How old were you?

[pdqdl]

My experiences mirror many of the "early age" details posted above...except with a chainsaw. At 14, my dad gave me about a 1/2 hour lesson and then turned me loose with a cable operated D8 Caterpillar (this was before they called themselves "CAT") pulling a cable operated belly scraper. Talk about unqualified !

I never really got my hands on a chainsaw until I was in business doing lawn maintenance, and the need came up.

I don't agree with everyone that seems to think it's ok to put your kids on machines just because your parents were stupid too. Some things CANNOT be made safe to run by children, and I think a chainsaw is one of them.

Children simply don't have the strength, balance, and reaction speed to do it safely. They are extremely unlikely to have a good understanding of the physics involved with managing the risk properly.

A lot of kids at 12 don't have enough bone development in place to support the muscles needed to run the saw, so if the work is extensive, you risk permanent injury. Even Olympic gymnast trainers know that the bone development isn't there for the high stress maneuvers before about 13-14 years old.

Make them drag brush, give lots of training, and maybe let them buck up the firewood while you watch.

Before you guys jump all over me for my namby-pamby attitudes, I gotta tell you that I have hospitalized one experienced chainsaw operator with "to-the-bone" facial cuts, and buried another. NOTHING stops a face-high kickback except prevention. Tree work ain't playtime, and 12 is too young to be expected to learn a trade.

Some of those kids love to run something loud and powerful, and it's really cool to chop up wood. Don't let your desire to share your lifestyle with them cloud your judgment.

If you think it's still ok, let's take a hypothetical situation: your kid stumbles while walking between cuts, and manages to give himself a really nice gash somewhere you thought couldn't happen. When the doctor at the ER calls in the police to investigate the child abuse, do you really think they won't charge you with child endangerment? The judge might let you go, but I'll bet you need to hire a lawyer.

 

[thejdman04]

I was probably 10 or 11. It depends on the kid, if he is responsible and thinks and watches what he does it shouldnt be a problem

 

[windthrown]

I don't agree with everyone that seems to think it's ok to put your kids on machines just because your parents were stupid too. Some things CANNOT be made safe to run by children, and I think a chainsaw is one of them.

So, according to you, I should be dead, long since, eh? :monkey:

I will rail into your reply here, as I am 180 degrees out of phase with your opinion. Personally I am fed up with all this safety at all costs crap just to keep the dumbest guy from cutting himself up with a chainsaw. The saw owner books are half dedicated now to kickback and stating the saw. They should be one page each. It is pathetic. Its all becasue of law suits and stupid people being really stupid. I did the stuff that most adults do when I was under 16. Like WORK. I started working in the berry fields when I was 12. Commercial fished when I was 13. Had a full time job when I was 15 and bought my own motorcycle to ride to and from work. I put myself through college.

I swear, half the problem in America today is that kids sit around a rot in front of a TV set or a computer. None of them can have jobs any more, becasue of a completely overprotective sociaty. None of them can do anything with any machinery, becasue no one will let them. None of them have any more responsibility than to hold a remote control, becasue too many people like you think it is a bad idea for them to do anything else. So they sit around and get fat. They get lazy. And what do we get as a result? A bunch of kids on drugs and doing dangerous stuff when they are older, becasue they did not learn their limits when they were younger. They have low self esteem, and are not self-sufficient, because people told them that they could not do anything dangerous, like run a chainsaw.

Glad I had the old man that I did. I got to do more stuff as a kid than most adults get to do in a lifetime. I owe him that. Was he stupid? No. He graduated from Princeton with a BA and from Cornell with a J.D. He was one smart mother-:censored: actually. IQ of about 140 if I recall. He exposed us to life. Chainsaws, motorcycles, Jeeps, mountaineering, fishing, water skiing, boating, snow skiing, lawn mowers, guns, knives, hammers, hunting, table saws, tractors, shop tools, cars, pickup trucks, compressors, winches, welders, all kinds of "dangerous" stuff. God forbid that children do anything other than touch a :censored: TV remote control! Oh my god! Quick honey, call the police! The neighbor's kid is using a chainsaw!

