A DIY Winch

For our tree house, I wanted a winch to lift up heavy materials.  

 I found just the trash I needed to make it from, starting with a saw blade I have no desire to ever use to cut wood. (I'm too spoiled by carbide).

I formed a piece of scrap steel tubing into a crank.

I needed a pawl to stop the winch on the saw teeth as a safety against falling loads. I cut a snap ring groove in a pin with an angle grinder and the drill press.

And added a snap ring.

I cut a few plywood circles for each side of the drum and to enclose the saw.

I turned a drum from a 4x4.

To put a straight hole through it, I first cut it in half.

Then I cut a notch down the middle of each half, making a diamond-shaped "hole".

 Then I glued the halves back together and added a shaft of steel tubing.

Then I built a frame to hold it up and put it all together.  The pawl consists of a closet shelf bracket with the pin through it to catch on the saw teeth.  To lower a load, you raise it up and out of the way so it doesn't catch the saw teeth as you control the speed with the crank.

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