I needed a big saw to be able to process rough lumber and re-saw boards to get the most use out of the lumber....so I built one from things I had around the workshop. It might not look pretty but it does the job.
Dude, that is an awesome idea and saw. However, if that blade breaks, it is going to be like a feral helicopter blade. Please build some housing around the blade and only leave the cutting section exposed - for your own safety. But I say again, fantastic saw you have built there.
Clever..I wouldn't worry about needless safety mechanisms as they are too much work and add cost..plus having cool scars and crazy shop accident stories are good for the kiddos..
While at first glance it does appear to look very spooky to say the least. My first reaction was similar to others that blade needs to be covered. I have a band saw with a covered blade and have had concerns about what would happen when the blade breaks envisioning the blade flying out and wrapping around an arm and cutting it off or something like that. But in reality once the blade breaks it stops moving almost instantly. A break occurring while blade is uncovered there is a good posibility the blade may want to straighten out and could slap a person in the face. It also seems to be common scense to be able to adjust the blade guides so the blade doesn't span much farther than size of material being cut. Just googeling a comparison to table saw injuries it's shown to be only 10% that of a table saw and 20% of a hand held saw whatever that is supposed to describe. I'd be more comfortable with some kind of protection between me and that blade like is seen below the table covering the chain drive 2:20. One does need to take care of lose clothing getting caught in wheel spokes, remember Isadora Duncan's fate. I'm not an expert. Use at your own risk.
The parts I had to purchase (sprocket, chain, and blade) totaled about $150. Everything else were items I already had lying around the workshop so it is difficult to quantify.
Old table saw motor. Not exactly sure of amperage draw but 110V and likely around 15 amps so around 1500ish watts. It runs at 3500 rpm (hence the giant sprocket to slow down the saw).
You didn't even took the tires off the wheels? LOL. Dude you're brave as heck. I wouldn't recommend this. It's much better to make things safe from the beginning...once the teeth start to rub on the soft material of the wheel...or even if it sets free, it is going to do some harm. If the band saw is INSIDE the channel of the wheel you have an additional safety margin that won't be easy to overcome. And for God's sake put that switch FAR OFF the moving band saw. You shouldn't be having to move your hands and arm close to the moving blade to switch it off. A big, red, emergency-like button.
