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Thread: I want a saw for a young girl

  1. #1
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    I want a saw for a young girl

    I measured my palm and it is roughly 4 inches across, which means that I can order a Bad Axe saw with a Large handle. My almost 9 year old measures under 3 inches and my 6 year old is even smaller yet.

    The handles on my saws are a bit on the large size for my girls to use. I was thinking about purchasing a Bad Axe "American Kid" saw for $175, but that seems like a lot of money to spend for a first saw.

    My first thought was a dovetail saw that might fit their grip. Has anyone let a child try their Lee Valley saw? Any other suggestions?

    I did see an "American Boy" saw on ebay but it had a bent blade and dealing with that is a bit beyond me.

    I purchased two old saws with small handles (not a back-saws). It never occurred to me to check the blades. One is wavy the second is straight. Both are very dull, but, I think that one of my daughters and I can practice sharpening the two saws regardless.

  2. #2
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    Andrew: Contact Mark Harrell at Bad Axe, he'll work with you to find something. I bought a saw for my son, who was about 8 or 9 at the time, from Mark. I think it cost about $80 and it was a nice small cross-cut saw that he could use; I'd have to go look but I think it's a used Disston #7 from probably the mid 1930's. He's got young children and wants to help get young kids interested in woodworking.

    Bob

  3. #3
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    If that doesn't work out, I have an eight inch Garlick saw, very fine tooth saw that works really well.

    It came as a crosscut, but I filed it rip cut and adjusted the set a bit. It approaches my Lie Nielsen dovetail saw in performance. It would make a good saw for a child.
    The saw came from Woodcraft. IIRC it was $35-$40 in cost.

  4. #4
    I think that's a lot to spend on a saw for a kid. My 9 year old son knows and respects his tools, but occasionally saws into the bench, or tries to cut a nail, or other stuff. I use a Shark japanese pull saw. The blades are cheap but cut well enough for him.

  5. #5
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    This might be an opportunity for you and the girls to make a few saws together.

    If nothing else, you could buy a few old saws and repurpose them with new handles you and the girls make.

    One of my most used back saws is one made out of an old Disston plate and a piece of apple.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  6. I recommend not sawing the young girl. While young girls are a delight, cutting them in half does not produce two even younger girls- it just makes a mess and will probably spoil their whole afternoon.

  7. #7
    I have a Disston 8 point saw that I have used since I was a five year old. It is 18 inches. My father and my children learned on the same saw. I would not size a saw to the child's hand.

    Bridger, I dug this up before reading your post:

    Wayne-Alan-magic-show-lady-saw-in-half.jpg

  8. #8
    Warren, I used a saw like you're describing my entire childhood. It was some lower range disston with the finish long gone, though, and nobody knew how to sharpen saws, so i only cut pine with it.

    I already have something similar for my daughter, except in a main line saw. If I didn't, I would buy something like it.

  9. #9
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    To those of you who use "regular saws" to cut those kids in half (or to let them cut other things in half, hopefully not themselves), you have them use a regular sized handle?

  10. #10
    Most of those smaller saws have panel saw sized handles instead of large carpenter saw sized handles. I don't remember ever having an issue with the handles when I was a kid. I'm sure they don't provide a custom fit kind of grip, but do provide one good enough for learning.

  11. #11
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    Thanks David. I think that I will stop in at Woodcraft to see how well the Lee Valley saw fits my daughter's hand.

  12. #12
    Andrew, I think the Lee Valley dovetail saw would be good for a first saw. It is well made and the least expensive of the new saws that I see.

    The handle is held on with one threaded rod, like you'd see on a plane tote. So, if the handle is to big for your girls, you could take it off and make one smaller. This would be easier that trying to make a handle for a typical Western back saw as you don't have to cut out for saw the saw kerf and work with saw nuts etc. Just drill a hole through a block of wood and shape to suit. Here's a pic with it disassembled:

    DSCN0289.jpg

    Also in the picture is a 9ppi Warranted Superior panel saw I got somewhere and cleaned up. The blade is 16" long and looks more like a rip tooth than a crosscut. It would need to be sharpened, but you're welcome to give it to your daughters for free if you want to pay for shipping.

  13. #13
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    Thanks for the pictures and such. I dropped you a PM. I will take a look at the Lee Valley saws at my local wood craft. Might be fun to make a handle, but that is certainly not an area where I excel. I am pretty sure that my oldest daughter and I can make a reasonable attempt at sharpening the other saw.

  14. #14
    My hand is 4"+ and LV dovetail saw fits me fairly well. I like the saw, would be interesting if it works for your kid.

  15. #15
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    Hmmm....I have hands the size of most 9-year-olds, and I gotta say, sawing is more comfortable for long stretches with a handle that fits my small hands (2.75 in width). That said, is your daughter dovetailing for hours on end? Because unless I have a time-consuming project, it doesn't make _that_ much difference.

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