Get real dude, and do not call my dad stupid becasue he put a chainsaw in my hands and challanged me when I was a kid. It was one of the best and smartest things he ever did.

 

[indiansprings]

I was about 12/13 got a five minute lecture and demonstration of a kick back and went at it, got a safety talk every once in a while from dad, run a tractor at 8 or 9, drove 2 ton truck during harvest at 10. I started my son last year at 12, dropped my pants and showed him where the saw got my inner thigh at age 22, showed him the proper cutting techniques and give him close supervision for the first ten or twelve outings. Started him on a 180 also, he's fifteen now and has progressed thru the 028 to he's took over the 361.
I have another 12 year old son, I didn't start him this year due to maturity, he should be ready to go next year, both have been riding dirt bikes since six, both operate farm machinery and use power tools, it's part of a rural lifestyle.

 

[treedog54]

Sawin

Noboby told us when I was 7,8 yrs old that work was bad for ya .2 buckets (5gal) apieceto milkhouse at once .6 to 10 wagons of baled hay/straw aday to unload to elevator.or stack in mow 60 lbs a bale .stones to pick etc worked all day .Just the way it was .Chores 1st .Early life on farm, looking back, best life a kid could have Taught responsibility, learned work ethics .Tree work same .Safety 1st thou as always.

 

[Soilarch]

I liked windthrown's post.

Can't say I had the same upbringing but I do share a lot of those views.

Don't you worry about "hurting" your kid. About the only thing you COULD damage would be the growth plates at the end of long bones (arms/legs). That's been a wive's tale in weightlifting/powerlifting for a long time...it's finally being dispelled a little. If the kid can't hardly move the next day...then give him a rest. Other than that don't worry unless you're having him shoulder press or squat 150lb logs.

You're talking about supervised training...not "Hey boy, go clear the back 40 'fore weeks out."

 

[KD57]

I agree w/ Windthrown 100%, and being raised on a ranch, I operated all the equipment at a very early age. Sitting around the TV was not an option, (oh, I forgot, we didn't have TV ) and if I was lucky, after all the chores, I had a little time to hunt or fish. By the time I was 10, cutting firewood was on my job list.
But it was different back then. I loved to hunt, but chores took most of my time, so I hunted on the way to school, and kept my rifle in the locker, then hunted on the way back home. Yeah, I walked to school. Not like today, when Mom sits outside in her SUV waiting to take you home. Doesn't anybody ride the school bus anymore?

 

[ozzy42]

So, according to you, I should be dead, long since, eh? :monkey:

I will rail into your reply here, as I am 180 degrees out of phase with your opinion. Personally I am fed up with all this safety at all costs crap just to keep the dumbest guy from cutting himself up with a chainsaw. The saw owner books are half dedicated now to kickback and stating the saw. They should be one page each. It is pathetic. Its all becasue of law suits and stupid people being really stupid. I did the stuff that most adults do when I was under 16. Like WORK. I started working in the berry fields when I was 12. Commercial fished when I was 13. Had a full time job when I was 15 and bought my own motorcycle to ride to and from work. I put myself through college.

I swear, half the problem in America today is that kids sit around a rot in front of a TV set or a computer. None of them can have jobs any more, becasue of a completely overprotective sociaty. None of them can do anything with any machinery, becasue no one will let them. None of them have any more responsibility than to hold a remote control, becasue too many people like you think it is a bad idea for them to do anything else. So they sit around and get fat. They get lazy. And what do we get as a result? A bunch of kids on drugs and doing dangerous stuff when they are older, becasue they did not learn their limits when they were younger. They have low self esteem, and are not self-sufficient, because people told them that they could not do anything dangerous, like run a chainsaw.

