Best Starter Saw?

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My son wont be using a saw til he is around 10 or so. Till then he can use hatchet or handsaw. Ive got a Ms170 waiting for him when that time comes.
 
A lighter saw might kickback easier, all saws spin at 13000 rpm or so. My boy is 14 and still has not used a saw, just hasn't shown an interest, and I'm not crazy about letting him, he's got a promising future as a wrestler and free college sounds good to me. But I do have all ppe if he ever wants.
 
svk said:
Lol. Everything is different through the eyes of a parent.
I look at my kids and I find it hard to believe that I was out in the woods hunting alone with a loaded gun when I was 9. Sorry but I'm just not ready to let them do that yet.
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I understand completely. I lived in town but was raised on a 1000+ acre cattle ranch in the flint hills of KS. I was running around at 7 or so with Grandad's pump action Winchester 1906 .22 gallery rifle and a box or brick of ammo at a time. I used the Mac 35 to help cut hedge corner posts (before helping to build barbed-wire fences). There were a lot of things I was exposed to that my kids will be as well, as the Boss and I deem them mentally and physically ready to do. Dad taught me to re-load cartridges before I was allowed to shoot center-fire and my first pistol experience was his 1911 .45 at the ripe age of 11 or 12. I think my Daughter will be shooting .22 before my Son will, simply out of maturity and understanding. That said, they both know what firearms are, what I have and where I have them. Same with tools. They love watching me drop trees and tend to get bored about the time I start bucking them. We live on 5 acres now but are the only house on an entire 1/4 section of ground with farmers nearby that I help and they get to come with me when I do and love riding in combines. They will definitely know the value of hard work before their teenage years.

Find a MS170/180, Dollie 421, little efco or Husky 242 or 435 and start by teaching them the manual of arms of the device, how to service and maintain it. Then start talking about the dynamics of operations, kick-back how to start a cut, stance, etc. Once you feel good then give them the hands-on OJT.

The first time I ran the Mac I think I made 5 cuts (it kicks back like a mule when you don't cut in the manner it WANTS to cut). My introduction to .45acp was 1 round for "testing" and then 2 full mags. I still have a love for both and and the sentimental value far exceeds the useful value (at least for the Mac). The 1911 will be mine someday and then go to one of the babies, along with the rest of the arsenal..
 
I had my 10yr old running a crapsman 36cc strato with muffler mod and retuned it heavier but it's a good thing cause it can't jump and kick as easy with a 14" low pro chain n bar. He loves it.
The husky 136 is a small light saw that starts easy and cheeeep on Craigslist mn
 
I had my 10yr old running a crapsman 36cc strato with muffler mod and retuned it heavier but it's a good thing cause it can't jump and kick as easy with a 14" low pro chain n bar. He loves it.
The husky 136 is a small light saw that starts easy and cheeeep on Craigslist mn
Ironworker said:
A lighter saw might kickback easier, all saws spin at 13000 rpm or so. My boy is 14 and still has not used a saw, just hasn't shown an interest, and I'm not crazy about letting him, he's got a promising future as a wrestler and free college sounds good to me. But I do have all ppe if he ever wants.
Click to expand...
 
catbuster said:
Sorry, but at 10 year old running a chainsaw? Are we being serious here?
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I bought my first saw at 12. It was a Stihl 009. This was in 1986. I stayed at home by myself at that age as well. I also played with fireworks unsupervised and survived unhurt for the most part. I burnt the piss out of my thigh with a hot saw muffler with an old home lite around that time. Hell I didn't use ppe until I was probably 30.

I'm not letting my kids do any of that stuff at the same age lol. I'm way to paranoid.
Locust Cutter said:
SVK, I started with Grandpa's 1963 Mac 35 (which needs a new rope and it'll cut again). Shortly after learning it's nuances I bought a 40ish cc Pull-on in Craftsman colors at the ripe age of 12. I'm 34 now and just threw it out as it would still start but has miserable compression and Lord knows how much limbing and firewood it accounted for, but likely 10x more than it should have been capable of. I didn't baby it, but I did take impeccable care of it. Something like that would still be a good idea. They're not too heavy and they're not overly powerful - enough to sever branches but more like a butter knife compared to your "lightsaber", plus they're cheap. Just a thought.
Click to expand...


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
 
catbuster said:
Sorry, but at 10 year old running a chainsaw? Are we being serious here?
Click to expand...

it's all about where that kid was at, what he was taught, and when. i know some 10 year olds that would make you **** a brick.i also know some 50 year olds that would scare the **** out of you like they could die at any second. recently we did a huge clean up at at the local golf course. a company hired on as well as us was called "davey tree". the owner had a 12 year old son that could climb very well with a 201t. about 99% better then me actually LOL. i can manage a tree no problem from the stump but climbing is another story. that kid really made me want to learn more about climbing though.
 
One suggestion I have as a starter saw option is to run a short 14" bar is has a lot less leverage against kick back and ur not going to sharpen as many cutters when they ground it at the end of a cut
 
westcoaster90 said:
it's all about where that kid was at, what he was taught, and when. i know some 10 year olds that would make you **** a brick.i also know some 50 year olds that would scare the **** out of you like they could die at any second. recently we did a huge clean up at at the local golf course. a company hired on as well as us was called "davey tree". the owner had a 12 year old son that could climb very well with a 201t. about 99% better then me actually LOL. i can manage a tree no problem from the stump but climbing is another story. that kid really made me want to learn more about climbing though.
Click to expand...
Yeah I climb a bit on side jobs but at blue chip I'm just a back up climber. Knowing knots and inspecting the tree is the biggest thing to pay attention to, to come out of the tree un injured or dead
 
westcoaster90 said:
it's all about where that kid was at, what he was taught, and when. i know some 10 year olds that would make you **** a brick.i also know some 50 year olds that would scare the **** out of you like they could die at any second. recently we did a huge clean up at at the local golf course. a company hired on as well as us was called "davey tree". the owner had a 12 year old son that could climb very well with a 201t. about 99% better then me actually LOL. i can manage a tree no problem from the stump but climbing is another story. that kid really made me want to learn more about climbing though.
Click to expand...
Yeah I climb a bit on side jobs but at blue chip I'm just a back up climber. Knowing knots and inspecting the tree is the biggest thing to pay attention to, to come out of the tree un injured or dead
 

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