My boy is three, turns four in January. He loves power equipment, and has knack for figuring out how they work by just watching for a couple minutes. Last October, while I was doing some splitting, he came out and watched for about two minutes (he hadn't even turned three yet)... while I was rolling a round over to the splitter he walks up and puts his hand on the lever. I hoisted the round onto the splitter and he throws the lever. So anyway we go along like that until there's a pile of splits laying there, and I stop to toss 'em in the trailer. My back hadn't been turned more than a few seconds and I hear the splitter throttle up... that little hellion had put a small round on the beam and thrown the lever! I learned the hard way to never set an idling saw on the ground, 'cause he'll sure as heck run over and press the trigger. I need to unplug any electric power tool such as a circular saw or drill if I set it down for even a few seconds, he figures out the safety catch in a blink of an eye. The wife caught him messing with the arc welder today, he was putting a rod in the stinger, and I have no doubt he knows where the "on" switch is... so that's unplugged now also.
He's strong for his age, and size... but putting in long hours with daddy makes him that way. He can chuck a split up into the trailer without so much as a grunt. Mom is getting a lot of new gray hairs...
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