How old to use a chain saw?

[John D]

I am wanting to teach my kids how to use a chain saw soon.I cut am cutting my own wood now,for my own use.I have a few small saws,very lightweight and easy to handle.A husky 345,MC eager beaver 3216,and a small homelite XL.They all have the safety chains on them so they dont kick back.My girlfriend and kids help me all the time with the firewood gathering,splitting and clean up. My daughter is almost 14,my son almost 12. They are very good with equipment,and grew up on our golf course,well over 100 acres,so they have been running golf carts since they were 5 ,they both drive manual shift tractor/loaders,and standard site trucks on the golf course.They both run my Cat 246 easily,as well as both have been mowing my lawn with zero turn mowers for yrs. They easily start and run string trimmers,and backpack blowers all summer at the house.Both can back a short 8ft wide trailer thru a 10 ft wide barn door in one shot.They both ride 600cc + snowmobiles,and ATV's. There isnt much they cant do,I started them young so they would be able to do just about anything.
I am not sure at what age is ok to let them start using a saw.For now they have been using hand clippers to cut off the small branches,and my 18 volt Dewalt sawzall with a few branches to help me out when i get behind.Personally i have never worn a pair of chaps when i cut wood,I would obviously get them chaps,and go thru the saftey drills with them. If they could help me wih the little branches and limbs it would tremendously speed up the operation.I am the only one who cuts,and they can process much faster than i can log it out and limb it.My girlfriend thinks they are both 2 young yet to handle any saw.I agree for now,but when should i consider it? I started using one at 18,but the reason i didnt start earlier was because we werent cutting wood from when i was 11-18.

 

[polkat]

I had a saw in my hand at 15 it was punishment then now its therapeutic:greenchainsaw:

 

[Bushman_269]

If I remember correctly, (it has been a while) my Dad let me start running a saw when I was in high school - probably around 16 or so. I guess he figured if he trusted me to drive the car and handle firearms I could safely handle a chain saw. Happy to say his trust was not misplaced. :greenchainsaw:

 

[avalancher]

I am wanting to teach my kids how to use a chain saw soon.I cut am cutting my own wood now,for my own use.I have a few small saws,very lightweight and easy to handle.A husky 345,MC eager beaver 3216,and a small homelite XL.They all have the safety chains on them so they dont kick back.My girlfriend and kids help me all the time with the firewood gathering,splitting and clean up. My daughter is almost 14,my son almost 12. They are very good with equipment,and grew up on our golf course,well over 100 acres,so they have been running golf carts since they were 5 ,they both drive manual shift tractor/loaders,and standard site trucks on the golf course.They both run my Cat 246 easily,as well as both have been mowing my lawn with zero turn mowers for yrs. They easily start and run string trimmers,and backpack blowers all summer at the house.Both can back a short 8ft wide trailer thru a 10 ft wide barn door in one shot.They both ride 600cc + snowmobiles,and ATV's. There isnt much they cant do,I started them young so they would be able to do just about anything.
I am not sure at what age is ok to let them start using a saw.For now they have been using hand clippers to cut off the small branches,and my 18 volt Dewalt sawzall with a few branches to help me out when i get behind.Personally i have never worn a pair of chaps when i cut wood,I would obviously get them chaps,and go thru the saftey drills with them. If they could help me wih the little branches and limbs it would tremendously speed up the operation.I am the only one who cuts,and they can process much faster than i can log it out and limb it.My girlfriend thinks they are both 2 young yet to handle any saw.I agree for now,but when should i consider it? I started using one at 18,but the reason i didnt start earlier was because we werent cutting wood from when i was 11-18.

Personally, I think they are old enough, but a lot depends on each individual kid. From the sounds of it they are well acquainted with machinery of all types.
My daughter is 11, and handles my little echo with no problem.I equipe her with all the safety gear, and she does okay.Once in awhile I will see the tip hit the ground and I wince, but as far as safety goes there isnt a problem.
Devote a saturday to some safety classes, and keep an eye on em. they aint never going to learn until they put hands on the saw.

 

[Stihl 041S]

Safety chain isn't safe. It reduces kickback.

 

[Urbicide]

They all have the safety chains on them so they dont kick back.

Who said "safety chain" doesn't kick back? It has reduced potential to kick back, but still can under the right conditions. I dislike the term "safety chain" in the first place. There is no such thing as a safe chain. Any saw chain will do major damage to the human body in a fraction of a second.

Anyhow, it sounds like your kids have a pretty good back ground. Full PPE should be worn by them (and by you since you are their role model). Go to Labonville's website and check out the video on leg protection. It has been said here that a chain saw is the most dangerous tool you can buy with out a license. Make sure that your kids can physically handle a saw without having to strain to do so. They should be able to start the saw when it is either cold or hot and to know how to shut it off. A lot of accidents happen when one becomes fatigued and looses their concentration on what they are doing. They should be able to fill the bar oil & fuel tanks and properly tension a chain. They need to be taught about the importance of using 2-cycle mix in the saw gasoline and the significance of what will happen if it is not used. Show them how to clean an air filter and change a spark plug. Teach them how to sharpen a chain and the importance of keeping it out of the dirt. The physics of cutting wood and how to keep your bar from becoming pinched in the cut should be taught. There is a lot to know and it sure is better learn the correct way rather than trying to break bad habits. I know you want your kids to be safe and it would be difficult to live with your self if something bad was to happen to them.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I started using at saw at like 13 and bought my own 044 stihl at 17 and have been running saws ever since. I mainly taught myself safe practices and procedures did a lot of reading and watched fellers in the industry. Started climbing trees at 16 with a hand saw for pruning, until i got comfortable enough to run a saw in the tree. I love doing it so i wanted to do it safe and was respectful and mindful of the danger that came with the territory. I approach every situation with an open mind and now try to teach safe practices to other people as i go along.

