On 10/14/2010 7:52 AM, Mike Marlow wrote:
Steve Turner wrote:


Another reality check for all the people taking this thread off into
the wild blue yonder is the issue of getting the blade onto the arbor
in the presence of calipers that grip either side of the blade. My
interest (and Mike's as well, I think) in using a bicycle brake was
simply a matter of "how can I retrofit my existing table saw with a
simple convenience brake?" I think the wide-opening jaws of a
bicycle brake (maybe along with some kind of front-side cable
disconnect to allow the calipers to drop out of the way) would allow
enough clearance to get the blade on the arbor without too much
trouble. This heavy-duty automotive caliber Saw-Stop alternative
that everybody else is talking about would also have to provide a
similar mechanism, which would of course add to the complexity.

It would be quite easy to mount the caliper on a pivoting mount that would
allow it to swing out of the way for changing blades.

Yes, probably; most automobiles with disc brakes that I've worked on use a
similar pivot mechanism. But then there's the matter of pivoting the caliper
from above the table. I can't imagine there'd be enough room through the
insert opening on the table-top to actuate such a mechanism, so you'd probably
need some kind of easy-access lever or opening in the cabinet that would allow
you to get to it.

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