Carving a pumpkin can be scary.

Carving a pumpkin can be dangerous! My father was the only surgeon in the small town where I grew up. Every Halloween the emergency room would call dad with 3-5 folks that needed his help. It was usually over a pumpkin carving attempt gone bad.

Knife control was usually behind those problems. Carving a pumpkin is awkward. Years ago many of us moved on to a more controlled method for carving pumpkins. We moved to using a hand held keyhole saw. Sawing Pumpkins! This gives you a saw that can handle the job. It allows you be creative due to its ability to easily change directions. It’s the right tool for the job. Even though this is safer you must use caution. Here are a couple of tips for a productive day of sawing.

• Keep your tools dry
• Leave the sawing (carving) to adults
• Scrap the meat of the pumpkin to 1 inch of thickness. It makes it more predictable
• Use an ice cream scoop to remove the seeds... (Guts) of the pumpkin.
• Make sure the pumpkin is in a good position and is stable. If you are not comfortable keep adjusting till you feel like you have a good stable approach
• Always saw away from your hand
• Take your time. Slow and controlled

For me the saw is the way to go. Use proper technique when using any tool.