So depending on the kids maturity level it is possible at a their ages.

 

[Metals406]

I believe I was 9 when dad let me and my bro start using a saw... By 10 (my bro was 12), he would send us out back with the Jeep pickup and the saw, and told us to come home with a full load.:greenchainsaw:

I guess it just depends on what level of maturity and personal responsibility your child shows. By 10, I knew chainsaws weren't a game, that you should be focused on the task at hand, and knew my old man's list of do's and don't's like it was the Bible itself.

 

[gekko]

i got to run a chainsaw for the first time when i was 14
when i was 16 i got an well used 025 for my birthday
then this summer i got my 2094 free because it didnt run.
and now im 17

 

[Tzed250]

None of the saws mentioned are anywhere near as dangerous as a 600cc four wheeler...

 

[Tzed250]

I think I was about 12 when my dad had me using an electric chainsaw.

I would say a chainsaw is more dangerous than an ATV though.
An ATV is easier to keep in control and more forgiving of minor brain farts.

Maybe you should do some research to see how many children under the age of 16 die in four wheeler accidents every year. The results might blow your mind...

 

[Urbicide]

Chainsaws and ATV's are both dangerous.

 

[Metals406]

Chainsaws and ATV's are both dangerous.

:agree2:

 

[superfire]

give them a a saw

give them a chance to earn unlimited use. start with the basics and let them practice at home under a controlled environment. tell them they must follow a set of basic rules to use the saw. any violation means no saw use for what ever you think is a good time off the saw. the positive use of a saw will enforce good safety habits. and remember they are new so use lots of positive comments to reinforce safety habits. make it fun and they will enjoy cutting wood with you.


:greenchainsaw:

 

[southsoundtree]

An age is not a good indicator for starting to use a saw.

Each kid will be different.

I'll suggest you teach them about binds by using a handsaw, along with some educational materials.

Before handing them a live saw with a sharp chain. let them handle it turned off. Teach them good ergonomics, positioning, and cutting sequences. Then you might grind the teeth off of the chain, and let them work with that for a little bit to get used the the feel of the noise and vibration.

finally work very slowly, side by side. Two bar lengths apart is pretty safe.

I learned from my dad. He had good advice... keep it away from your leg and try not to get it stuck in the wood. Great advice, huh. The second tree that I cut was 3.5' with just a sloping back cut/ suicide cut with a steel splitting wedge to prevent it from sitting back/ going over backward. My uncle was spinning the wheel on his car attached to the tree with a rope. I think that the saw was only like a 044 or 066 borrowed. No chaps, ear or eye protection. He saved a bunch of money on a tree service. Luckily, all ended well.

Be careful. chainsaws are unforgiving. Children irreplaceable.



Be certain you know your techniques and have your safety gear to be the example.

 

[Stihl 041S]

.......perfectly safe if used properly......

Then so are avalanches, flamethrowers, gran prix bulldozers, and ex wives.

.......give them a bowsaw..........

 

[Positrack]

I think I was 13 or 14 when I first got to run the saw, but I'd been watching/helping my grandpa, stepdad, and uncle cut wood for years by then and understood what a saw could do and how it should be handled. My grandpa's little Homelite 150 was the first saw I ever ran, and I still have it sitting in my shop. It's nothing fancy and doesn't have anything in the way of safety features, but it was a fine-running little saw and small enough for a younger person to handle easily.

If your kids understand the dangers and respect your instruction, I'd say they might be ready to start learning (but then again, I'm not a parent yet so what do I know... ).

 

[cuttin-4-heat]

each kid is differnet. im a younger guy ( just truned 21 on the 11th) and i can say that the people i grew up with are much diferent than I. most kids today would rather just play a game or something. they are lazy!! it makes me more than a little mad when people lump me in with the rest of this towns people my age. it sounds like your kids are on the right track i started runnin a saw alot younger than they are. letem start small when you are takin a break sittin there with them. say i wish you could run a saw, if you could i wouldnt have to delimb this sucker. if they show interest make the deal with them. all fathers use the "deal" as leverage. whatever you do teachem right and teach them safe.

 

[Zackman1801]

Maybe you should do some research to see how many children under the age of 16 die in four wheeler accidents every year. The results might blow your mind...

but you have to understand that alot of kids have access to ATV's. Not alot of kids use chainsaws younger than 16, some do but i would be willing to bet that there are more kids with ATVs than there are kids with chainsaws and thats what makes the numbers higher, if you scaled them down i would have to say the numbers might not be similar but they might be close.

 

[southsoundtree]

I forgot to add, and you might plan to only do it this way, that you can hold the saw at the same time as them, both in the pre-cutting teaching, and the real cutting. You might let them experience a kickback.