Got any low effort guillotine ideas?

[Jack_Nimble]

Just curious. Always been interested in building a guillotine. Just curious of what the super lowest effort way of doing this would be. There is of course the tie a long rope to your neck and the other end to a tree and drive your car fast til it Yanks your head off. But am more curious in the lying still method of a guillotine.

 

[J&L383]

You would need a very heavy large blade (and very sharp!), that would seem to be the hardest part. Everything else is wood, some good carpentry experience would be helpful. Somewhere to put it that is out of prying eyes, otherwise your neighbors would think you are really weird, at the very least.

I've always been fascinated by them, of course made famous in France. And probably more humane than hanging or many other methods of ending a life. Although we haven't been able to talk to the severed heads that are still moving afterwards to see if there's pain being registered.

 

[Bootleg Astolfo]

Low effort. HOW DARE YOU MONSIEUR, DO IT PROPERLY YOU ENGLISH PIGDOG.
*La marseillaise ear rape starts playing*

 

[Jack_Nimble]

I get what your saying. My opinion is I doubt it registers pain as it consumes what oxygen is left inside of it. I've heard the eyes can move around a few seconds after being severed.

Part of my doubt of pain is just the shock factor. I've cut off my finger tip including bone accidentally. I mean, it did actually hurt. But the shock of it overwhelmed temhe pain if that makes sense. So the pain really wasn't a bother. The next three days were hell though.

 

[MatrixPrisoner]

CHOO! CHOOOO!!!!!!

 

[ShatteredSerenity]

If you don't want to go to the effort to build a guillotine, you can always just ask a buddy to wack your head off with a sword ISIS style.

If you have access to an airfield, a running propeller will lop your head off in mere milliseconds.

If you're seeking decapitation with the full guillotine experience, you'll need to build a complete replica of the wooden structures you can find pictures of on the internet. They're utilitarian devices and they don't have any bells and whistles, so there's not really anything you can remove to simplify it and reduce the effort to build it.

The only simplification I can think of is if you have a house you can modify, you could cut down on the bracing required by building it into the wall. You would need a window or cut a hole in the wall to stick your head through, then you could mount the blade on a lightweight frame bolted to the wall. That would also be less consipicuous than a standalone guillotine.

I would be terrified to stick my neck in any guillotine that was built half-assed, because a blade that sticks halfway through sounds like a horrific torture device. It needs to be built right with a lot of testing. Guillotines are large devices built for industrial scale execution, not 1-off suicides, so there will necessarily be a high cost-to-benefit ratio if that's the route you want to take.

 

[oneeyed]

The only simplification I can think of is if you have a house you can modify, you could cut down on the bracing required by building it into the wall. You would need a window or cut a hole in the wall to stick your head through, then you could mount the blade on a lightweight frame bolted to the wall. That would also be less conspicuous than a standalone guillotine.

To build on what you mentioned, a doorway would be ideal for this idea. It's already a rectangular frame and sturdy. You'll still have to heavily modify it to have a blade slide up and down and be able to hoist it up. Don't forget the bucket to catch your head.

This is also a pretty gruesome way to go for anyone who discovers you.

 

[soonnotkoei]

even if you built the wooden frame, youd have to forge your own super sharp blade sharp enough to go clean through the whole neck, which is hard i suppose. and as @ShatteredSerenity said, a blade half stuck into your neck would be less than ideal.

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

If you are a mechanical engineer or a craftsman with a repair shop or at least knew someone with this skills it should be no problem.
But you have to take into account that nobody knows how it feels to be beheaded. Experiments with rats showed that their severed heads were most likely conscious for a few seconds.

 

[ShatteredSerenity]

even if you built the wooden frame, youd have to forge your own super sharp blade sharp enough to go clean through the whole neck, which is hard i suppose.

Yeah, fabricating a blade that's sharp enough and heavy enough to slice a human head off cleanly and reliably would be very hard for most people.

