Possibilities are that I'll never make a device that's powered by the spinning table saw blade, however I thought the idea was intriguing adequate discuss. The performance of the power transfer from the spinning blade and the possibility of overheating the blade are the biggest issues, and not how safe it is.
The mockup I made was simply a plywood wheel with a screw as the axle. Extremely rapidly made simply to show on video how it would work. The wheel would be bigger and might have a rubber tire on the rim to grip the blade better. It would also be on an appropriate axle with bearings, as would the idler wheel.
If I do make something that utilizes this concept, it would be for the novelty of it, and not for a maker that has an useful purpose.
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Chances are that I’ll never make a machine that’s powered by the spinning table saw blade, but I thought the idea was interesting enough talk about. The efficiency of the power transfer from the spinning blade and the possibility of overheating the blade are the biggest issues, and not how safe it is.
The mockup I made was just a plywood wheel with a screw as the axle. Very quickly made just to show on video how it would work. The wheel would be bigger and may have a rubber tire on the rim to grip the blade better. It would also be on a proper axle with bearings, as would the idler wheel.
If I do make something that uses this idea, it would be for the novelty of it, and not for a machine that has a practical purpose.
neat experiment but not too practical as you say
I have actually run other devices off the table saw.
1. Don’t actually use a blade. Use a three quarter inch thick plate that is the blades diameter.
2. The plate requires no additional thrust bearing because of its thickness.
3. The plate works as a flywheel and can be engaged on the sides or the curved face.
4. Be sure to run your device with a way of changing the ratio.
I have used this idea to run a grinder, a sander and a small lathe.
The Bad Guy theam music says it all!
Great experiment.
1) on another way to get people to view
2) to see how many people fire off replies without actually reading your comments first.
Well done John 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
@Ryan Davis re 2. it will require a “thrust” bearing as it will still push on one side of the axel and therfore the axels radial bearings. I understand this is all what if and pie in the sky thinking for shits and pickles.
Interesting concept. But what if you replace the table saw blade with something else with a higher friction coefficient?
Sandpaper on the side.
Or a rubberised coating? Could that stuff be made to stick on a blade and work in this fashion.
As long as you are running it with the plate of the blade and not the teeth I don’t see a problem here. Look more at the rendering and less at the mockup/proof if concept.
yeah … like replace the saw blade with a toothed gear that meshes with another gear that drives the rube goldberg device…..
Seems like there are other tools in the workshop that would be far more suitable for this kind of application. E.g the drill press, where you could easy chuck in a gear or pully
I agree another tool would be better suited but putting lateral force on drill chuck is likely to losen it and cause it to fall off while running
Yes. The usefulness of the idea is judged by your alternatives. Can you find an old drill that can power the device? I have little interest in doing things backwards or sideways just so it can be done–you could use a horse on a treadmilll, too, but why? Also, the saw blade is not meant for side torque nor are the bearings in the saw designed for that.
Saw blade? I would say no… but a sanding disk, lots of friction and a lot more safe. I’d go with that.
Yes!
He already did thst
@Mike porter He meant to power the jig instead of the saw blade.
that will last all of 10 minutes.
I would have thought it would be safer to devise a power take off directly from the motor than to use the blade as an interface. It would also save wear and tear on the blade
I think you may be on to something, similar to a shopsmith.
That’s what I thought.
Maybe adding a pulley and belt to the saws shaft.
I’ve seen some “free” woodworkng plans that do this. Wooden pulley up to the machine. i think it was for a homemade drum sander.
My vote is to make a blade replacement — a sanding disc with velcro for 6″ rotary sand paper & the counter pressure thing-y you showed that fits in the miter slot but with the addition of a guard/fence that goes around the spinning disc i.e. flat surface even with sand paper side.
Don’t do it off the table saw, then you’ve got a saw going for no reason with your focus not being on the blade (exactly when accidents likely to happen). Idea is cool and sounds interesting, just not with a saw blade
I think it is ABSOLUTELY crazy! But at the same time I know you’ll be safe while you make/use it even if the safety police don’t agree. And I will definitely watch the video.
1. I think designing a power takeoff from other machines is a great idea in principle. Not only table saws but other common tools like lathes and drill presses. Actually the lathe as the universal power head might be a lot better.
2. I worry that the bearings will be stressed beyond the intended design and people will end up with broken table saws, but maybe you can address that in your designs. Table saw motors also aren’t designed to work in a cloud of sanding grit, so that’s worth thinking about also.
3. I think encouraging people to have a sharp blade running that they aren’t using as a blade is guaranteed to get someone hurt. If you do this at all, it has to include swapping out the blade for some other type of pulley, gear, or wheel that doesn’t present the same pointless hazard. It’s not hard to swap out a table saw blade. There’s no good reason to use the blade as a PTO.
John, with your knowledge, you can make anything a reality. I think you have hit on something.
I made a twelve inch disc sander to use on my lathe, so this is another example of having a tool to use that you don’t have to spend a lot of money for. Go for it.
It did get the ‘gears” working. The wear and tear on the saw, as well as the losses should be enough incentive to go straight to an electric motor.
This is nuts!! Just use the motor to drive the tool. Too much added danger.
I’m going with “beyond stupid”. But I am interested in seeing with you come up with. Because even your “dumb” ideas are clever and fun to explore.
First I would remove the saw blade and replace it with a calibration disc. That way, I ensure that it is far less dangerous.
Second I’d put a bearing on the rotation shaft to smooth out everything. Ideally supported on both side for rigidity purpose.
Thirdly and lastly, I’d use the miter slot as a constant reference point for adjustment and would definitively consider rubber on the free rotating disk to increase power transfer.
I guess you’d increase your overall efficiency by powering the machine from the table saw drive belt, instead of using the blade itself. Less steps generally means less energy losses.
I like the concept John👍
This seems extremely inefficient and unnecessarily dangerous, maybe you’ve got too used to dangerous blade after long term exposure =)
The amount of wear is likely to be enormous on the driven part. Adding pins on the perimeter of the driven disk could be better and more like the gears of old. Also this looks like a way to repurpose a saw blade that you have no other use for anymore.
Crazy and dangerous. Can’t wait to see the video though. Maybe the “saw blade” could be replaced with a little less dangerous rotating object to power whatever contraption you come up with.
Food for thought, my Dewalt RAS has an output shaft on the opposite side from the blade. A pto with a pulley on your saw arbor would be handy and lowering the blade all the way would engage the belt….it’s probably time for another homemade table saw build, right? Love these little ideas videos, keep them coming!