CRAFTSMAN ACTIVITY BADGE

Back to Roundtable Home

Purpose:

Learn how to work with tools

Challenges:

Wide range of abilities, obtaining adequate supervision, making a mess, inexpensive materials,

Solutions:

This badge will be a favorite, but requires a lot of preparation. Some projects, like leather work and cardboard, can be held at your regular meeting place. Others, like woodworking, should be held in a shop or garage where the sawdust can be contained easier. Because every Cub wants to do something, you'll need a large supply of hammers or set up cutting, sanding, nailing, and gluing stations. Have small groups rotate around as the work progresses. If everybody is starting fresh, you may need a second project to keep all boys busy. An adult helper or guide with each group or an adult supervisor at each station are both good methods. Remember, everyone is included in the clean-up.

Resources:

Collection of materials will be a challenge. Check with local companies for wood scraps. Plywood is usable for most projects, but solid lumber such as pine is better for some cutouts. Hardwoods like oak, ash, and walnut are too hard for most Cubs to cut and shape; they may get frustrated. When hardwoods are needed, precut and rough sand them in advance, leaving the finishing work to the Cub.

For leather crafts, check with companies for scraps that the boys can cut and tool. 6" square or round pieces of Masonite make good work surfaces for cutting and stamping operations.

First projects should be simple. Key chains are easy and make good gifts.

Clay projects are good for gifts and puppet heads that can be used for work in the Showman badge.

Try a ceramic shop for advice and possible help with glazing and firing.

Planning:

The Craftsman is a multi-meeting project, and the Cubs may also do a lot of work at home. The Cubs require a lot of supervision and help on most projects. Plan one adult for every two or three Cubs. Remember that tools used correctly are safe, but the incorrect use of tools can have serious consequences!

BB, Viking Council

To Craftsman Index
Back to Roundtable

ACTIVITIES

The activities included in the Craftsman section of the Webelos book help the boys grasp a basic understanding of using hand tools while building something from scratch. As a Webelos den leader this leaves you with a lot of flexibility in helping the kids come up with ideas for FUN projects to build.

The key word here is FUN.

If the project is not fun the kids will not participate and you will likely never finish. and remember these kids are 4th and 5th graders and do not yet have the skill level or attention span necessary to build a work of art.

They will require a lot of one on one attention during these activities. The best advise for you is to BE PREPARED for each den meeting and have a lot of help. If you decide to build these projects during the den meeting I suggest that you have everything set up and ready before the boys show up. Most project will take a minimum of 1 hour to complete.

The Webelos Scout Helps set a side both November and December for the Craftsman activity badge. Your best friends during this time are the boys parents. Who can resist a trip down to the local hardware store to get just the right tool for the job. Remember also that these projects are just in time for Christmas.

There are a lot of suggestions in the Webelos book for easy to medium hard projects. Experience has shown that boys this age are very eager to start cutting, hammering and gluing but don't know how to use the tools properly. Most of these young men have never used a coping saw or hammer before. Begin by explaining how to safely use the tools that you will need to do the project. Next demonstrate on a scrap piece of wood or plastic how to properly use each one. You will be very surprised to see how hard it really is to use a coping saw, if not properly done. This demonstration will save you a lot of time later on when the boys begin cutting on their projects. Let each boy try it on the scrap wood.

MORE ACTIVITIES

• Visit furniture factory, lumber mill or lumberyard.
  Some local home centers offer special weekend classes for Webelos age children.
• Invite someone to give a demonstration on the safe use of tools.
• Visit a construction site or find out about helping with a Habitat for Humanity project.
• Visit a tannery or leather goods manufacturer.
• Invite someone to give a demonstration of leather craft and explain how to use leather tools.
• Invite someone to give a demonstration of metal work, using tin snips and a vise.
• Have a nail driving contest.
• Build a bridge for pack crossover ceremonies; tie it into the Engineering pin.
• Tie in with the Scholar pin and discuss how education helps when doing crafts and working in the technology field.

Circle 10 Council

Carpenter Run on

To Craftsman Index
Back to Roundtable

PROJECTS

To Craftsman Index
Back to Roundtable

Toy Boat Plan

WORKBENCH JARS

A simple project for the Craftsman activity badge. Fasten jar lids with screws to the underside of a workbench shelf. Screw jars into lids. Can be used to hold nails, screws, washers, bolts, etc.

WOODEN TRIVET

Materials:
1 dowel, 4' long, 1" diameter,
Table saw,
Sandpaper,
Waxed paper,
Carpenter's glue,
Felt, 6"X6"

Cut the dowel into slices about 1 1/2" thick, using the table saw. Sand any rough edges.

Lay a piece of waxed paper on the working surface. It can be easily removed from the trivet after the glue has dried. Begin gluing the slices together as shown in the picture. When glue has dried, pull away waxed paper and cut the felt piece to fit the back of the trivet. Glue in place.

WORKING WITH LEATHER

Leather crafting is a hobby that many boys may carry into adulthood. It is best to start with simple projects like key chains and coasters and let the boys work their way up to more difficult items such as wallets or belts.

Look in the yellow pages for leather crafting supply stores near you. Here are some tips to help you get started:

Dampen leather with a sponge for ease of tooling, but don't have it dripping wet.

Have the boys draw a design on paper before starting. They can trace the design onto their piece of leather with an awl.

Let the boys practice with their tools on scrap leather first.

Leather stains or acrylic paints will give projects added dimension.

Put a wood board under each boy's leather piece while he is working

Greater St. Louis Area Council

To Craftsman Index
Back to Roundtable