One of my first jobs was at a machine shop that sharpened blades and cutting tools for industrial applications. The closest thing to a guillotine blade I worked on were the blades from Zamboni machines that are used to resurface ice rinks. Those blades were about 1/2 inch thick and 77 inches long, and they were extremely sharp. They were so sharp my hands were covered with cuts. We sharpened them in a long machine with a grinder mounted on rails that would automatically travel back and forth along the Zamboni blade, shaving a minute amount of metal off with each pass. Coolant was constantly sprayed on the cutting wheel to keep the temperature down and avoid any warping caused by heat.

The Zamboni blades were much longer than needed, so I'd esimate you could use a 2 ft x 2 ft blade for a guillotine. I think 1/2 in thick would be a minimum, you might need to go thicker for more weight and rigidity. You would also need to cut an angle on the rectangular blade, which is something most machine shops are equipped to do. The ideal process for sharpening it is basically the same as for the Zamboni blades, a grinder makes numerous passes to shave away metal until it's sharp. That kind of sharpening equipment is generally found at specialized machine shops.

If you wanted to fabricate the blade at home, you'd need to have a metal cutting saw to make the angle, and an angle grinder to sharpen it. I'm not sure how well the quality would come out using power tools instead of industral machining equipment. Sharpening it with a handheld grinder would be very tedious, and the metal would get very hot without coolant. It's not rocket science, but you have to be very steady and precise for long periods of time. It would definitely take a huge amount of effort for a result that would probably be mediocre at best.

Hiring a machine shop to fabricate the blade from a drawing would be a lot easier and produce guaranteed high-quality results, at the expense of higher cost.

 

[oneeyed]

Doing it at home shouldn't be overly difficult with some readily available tools. I mean, people forge knives in home shops. This is also assuming you have decent enough skills to do the fabrication. If this was the route I were to take, after completing the build I would test it on something that's close to representing your neck.

 

[L'absent]

What you are describing is not a guillotine. The guillotine is, in every respect, an instrument designed to be lethal and requires a highly precise technique, typical of an expert. While some individuals have improvised a functional version and successfully achieved their goal, this does not mean that it was a universally reliable or easily replicable method. The documented cases of success are few but certain, as also reported in academic sources such as PubMed. However, these remain isolated incidents involving individuals with specific technical skills, making it impossible to establish broader statistics on their effectiveness. That said, if a guillotine is built according to all the necessary technical criteria, there is no reason to believe that it would not work 100%, because no doctor could ever reattach a head and bring someone back to life.
A frequently discussed aspect concerns the possibility of residual consciousness after decapitation, with some claiming that the head may remain aware for a few seconds and even perceive pain. This theory is completely unfounded scientifically. Brain death is instantaneous because the brain is entirely dependent on blood flow to maintain neural activity; once interrupted, arterial pressure collapses immediately, depriving the brain of oxygen and leading to an immediate loss of consciousness. Post-mortem twitches or movements of the severed head are simply neuromuscular reflexes caused by residual electrical discharges, but they do not indicate any form of perception or suffering. The idea that a severed head can "see" or "think" for a few seconds is a myth unsupported by any neurophysiological evidence. The guillotine, precisely due to its design, has historically been considered one of the fastest and "least painful" execution methods compared to others, making the debate on post-decapitation consciousness more rooted in folklore than in scientific reality.

 

[Jack_Nimble]

There's actually a lot of study about consciousness for seconds after decapitation. Including some I found on pubmed. Historically the reason it's not done as much for execution is due to suspicion of it being not a purely instant death. It probably is one of the absolute quickest though. Even without blood pressure, blood supplies cells. Cells still need to use up the energy they've already obtained from the blood supply.

Are Humans Still Briefly Conscious After Decapitation?

