Why A Jigsaw Is A Good First Power Tool For Your Children
If you're someone who enjoys working with tools, it might not be long before your children begin to express an interest in what you're doing. Many parents start their children off with toy tools, and then eventually graduate them to simple hand tools. When your children reach ages at which it's appropriate to begin using power tools under your supervision, you obviously want to choose the right tools and, ideally, choose used power tools as a way of saving money. A jigsaw is a good place to start for a child once you believe that he or she is responsible enough to handle this tool, even with your help, of course. Here are some reasons why a jigsaw is a good choice.
It's Relatively Safe
Every power tool has its risks, but where safety is concerned, a jigsaw has a lot of positive attributes. You can teach the child to keep the jigsaw firmly pressed against the cutting service and to keep his or her hands on the handle. With this approach, there's virtually no chance that the child will sustain an injury. The guard around the blade and the simple instruction of keeping the hands glued to the handle any time that the saw is running can allow your child to effectively use a jigsaw safely.
It's Easy To Handle
The weight of some power tools can make them difficult for children to use. Fortunately, a jigsaw doesn't fit into this category. This type of tool is relatively easy for a child to handle because it sits on the surface as it cuts. Unlike a reciprocating saw, which the user needs to support entirely while using it, a jigsaw doesn't require the user to support any of the tool's weight. This means that your child will have better control of the saw, thus resulting in both a safer operation and a better ability to make the desired cuts.
It's Versatile
The jigsaw can be a good tool for a wide range of projects, meaning that it may be an ally to your child regardless of what he or she wants to use it for. Your child may have specific goals about what he or she wants to build. For example, the child may want to build a small birdhouse to hang in the backyard. Upon tracing out the shapes of the individual pieces with a pencil and a ruler, the child can carefully cut them out with the jigsaw. This saw is effective for a wide range of other projects, too, making it a good one to reach for as your child gets interested in building tasks.