Oh,,,I maybe ran my first at about 13 or so,,,,hard to remember,,,,,,,,,I loved to hear the saws run at the saw shop just down the street and I hung out there,,,,the owner took a liking to me and started having me take apart old saws to be refurbished. At first I did it just for fun, but then after a few weeks he started to pay me a little bit. Then he hired me for $1.25 an hour,,,, cash. That is the first time I really was taught to run a saw. The owner of the shop was almost like a second father to me,,,,,,he taught me many,,many things about saws and life.
Up until then, my Dad and Grandpa used a bucksaw to cut firewood,,,,,and of course I helped out cutting, loading, and splitting by hand. Then, Dad bought his first chainsaw, a used but good 040 Stihl.
Now, Dad is 85, still burns the wood that I cut for him every summer. He can still get to the basement to feed the fire, but laments that he cannot help me with the cutting and splitting. It is an honor for me to do it for him!