Beheading is still practiced in some parts of the world, even though it is rare. So, do humans retain consciousness after the beheading?

www.discovermagazine.com

 

[L'absent]

There is no definitive scientific evidence confirming consciousness after decapitation in humans. Studies showing post-decapitation brain activity are primarily based on experiments conducted on rats, in which EEG signals have been observed for a few seconds after decapitation, but this does not mean there is consciousness, as residual electrical activity does not equate to perception, thought, or awareness. The human brain, unlike that of rats, is highly sensitive to the lack of oxygen and entirely dependent on a constant blood supply to maintain consciousness, so when the head is separated from the body, blood pressure collapses immediately, and loss of consciousness is practically instantaneous. Even if some brain cells remain metabolically active for a few seconds before definitive cell death, this does not imply that the person is still conscious or capable of perceiving anything. Movements or twitches observed after decapitation are simply involuntary neuromuscular reflexes caused by residual electrical discharges in the nerves and not signs of consciousness. If the human brain truly remained conscious for several seconds after decapitation, there would be measurable signs of brain activity associated with perception and thought, something that no neurophysiological study in humans has ever demonstrated. The guillotine has historically been considered one of the fastest and least painful execution methods ever used, and the debate over post-decapitation consciousness is more a legacy of popular beliefs and anecdotal observations than a phenomenon supported by scientific evidence.
The EEG in rats after decapitation shows residual activity for about 10-15 seconds, with increases in F50 and F95 frequencies and a decrease in total power (Ptot). Some interpret this data as evidence that consciousness persists, but this hypothesis is problematic when compared with other known states of unconsciousness, such as coma and general anesthesia.
During general anesthesia, the EEG displays distinct patterns, with an increase in slow waves (delta and theta) and a reduction in high-frequency activity, reflecting deep cortical inhibition. Patients under anesthesia do not perceive pain despite having an active EEG, demonstrating that the presence of electrical signals in the brain does not necessarily imply consciousness. In coma, EEG patterns can range from slowed activity to burst suppression and even an isoelectric trace in cases of brain death. Even in reversible coma states, EEG activity is not an indicator of awareness.
This comparison highlights that post-decapitation EEG activity may not be sufficient to prove the persistence of consciousness, as similar signals appear in deeply unconscious states. The main issue with the argument that consciousness persists after decapitation is that EEG is the only available evidence, without proof linking this activity directly to conscious experience. The rapid loss of cerebral perfusion in decapitated rats makes it unlikely that the brain can sustain consciousness beyond a few seconds. If we accept that an anesthetized patient, despite having an active EEG, is unconscious, then the same principle should apply to decapitated rats.

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

Brain death is instantaneous because the brain is entirely dependent on blood flow to maintain neural activity; once interrupted, arterial pressure collapses immediately, depriving the brain of oxygen and leading to an immediate loss of consciousness.

For the brain it makes no diffrence whether it´s energy supply is interrupted by a blade, rope or cardiac arrest. In the latter two cases consciousness fades within 5 to 15 seconds. As the blood will leave the brain of a severed head the conscious time may be shortened but probably not to zero. I could imagine that a sharp blade may cause longer consciousness than a blunt edge, which is more like a karate chop to the neck and causes instant unconsciuosness due to the vibration of the brain.

I have read that the transection of the spinal cord causes instant unconsciousness but persons who are paraplegic from the neck down are still conscious.

We need a Ouija board to find out the truth.

 

[L'absent]

For the brain it makes no diffrence whether it´s energy supply is interrupted by a blade, rope or cardiac arrest. In the latter two cases consciousness fades within 5 to 15 seconds. As the blood will leave the brain of a severed head the conscious time may be shortened but probably not to zero. I could imagine that a sharp blade may cause longer consciousness than a blunt edge, which is more like a karate chop to the neck and causes instant unconsciuosness due to the vibration of the brain.

I have read that the transection of the spinal cord causes instant unconsciousness but persons who are paraplegic from the neck down are still conscious.

We need a Ouija board to find out the truth.

