrs) and sister(9yrs). My mom recently adopted 3 foster kids that she has been raising for the past 6 years (the youngest is only 1yr old)....so now my son has an 2 Uncles that are younger than him, and an Aunt that is just a few months older!!! He thinks its pretty funny to call them “Aunt/Uncle” and takes every chance he gets to do so!!

I recommend to anyone who wants to spend some time in the wood shop with kids to give the band saw boxes a try….they take less than an hour to complete, (depending on the attention span for the sanding process), and the kids feel so very accomplished creating such “complicated” projects. It is so funny when I point out scratches that I feel need sanded out and my son says, “but dad, I like those ones, its kinda rustic looking that way!”

-- Juniper Canyon Design