How young do you let them use a chainsaw.

I had an interesting question this morning from a client of mine. How young do you let your son or daughter use a chainsaw?
I recall I was either 11 or 12 years old. My son was about the same maybe almost 13. I do recall my dad starting me on some easier pieces on the homemade saw buck and with a real sharp chain. I did not use safety glass back in 1965 but he did make me use some cotton in my ears.
My son was required to wear the helmet with the face shield and ear muffs, leather gloves and alot of patience. Mom said she couldn't watch. But, he was dying to do it. today at 22 he is very good but still has that health respect we all need to maintain.
This might be a good time for some of you "seasoned" guys to explain to the younger guys that have sons or daughters that want to do it, how to go about teaching the next generation of woodcutters.

 

I believe I was about 11 or 12 when we got our first chain saw. It was an old David Bradley that weighed almost as much as I did. No teaching by my Dad on anything involved in using the thing. He would start it for me and then walk away to chores. It still beat the old buck saw and an axe we had used up to that point. Nowadays at work, I got guys that are in their 40's that wont let touch a chain saw cuz they is so dumb I'm afraid they will cut their own danged head off some how.

 

Depends on the kid. I was 12-13 first time and cutting/selling firewood by myself at 16.

 

I have twin 11 y.o boys. One is interested in power equipment and just about any type of tools. The other has his mother's fear of anything sharp in him. The one that is interested has used my kick-azz HomeLite Ranger 33 with a 16 in bar, tip guard, and a new safety chain. And whatever safety equipment he could wear. Cutting easy stuff (<8") properly blocked and low to the ground. Set him up with two 12" diameter logs on the ground and the piece he was bucking between them and up about 8" from the ground. Mainly soft maple.

He had a blast and is dying to go drop some trees with me. Told him he could help me buck but dropping trees had to wait a few years. I, unlike my wife, don't have eyes in the back of my head.

KaptJaq

 

Levi started running his own saw when he was 10, but had some experience from 8 or 9...
He grew up around machinery though...
Guess there's a lot of variables.



Figured if he was big enough to carry them, he was big enough to cut them..

 

Hedgerow, that is exactly the same thing my son told me at that age.

 

This last summer my sisters boy who is 13 was helping me clear out some brush and smaller trees off a piece of the property.After helping with a lot of the grunt work most of the day I knew he wanted to try a chainsaw so I figured to let him buck up one I had cut down.I gave him a little lesson on what stuff was and how it works and gave him a try with a little 40cc...he scared the crap outta me,handled the saw like it was a light sabre and his saw time was short lived.

 

Golden Rule 2-A
You cut it?
You gotta be willing to pick it up...

That is the invisible hand of moderation during younger chainsawing years...

But as far as developing saw skills, there's no substitute for trigger time...

 

I was around 11 when Dad let me use his Stihl 015.

Funny this topic came up, just over the weekend I was letting my 6 year old step daughter knock over cans with a .22, and she asked if she could run a chainsaw next. I told her she needed to be a LOT older!!!

 

My son is 10, almost 11. I was thinking of waiting until he was 12 and then being right with him for a while until I was comfy with him running a small saw. I did not run one until I was 14 or 15 I guess.

 

Thanks....................I now have nasal beer spray on my keyboard!!!!!

I was probably 14-15 when Dad let me try the McCullock ProMac 610 with the 28" bar. Dad was never good at chain sharpening, so this big saw wasn't a problem!! With a sharp chain would try to pull you over the log. It's a better saw since I've put the 24" bar on her though.

 

Never used one (didn't have the need for it) until I was 16.Parents bought the little acreage when I was 17 & a 1/2. A few months later dropped my first snag unsupervised (large White Oak 50' tall).Proper training,good work habits,correct way of filing chains,routine maintenance etc was drilled into my brain on a daily basis by Dad & others with years of experience.After high school worked for small local tree service for a couple years.

That was many years ago.There is no substitute for hours running the saw,you cant learn that from a textbook or the internet.
Once I started using a saw it was almost impossible for me to put it down.Except at lunch/dinner time or when the day's job was finished.


Agree with others -it all depends on the child's maturity,needs & if they really want to help or just go through the motions.


Like others here I've seen/known people who shouldn't have anything to do with chain saws (or any other power tool for that matter),regardless of how old they may be....Common sense & willing to work are a lot of it,no one is born with it,like any other job skill,art or craft it takes years to become proficient,you never stop learning either IMO.

 

My son is 12, been asking for the last year or two ............ this winter he will run one of the small ones, been splitting and stacking the last few years. I haven't been the one who is holding him back, but I also haven't put my foot down yet.

 

I don't have an answer for when, but I was about 14. I was home alone and thought I was helping. Fired up my dad's 031 and went to town on a smallish tree that had fallen in the yard. Dad came home in the middle of it, watched for a few and let me continue. I've always been around power tools and was using a circular saw about 10. Those were different times though. I never really got into running chainsaws until I was in my late 20s.

Oddly enough this story parallels how I rode my first street bike, but dad was less than happy when he passed me down the street from our house on his nighthawk at 15.

Boys will be boys!

 

Moparmyway,
You'll know when it is the time by just the way he'll approach it. We know them better than we think, most of the time.
Thistle:
Well stated and it is not necessarily how young but when your ready and you know it.
MightyWhitey, I like the Hayek and Sowell quotes.... keep the faith man.

 

Depends on the kid. I know some grown azz men I wouldn't feel comfortable letting run a saw.

 

Working on the farm I think I first ran one around 12/13.
My grandfather had an old Mac that my older brother got. He and I would often head out and cut a few apple bins of firewood for the open hearth in our 15-16yo time frame.
Looking back never had anyone ever teach me a damm thing about saw safety

I can't remember how many trees we cut down with a bow saw and hatchet for our bonfires at the camp probably 8-10yo

 

I actually owned a chain saw before my father, he only had one for about 3 years before he died. I was probably 16 before I had much run time on a saw and started out helping a buddy selling firewood.

On the other hand I have a nephew who is 19 and whose mother helped him become an Eagle Scout. I found out first hand that the boy does not know how to swing an axe. I would not allow him to use a chain saw on my watch.

 

#1 son had no interest in touching a power saw until he was in college, at UMO. Then he asked me to buy one. No injuries so far in 20 yrs.

#2 son was interested at age 12 in running my 30 cc Echo at an AMC wood-cutting/splitting party in the Berkshires. He was very strong for his age, and motivated. On the ride, he was attentive to my 20-minute basic safety lecture. After asking the man-in-charge, he was issued some chaps, for a low-pressure check-out. "He's doing fine." He cut on a sawbuck while I and others fed wood to him. Couple or three tanks later, he was still tightly focused and getting it done. Then a real country dinner. Dunno which he enjoyed more.

Physical & mental readiness seem both really important. Then you need motivation and respect for a very dangerous tool.