Glad I had the old man that I did. I got to do more stuff as a kid than most adults get to do in a lifetime. I owe him that. Was he stupid? No. He graduated from Princeton with a BA and from Cornell with a J.D. He was one smart mother-:censored: actually. IQ of about 140 if I recall. He exposed us to life. Chainsaws, motorcycles, Jeeps, mountaineering, fishing, water skiing, boating, snow skiing, lawn mowers, guns, knives, hammers, hunting, table saws, tractors, shop tools, cars, pickup trucks, compressors, winches, welders, all kinds of "dangerous" stuff. God forbid that children do anything other than touch a :censored: TV remote control! Oh my god! Quick honey, call the police! The neighbor's kid is using a chainsaw!

Get real dude, and do not call my dad stupid becasue he put a chainsaw in my hands and challanged me when I was a kid. It was one of the best and smartest things he ever did.

I can't tell you how right you are.I let my boys start doing stuff when they take an interest and want it enough to really pay attention and learn to do it right.
There are way too many little mommas boys running around these days,God forbid they get their hands dirty ,or get a lil scratch on them .
I will never forget letting my 10year old drive a Rmodel mack w/40ft trailer around the pipe yard where i worked for a few years. It was on a saturday ,and they were closed ,just yhere to wash the truck.All he had to do was push in the clutch [witch took all he had ] and put her in granny and let her go. He probably drove a total of 1500 ft or so.
That boy act like he got to drive in the daytona 500

 

[Groundman One]

Around 30 I guess.

I was a late bloomer.

 

[385xp9106]

i was 9 and old 28 super

 

[TreeTopKid]

i was 9 and old 28 super

Snap! The first saw I used was a Stihl 28 super. My old man wouldn't let me use a chainsaw until I was around ten however it was deemed safe enough that I cut logs on an old McConnell saw bench about three years earlier!

My Dad was a extra paranoid about chainsaws because he sold one to a guy who killed himself with it.

 

[capetrees]

I was probably 12-13 and my first saw was a Homelite ZIP that I still own. Even funnier was my aunt was the one who passed it dwon to me. She never married and I still don't know how or where she used the thing.

 

[HorseShoeInFork]

I don't think age should be the deciding factor. His level of understanding (show him what the saw does when kicks, then let him show you), should dictate when he's ready. I know a couple of 10-11 yr olds that could teach 50yr olds a few things. Give him the easy stuff for a few weeks, then move him up......Just make sure he stays in school and learns how to do math.

 

[pdqdl]

Really, I'm not a safety at all costs kind of person. Like I said, there are some machines that cannot be made safe for children, and I think chainsaws are one of them.

I don't think anyone argues that our society should lower the legal driving age from 16, yet we all know that the operator of a car is much less likely to be hurt (per hour behind the wheel) than running a chainsaw. The reason children don't get to drive younger than 16 is bacause of the risk they pose to the other drivers, not themselves. We all know that the dirt bikes and ATV's are much more dangerous to operate than a passenger car, but you don't hear an outcry to get the kids off of those, do you?

I will remark on your comments in color, just to keep this simple.

So, according to you, I should be dead, long since, eh? :monkey: I never mentioned that as a problem, did I?

I will rail into your reply here, as I am 180 degrees out of phase with your opinion. Personally I am fed up with all this safety at all costs crap just to keep the dumbest guy from cutting himself up with a chainsaw. (I am too.) The saw owner books are half dedicated now to kickback and stating the saw. They should be one page each. It is pathetic. Its all becasue of law suits and stupid people being really stupid. (I agree)I did the stuff that most adults do when I was under 16. Like WORK. I started working in the berry fields when I was 12. Commercial fished when I was 13. Had a full time job when I was 15 and bought my own motorcycle to ride to and from work. I put myself through college. (I never did the commercial fisher thing, but I have very similar experiences, including training racehorses for hire at 13. As you might guess, I outgrew that one.)

