Last year I asked the question: What is your Pumpkin Carving Weapon of Choice?Among the answers was “Drywall jab saw”. This immediately resonated with me, and I filed it away in an undamaged brain cell. I picked one up today at Lowes to try on the family gourds.
I would like to say that I researched the tools thoroughly, comparing and selecting the one that would be the best for my needs. I didn’t. The Southwire 6-inch Blade Keyhole Saw happened to be hanging adjacent to the surge protector that I was picking up. I never even looked in “Tools” or “Drywall”, this one was less than $10 and the rubberized handle which is purposely exposed from the blister pack felt good in my hand.
I cut the saw from its packaging this evening and got to work sketching my children’s designs on the pumpkins. Thing 1 (6yo daughter) wanted a funny pumpkin and Thing 2 (4yo son) wanted a scary/mean one, so I grabbed the saw and plunged right in (literally).
The tip fully pierced the wall with a satisfying “vrrrip!”. Once through, the blade positively zipped through to the hilt. This was great for long cuts, the blade saws a straight line beautifully. It took some practice to control a shorter plunge and utilize only half the blade for tight curves, but I was able to add eyeballs to my daughter’s pumpkin (rightmost in the opening photo).
I was comfortable enough with the grip that I felt safe giving Thing 1 a turn. It was her first time attempting to cut a pumpkin, and she was too tentative to achieve much, but I never felt that her hands were going to slip off the handle.
The last pumpkin was my first attempt to carve something other than a face. This pumpkin was actually the offspring of one of last year’s victims. Apparently a couple of stray seeds clung to the inside of one of our jack-o-lanterns. I used the rotting gourds as compost for my apple trees. Two took root this spring and I left the vines to grow feral. My TTAK-o-Lantern was the one pumpkin that survived to full maturity. I think it turned out well for a first try, and this smaller, thinner pumpkin took all of 12 or so minutes to carve.
Bottom line is Jake’s suggestion last year of a drywall saw was a home run. I don’t think it matters which brand, I am sure that any reasonably capable drywall saw would perform as efficiently. I have never felt as comfortable with my grip not slipping when carving a pumpkin as I did when using this saw. I had more control, and it took less effort than any tool I have previously used for the task.
And it even cuts drywall.
Never carved a pumpkin in my life, might give it a stab (heh) this year, im sure I have a drywall knife laying around somewhere…
It would be nice to see some articles about actual knives more often.