Lakeshore Build-It-Yourself Woodworking Kit

I never, ever, ever bother to write these things. But, I am so incredibly impressed with this product, that I feel compelled to. My six year old daughter LOVES IT, as does my almost four year old daughter. The hammer is just the right size, and it comes with enough pre-cut (good quality) wood for many projects. So far, they have made a house, car, and a plane-- all of which are far more aesthetically pleasing (to me, as a mom) than the plethora of junky plastic toys that seem to fill our home. We've used these projects both as math lessons (measuring the wood, counting the nails needed, learning about angles, reviewing shapes) and during arts & crafts time; but, with just a little creativity, they could be incorporated into just about any learning subject. For the amount of enjoyment we have received, thus far, this product is already worth the money spent, and we have several more projects to go! We will be buying another for little sister's upcoming birthday, most definitely.

We bought this kit as a gift for our 3 1/2 year old grandson, to work on with Grandpa. It contains nicely cut and sanded pieces, and the little hammer is great quality! He'll use it for a long time! They immediately tried 2 of the projects, and first found that the instructions were a little vague (so many similar sized/shaped pieces - it was difficult to sort them!). The glue included in the kit had separated, and was not usable - but basic wood glue, which we had on hand, worked just fine. The projects turned out great, and, the time spent working on them was priceless! We would purchase a similar product again.

Very satisfied and happy with my purchase. Great product, price and speedy delivery.

I bought this kit for my 8 year olds birthday. He has had a lot of fun putting everything together and only needed my help a couple of time while using the hammer but other than that he was very excited to be able to build the 3 items included in the kit all by himself. If they made different kits with more items to build I would certainly purchase them all. I highly recommend this for any boy or girl that likes to build and put things together.

Bought this as a gift for my 7 year old grandson who likes to build things and he loves it. He was able to follow the instructions and assemble the pieces himself. I thought it was a little overpriced but he enjoys so I guess that's what counts.

When I first got this and gave it to my 6 year old, I was excited and believed she would be pretty self sufficient with putting together everything. While I am still happy with the product, there are several issues that need to be mentioned for anyone picking this up. 1) This is mainly a glue together wood setup. Nails are there to reinforce the glue used, but not needed. 2) Instructions can be ordered poorly with items installed that could block putting the nails in or causing issues with other items. Not a big deal, but can create problems with a kid like mine who wants to follow the instructions to the letter. 3) Some building setups are just poorly though out. Example, gluing a small square onto an angled top (needed to angle hammer in a nail to fix it falling off in the future). 4) Nailing into decent wood with no pre-drill. An adult will have some challenges with the nails and hammer provided. My 6 year old could spend a day (and tried) getting a nail in. 5) Had at least one of the builds not match the diagram and also a part missing from another (train wheel pin was missing and mentioned in another rating......used a golf ball post to fix). Reality even with the issues it is an excellent kit to teach kids to measure and assemble stuff. At the price, expected a lot more polish and less frustration with my oldest. She is still excited about doing the builds, just asking why skipping steps is needed and why stuff is missing (learning about life one might say.

The set is big, the set comes with tools, both items are great. The set does not come with additional nails. The instructions are frustrating at times, especially for the bank which glues all sides on (but no clamps provided, luckily I have tons of clamps), does not use nails except on the top, and cannot be opened without modifying the plans. My daughter loves it, but is frustrated with waiting 20+ minutes each time we glue something together. A more nail-oriented focus would have been nicer, especially if starter holes had been made.

This is such a cute little set. My 6 year old asked for “wood to build stuff” for his birthday and this kit was perfect. He did some of the projects and made up a couple of his own. The nails and glue are perfect for little hands. We do have to assist him with some of the nailing, but it’s definitely the perfect set for a kid that likes wood working.

It's a quality product but I was really surprised at the size based on the price. I ordered this product for use with my child care class and, for this reason, would have to find a more cost effective kit if I were to do woodworking again.