Friday, April 27, 2012

The Discovery Channel ante portas: Thoughts about shooting circular saw blades

In about a week, a camera team from the UK will visit me in order to shoot some footage for the Discovery Channel International.

They love the circular saw blade shooter, and I agreed that I will try to enhance it for them - so they can show stuff that has never been seen before.

The obvious way to enhace this humongous and next-to-useless thing



is to get rid of the wooden dowel.

But how to do that? Well, I think a whole new approach is required.

My new concept follows the principle of simple one-shot clay pigeon throwers. Basically a spring loaded lever that swings out, shooting the saw blade like the clay pigeon thrower shoots clay pigeons.

 

Of course I want to make a "rifle" that can be shot from the shoulder. 

I already did some tests, with two boards and a bit of rubber. It works! I have ordered some really strong springs and did some sketches. Will put the weapon together over the long weekend (Tuesday is a holiday, and I have a day off on Monday).



5 comments:

  1. Most people would consider it the zaniest of your devices and love it. An improvement would make the entire world grin from ear to ear. Just be careful and remember shooting odd-shaped objects is difficult and dangerous at times. All the best!

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  2. Ive been playing around with the idea of something that fires flat metal washers... I don't have drawings to show as of yet, but my idea it this: A spindle runs along a track pulled by the bands, the washer sitting on the spindle and being rotated by a rubber friction mat on one site. At the last moment, the track curves down, pulling the spindle out of the washer and allowing it to continue forward. Could this same concept be applied to the saw blade? It would negate the need for a spindle to be attached to the blade itself.

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  3. Major concerns over lever concept.clay pigeons are more stable than a blade,also I believe a thin saw blade to be fired horizontal it will need to be spinning to keep it's trajectory.maybe a simple track of rubber down one side of launch track cld achieve this,tho this may make it slew to one side in flight.and of course the wear on the rubber would be rapid.only an idea but not keen on lever approach mostly on the safety side,not aesthetically pleasing either

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  4. Simon, the saw blade spins fine, just as the clay pigeons. The friction between the edge of the sawblade and the launcher boundary take care of that. The faster the swinging motion, the faster the spin.

    Without the spin, the clay pigeons wouldn't fly much at all. Same for the saw blades.

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  5. That told me !! Haha keep up the good work mate.

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