Unsafe pulley belt installation - GIF

[Toolmaker51]

looks like he sets the belts up in the palm of his hand, then presents his palm to the pulley, keeping his fingers lower than the palm - similar to how you feed apples to a horse. - it looks dangerous (and yes I'd use a chicken stick or switch everything off), but I suspect some thought has gone into doing this "safely"

I'm favoring desbromilow's analysis. The thought of "doing this safely" is under least potential risk. There may have been reason the motor couldn't have been shut down; not anywhere OSHA has a presence.

[Beserkleyboy]

Frank,
You're quite right there...but mostly to untrained thoughtless users. I started on a 10" Delta Unisaw at 14, now operating a 12"/3hp Wadkin clone for the last 30 years (I'm 69 now...) AND I've still got all 10...but seriously, very sharp blades and the knowledge of what's being cut and how to feed it and the sound of the cut will keep you on the 'right' side of safe...and I paint the table insert red so the brain automatically knows it's the danger zone. Now those pesky angle grinders, can't live with them or without them! I've seen WAY to many homemade 'attachments' for them that are flat out dangerous, particularly putting saw blades rated up to 6000 rpm, when the grinder goes to 11,000! On a recent stay in the ED at hospital, I asked an ambo about tradie accidents and he said, far and away the most common, was hand held circular saw cuts to arms and legs. Stay safe, even just for Mrs Frank! Cheers
Jim - Sth Coast NSW soon to be Hunter Valley

[olderdan]

That is extremely dangerous
In my early teens I worked at a local brickworks which had 6inch flat belt fast and loose pulleys below floor level. There was a one armed man who worked in a shed making hand made bricks (no pun intended) who I leaned had tried to remount a belt with the pulleys running, it tore his arm of at the shoulder. I tried make conversation with him to no avail as it affected him badly. At least the company kept him in employment.

[mr mikey]

That was common in machine shops, farming and pretty much any industry that had belts running everywhere. My mom worked in Greenfield Village here in Dearborn Mi., It was created by Henry Ford. He had restored buildings and showed how early America was built. Thomas Edison and many more are displayed here. It had a running machine shop with a steam engine that ran all the equipment with belts that ran from the ceiling pulleys and shafts to the machines. A worker giving a demonstration got caught in the belt. Sadly, he did not make it. Mr Mikey.

[Hoosiersmoker]

This guy's lucky he didn't knock himself out when his hand hit his face coming off of that belt!