Brain death is instantaneous because the brain relies entirely on blood flow to maintain its activity. Once that flow is cut off, arterial pressure drops immediately, the blood drains from the brain, and consciousness is lost in an instant. The idea that there might be 'a few seconds' of consciousness after decapitation is more of a myth than a scientifically verified fact: without blood pressure, neuronal activity ceases almost immediately.
You compare decapitation to strangulation or cardiac arrest, but there's a fundamental difference: in the latter two cases, blood pressure gradually decreases, allowing for those famous 5-15 seconds of residual consciousness. In decapitation, however, blood pressure doesn't gradually decline—it immediately disappears. There is no time for prolonged conscious activity because the brain is instantly deprived of oxygen and the pressure necessary for it to function.
As for your comparison with paraplegics, it is completely irrelevant and shows a fundamental confusion between the nervous system and the circulatory system. A paraplegic has a spinal cord injury that prevents nerve signals from being transmitted, but the brain continues to receive blood and oxygen, so consciousness is maintained. In decapitation, however, the brain is severed from the circulatory system, meaning it can no longer receive blood or oxygen, leading to near-instantaneous loss of consciousness.
As for the idea that a sharp blade might prolong consciousness more than a blunt one, there is no scientific basis to support this. It's more of a gothic horror speculation than a verifiable theory. But if you want to test it, I'd recommend getting a guillotine and a Ouija board to compare results.

 

[Jack_Nimble]

There is no definitive scientific evidence confirming consciousness after decapitation in humans.

If that's how you wish to interpret the data that's your choice. There is also no definitive proof that there isn't any consciousness for a few seconds. Heads without vocal cords can't talk. You're making an assumption that is in fact just as much of an assumption that you're accusing others of making. No one is obligated to believe your beliefs. Nor is it up there any on of us to tell you what to believe here.

I personally choose to understand that our cells take in energy via mitochondria. It makes a lot of sense that the cells get to use the energy they've already taken inside of them after loss of blood pressure.

Pubmed also has reports of decapitated human heads even responding being to their surroundings. Such as their name being spoken.

Obviously non of this will be 100% definitively proven in our lifetime as such studies would cross ethical boundaries.

I find it really interesting that you're putting so much effort into arguing over a few seconds. It doesn't really matter. Why not just accept that others believe differently?

This thread really has gone downhill.

 

[L'absent]

If that's how you wish to interpret the data that's your choice. There is also no definitive proof that there isn't any consciousness for a few seconds. Heads without vocal cords can't talk. You're making an assumption that is in fact just as much of an assumption that you're accusing others of making. No one is obligated to believe your beliefs. Nor is it up there any on of us to tell you what to believe here.

I personally choose to understand that our cells take in energy via mitochondria. It makes a lot of sense that the cells get to use the energy they've already taken inside of them after loss of blood pressure.

Pubmed also has reports of decapitated human heads even responding being to their surroundings. Such as their name being spoken.

Obviously non of this will be 100% definitively proven in our lifetime as such studies would cross ethical boundaries.

I find it really interesting that you're putting so much effort into arguing over a few seconds. It doesn't really matter. Why not just accept that others believe differently?

This thread really has gone downhill.

Ah, so now we've reached the point where "the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence," right? If we follow this logic, then there is no definitive proof that consciousness doesn't get trapped in a toaster after decapitation, but that doesn't make it true. The problem isn't accepting that others believe differently, but that some present unfounded hypotheses as if they hold the same validity as those based on concrete data.

 

[Jack_Nimble]

I shared evidence. You stated it's not evidence. Whatevs. It's your choice, and your choice only how you wish to interpret the data. You don't have to believe. I'm being entirely serious. It's no big deal and inconsequential.

It's also worth noting that mankind believed the earth was flat before they were able to prove it's round. And that's not a joke. Kinda funny though :) .But hey, if someone has never been wrong about something then they just haven't lived.

This was just supposed to be a fun thread about silly ideas to make a low effort guillotine. Not some contest over who believes "true facts" and who doesn't.

There are actual online debate platforms if that what you truly wish to do.

