Sawing is fun. You get an idea of what you want to cut out of a piece of wood, draw it out, and then cut away everything that isn’t in your vision. Of course, there are lots of different saws and lots of different blades that can be used in those saws. That’s not to mention electric-powered saws and hand-held saws.

One of my daughter’s favorite tasks is when she’s allowed to get the saw out and use it (with supervision, of course). She’s built a raised garden bed for her herbs among other things.

You can categorize saws a little like this:

• Saws that cut straight lines
• Rip saws (For cutting with grain of the wood, large ripping teeth that only cuts on the forward motion.)
• Cross-cut saws (For cutting across the grain, smaller teeth, and cuts for both forward and backward stroke.)
• Miter saw (Short reinforced saw, often used with a miter box, for sawing an angled end to a piece of wood.)

There are curve-Cutting saws, such as the coping saw. This allows you to thread the blade through a small pre-drilled hole and cut in any direction. You can get very creative with this. The blade does still have a cutting edge, so you will need to turn the saw as you are using it. This type of saw is a tension saw. So the saw blade must be kept under tension when in use. Tension should be removed when not in use.

Another common saw is another kind of tension saw or the hack saw. This is primarily a metal cutting saw and despite its thin blade, it is designed for cutting straight.

We teach our children how to use as many different types of saw as they can as well as their correct way. We give them a piece of scrap wood and help them to create something fun. Parental supervision is key for safety purposes. One of my kids’ favorite story to hear from Uncle Billy Joe is how he almost cut off his own leg while playing with a chain saw in his lap. Yeah, I don’t have to remind them of safety first when it comes to saws.

Have fun showing your children how to use a saw. Make a fun family project out of it. The memories will last a lifetime.

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