I swear, half the problem in America today is that kids sit around a rot in front of a TV set or a computer. None of them can have jobs any more, becasue of a completely overprotective sociaty. None of them can do anything with any machinery, becasue no one will let them. None of them have any more responsibility than to hold a remote control, becasue too many people like you think it is a bad idea for them to do anything else. So they sit around and get fat. They get lazy. And what do we get as a result? A bunch of kids on drugs and doing dangerous stuff when they are older, becasue they did not learn their limits when they were younger. They have low self esteem, and are not self-sufficient, because people told them that they could not do anything dangerous, like run a chainsaw.

(No argument from me on all of that, except a chainsaw. I'm on your side here.)

Glad I had the old man that I did. I got to do more stuff as a kid than most adults get to do in a lifetime. I owe him that. Was he stupid? No. He graduated from Princeton with a BA and from Cornell with a J.D. He was one smart mother-:censored: actually. IQ of about 140 if I recall. He exposed us to life. Chainsaws, motorcycles, Jeeps, mountaineering, fishing, water skiing, boating, snow skiing, lawn mowers, guns, knives, hammers, hunting, table saws, tractors, shop tools, cars, pickup trucks, compressors, winches, welders, all kinds of "dangerous" stuff. (REALLY! I agree with you on this, despite the fact that my wife is coddling my kids with massive overprotection, despite my best efforts) God forbid that children do anything other than touch a :censored: TV remote control! Oh my god! Quick honey, call the police! The neighbor's kid is using a chainsaw! (I never said I would call the police)

Get real dude, and do not call my dad stupid becasue he put a chainsaw in my hands and challanged me when I was a kid. It was one of the best and smartest things he ever did. (I'm sorry you took that as an insult, it's not what I intended)

Chainsaws cannot be made safe for kids to use. Sure, there are lots of them that can use them, and have never had a problem. In fact, there are lots of us on this forum that have never had a nick in our life. But if you go over to the arboriculture injuries section, you will find lots of mature, well trained professionals that end up dead or seriously injured because chainsaws are DANGEROUS. Not "can hurt you if you're stupid" or "use at your own risk". They are for WORK, and I keep coming across these threads about guys putting their children to work with a chainsaw. If done right, with some good training, there will likely be no problem.

BUT WHY? Because dad wants to involve his son in a little "work like daddy" seminar? I think it is admirable to get involved with your kids, and I am fully in support of not just teaching kids to work, but MAKING them work, and making them do hard, unpleasant tasks, too.

Just keep them away from the chainsaws. High speed or powerful ATV's: no way, at least until they have crashed a few times on a less powerful model.

Other massively dangerous equipment I would keep a 12 year old away from? Hmmm... Large complicated machinery with complex controls, but mostly to avoid runaway equipment destruction. Semi-trucks & dump trucks: No way. Any large boat: No way. Lawn mowers, log splitters (powerful but slow!), string trimmers, blowers, sod cutters, rototillers, (underpowered) motorcycles, Tractors (if run in low gears): No problem. Get 'er done.

But wait! What about when they turn 16? There is no way I'll put my daughters in an SUV. My explorer sport was the single most dangerous vehicle I have ever driven, despite the fact that I loved it for about 340,000 miles. They will get some tame old sedan, or perhaps a pickup truck that will make a better battering ram. Heck, I'd rather give them a corvette than one of those unstable SUV's.

 

[chainsawboy1996]

just for the record hopefully all the injuries in any photo i have put up are not me (im only 12)the first thing my dad did was get a nice shiney set of stihl pro mark chaps. he showed me what a saw can do and did to him.i touched the sa to my leg on little tap and was glad i had them on. never touched myleg after that.now my chaps are getting a little worn and nee replacing. but the photo i showed is just a grim reminder on how a small saw can mess youre leg up for life. i have seen a saw cut human flesh it's a scary sight. hit my freinds dad right i the knee. out came flesh and blood and was a little frightend because he had no control over any of it. had to life flight him out. hassent been able to walk right ever since so i personaly know the first hand affect's of a saw.my dad wont let me near a running saw without chaps and i personally think we should all print that pic and bring it in the truck to a job or a log pile to make us remember to bring that set of chaps because once i did i havent forgottn my chaps since.

p.s. pic will be put to just a link for viewer plesure