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

Brain death is instantaneous because the brain relies entirely on blood flow to maintain its activity. Once that flow is cut off, arterial pressure drops immediately, the blood drains from the brain, and consciousness is lost in an instant. The idea that there might be 'a few seconds' of consciousness after decapitation is more of a myth than a scientifically verified fact: without blood pressure, neuronal activity ceases almost immediately.
You compare decapitation to strangulation or cardiac arrest, but there's a fundamental difference: in the latter two cases, blood pressure gradually decreases, allowing for those famous 5-15 seconds of residual consciousness. In decapitation, however, blood pressure doesn't gradually decline—it immediately disappears. There is no time for prolonged conscious activity because the brain is instantly deprived of oxygen and the pressure necessary for it to function.
As for your comparison with paraplegics, it is completely irrelevant and shows a fundamental confusion between the nervous system and the circulatory system. A paraplegic has a spinal cord injury that prevents nerve signals from being transmitted, but the brain continues to receive blood and oxygen, so consciousness is maintained. In decapitation, however, the brain is severed from the circulatory system, meaning it can no longer receive blood or oxygen, leading to near-instantaneous loss of consciousness.
As for the idea that a sharp blade might prolong consciousness more than a blunt one, there is no scientific basis to support this. It's more of a gothic horror speculation than a verifiable theory. But if you want to test it, I'd recommend getting a guillotine and a Ouija board to compare results.

Nothing in the world (ecxept for the world of quantum physics) happens intantly, it is just a question of the time constant. A shotgun can cause almost intantanteneous brain death but decapitation for sure not. But we are not talking about brain death but about unconsciousness. The bloodpressure in a severed head will not dissapear immediately, due to the trottle effect in the delicate vessels of the brain, the mass inertia of the blood and the orientation of the head relatively to the vertical line.

 

[L'absent]

Nothing in the world (ecxept for the world of quantum physics) happens intantly, it is just a question of the time constant. A shotgun can cause almost intantanteneous brain death but decapitation for sure not. But we are not talking about brain death but about unconsciousness. The bloodpressure in a severed head will not dissapear immediately, due to the trottle effect in the delicate vessels of the brain, the mass inertia of the blood and the orientation of the head relatively to the vertical line.

Ah, so now we've moved from neurophysiology to quantum physics? Interesting detour. Too bad quantum mechanics has nothing to do with the macroscopic blood flow of a biological system. But let's proceed step by step. Sure, nothing happens in absolute zero time, but here we are talking about biologically relevant timeframes. Decapitation causes an immediate interruption of systemic blood pressure, and consciousness, which depends entirely on a constant oxygen supply, ceases in less than a second. Your concept of a "time constant" doesn't change the reality: the human mind has no time to process anything after the head is severed.
Interesting claim, but without any basis. Studies on decapitation victims (e.g., post-French Revolution experiments and animal observations) show that no prolonged conscious activity exists. Blood is no longer pumped into the brain's capillaries, pressure drops to zero instantly (in physiological terms), and without oxygen, consciousness vanishes. If you believe that the inertia of blood in microscopic vessels can prolong consciousness, you should explain how a brain could process information without a continuous oxygen supply.
The brain is not a sponge that retains oxygen for future use: it depends entirely on a constant blood flow. The orientation of the head doesn't change the fact that there is no longer any arterial pressure to sustain cognitive activity. The only constant here is your stubbornness in trying to make a simple phenomenon seem complicated: remove the blood, remove the oxygen, shut down the brain. If you really want to test your theories, you should find an eager volunteer and a well-sharpened guillotine, but I'm afraid you wouldn't have anyone left to report the results.
Ah, I almost forgot... now you're clinging to fluid dynamics principles to save your theory? Interesting, but too bad the circulatory system doesn't work like an engine with a throttle valve. The throttle effect you mention applies to fluids in rigid conduits or systems with a controlled narrowing, not to the hemodynamic system of a living organism, which relies entirely on pressure generated by the heart. And guess what? When the neck is severed, there is no longer a pressurized system to maintain blood flow to the brain. Without arterial pressure, without oxygen, without circulation, there is no consciousness.

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

Ah, so now we've moved from neurophysiology to quantum physics? Interesting detour. Too bad quantum mechanics has nothing to do with the macroscopic blood flow of a biological system. But let's proceed step by step. Sure, nothing happens in absolute zero time, but here we are talking about biologically relevant timeframes. Decapitation causes an immediate interruption of systemic blood pressure, and consciousness, which depends entirely on a constant oxygen supply, ceases in less than a second. Your concept of a "time constant" doesn't change the reality: the human mind has no time to process anything after the head is severed.
Interesting claim, but without any basis. Studies on decapitation victims (e.g., post-French Revolution experiments and animal observations) show that no prolonged conscious activity exists. Blood is no longer pumped into the brain's capillaries, pressure drops to zero instantly (in physiological terms), and without oxygen, consciousness vanishes. If you believe that the inertia of blood in microscopic vessels can prolong consciousness, you should explain how a brain could process information without a continuous oxygen supply.
The brain is not a sponge that retains oxygen for future use: it depends entirely on a constant blood flow. The orientation of the head doesn't change the fact that there is no longer any arterial pressure to sustain cognitive activity. The only constant here is your stubbornness in trying to make a simple phenomenon seem complicated: remove the blood, remove the oxygen, shut down the brain. If you really want to test your theories, you should find an eager volunteer and a well-sharpened guillotine, but I'm afraid you wouldn't have anyone left to report the results.
Ah, I almost forgot... now you're clinging to fluid dynamics principles to save your theory? Interesting, but too bad the circulatory system doesn't work like an engine with a throttle valve. The throttle effect you mention applies to fluids in rigid conduits or systems with a controlled narrowing, not to the hemodynamic system of a living organism, which relies entirely on pressure generated by the heart. And guess what? When the neck is severed, there is no longer a pressurized system to maintain blood flow to the brain. Without arterial pressure, without oxygen, without circulation, there is no consciousness.

No heartbeat, no bloodpressure, no blood circulation but still consciousness for 5 to 15 seconds.

 

[L'absent]

No heartbeat, no bloodpressure, no blood circulation but still consciousness for 5 to 15 seconds.

Oh, so you've gone back to square one, repeating the same mantra without adding anything new? Interesting strategy. Too bad that repeating a statement without argumentation doesn't make it any more true. Now, let's see if you can explain your logic: according to you, a severed head with no heartbeat, no blood pressure, and no circulation would still remain conscious for 5-15 seconds. Fine, explain to me the physiological mechanism that would allow that to happen. Let's go over the options: oxygen is necessary to maintain neuronal activity. Without blood flow, the residual oxygen in the brain is depleted in less than a second, immediately shutting down conscious processes. Brain activity is not autonomous, the brain is not a closed system that keeps functioning on inertia like a wind-up clock. It depends entirely on a continuous supply of oxygen and glucose, which is instantly cut off by decapitation. Historical and scientific experiments do not support your claim. If you had even a minimal understanding of neurophysiology, you would know that the post-French Revolution experiments on supposed post-decapitation consciousness have never been scientifically verified. The absence of observable conscious movements after complete decapitation disproves your theory. So, let's do this: instead of repeating a random phrase as if it were a fact, try explaining the biological mechanism that justifies your claim. But do it with real data, not the usual "because I say so." Oh, and while you're at it, if you're so convinced, why don't you try finding a scientific source to back it up? I'm eagerly waiting for your explanation, but I suspect nothing concrete will come of it. Because, you see, biology and science operate on facts, not on dogmas repeated like a parrot.

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

Oh, so you've gone back to square one, repeating the same mantra without adding anything new? Interesting strategy. Too bad that repeating a statement without argumentation doesn't make it any more true. Now, let's see if you can explain your logic: according to you, a severed head with no heartbeat, no blood pressure, and no circulation would still remain conscious for 5-15 seconds. Fine, explain to me the physiological mechanism that would allow that to happen. Let's go over the options: oxygen is necessary to maintain neuronal activity. Without blood flow, the residual oxygen in the brain is depleted in less than a second, immediately shutting down conscious processes. Brain activity is not autonomous, the brain is not a closed system that keeps functioning on inertia like a wind-up clock. It depends entirely on a continuous supply of oxygen and glucose, which is instantly cut off by decapitation. Historical and scientific experiments do not support your claim. If you had even a minimal understanding of neurophysiology, you would know that the post-French Revolution experiments on supposed post-decapitation consciousness have never been scientifically verified. The absence of observable conscious movements after complete decapitation disproves your theory. So, let's do this: instead of repeating a random phrase as if it were a fact, try explaining the biological mechanism that justifies your claim. But do it with real data, not the usual "because I say so." Oh, and while you're at it, if you're so convinced, why don't you try finding a scientific source to back it up? I'm eagerly waiting for your explanation, but I suspect nothing concrete will come of it. Because, you see, biology and science operate on facts, not on dogmas repeated like a parrot.

You claim: Without blood flow, the residual oxygen in the brain is depleted in less than a second and immediately shutting down the conscious processes.

If this would be true, how can it be that in case of cardiac arrest or hanging the brain stays conscious for up to 20 seconds and it takes 5 to 10 minutes until brain death, although there is instantly no blood flow? These are no facts that I have invented, you will find numerous evidence for this.

The knowledge about cardiac arrest and hanging prove, that the oxygen and glucose in the blood is not consumed in less than a second. There is enough to keep brain cells alive for minutes. The oxygen contend of venous blood is still 75 % of the oxygen contend of arterial blood.

You could argue, that decapitation differs from cardiac arrest, because the blood is leaving the head almost instantly. But what is driving the blood out of a severed head? There is no blood pressure and gravity is too weak to overcome throttle effects and it´s direction is randomly. It´s hard to get the blood out of a dead body, therefore kosher slaughtering is supported by heartbeat and gravity.

 

[L'absent]

You claim: Without blood flow, the residual oxygen in the brain is depleted in less than a second and immediately shutting down the conscious processes.

If this would be true, how can it be that in case of cardiac arrest or hanging the brain stays conscious for up to 20 seconds and it takes 5 to 10 minutes until brain death, although there is instantly no blood flow? These are no facts that I have invented, you will find numerous evidence for this.

The knowledge about cardiac arrest and hanging prove, that the oxygen and glucose in the blood is not consumed in less than a second. There is enough to keep brain cells alive for minutes. The oxygen contend of venous blood is still 75 % of the oxygen contend of arterial blood.

You could argue, that decapitation differs from cardiac arrest, because the blood is leaving the head almost instantly. But what is driving the blood out of a severed head? There is no blood pressure and gravity is too weak to overcome throttle effects and it´s direction is randomly. It´s hard to get the blood out of a dead body, therefore kosher slaughtering is supported by heartbeat and gravity.

Your comparison between decapitation, cardiac arrest, and hanging is incorrect because it ignores the fundamental difference between an immediate interruption of blood flow and a gradual one. In the case of cardiac arrest, arterial pressure gradually decreases, allowing the blood already present in the cerebral vessels to continue oxygenating the brain for a few seconds, which is why a person can remain conscious for a brief period. The same applies to hanging, where compression of the carotid arteries reduces but does not instantly eliminate blood flow, allowing a window of consciousness before complete cerebral anoxia. Decapitation, on the other hand, cuts off the circulatory system abruptly and irreversibly: the heart can no longer pump blood to the brain, arterial pressure collapses immediately, and oxygen in the neurons is depleted in less than a second, leading to instant loss of consciousness. Your claim that brain cells have sufficient oxygen reserves to maintain consciousness for several seconds is incorrect because the human brain is not designed to function in the absence of blood perfusion. Brain activity is not autonomous and cannot continue by inertia as if the brain were a closed, self-sufficient system. Neurons require a constant supply of oxygen and glucose to sustain synaptic activity, and without adequate arterial pressure, bioelectrical activity stops instantly. When you state that the oxygen present in venous blood is still at 75% of arterial blood, you demonstrate a misunderstanding of cerebral physiology: the issue is not how much oxygen remains in the residual blood, but the fact that without arterial pressure, blood can no longer effectively reach neurons. It is not enough for blood to contain oxygen; it must be actively pumped to brain tissues to be utilized. Citing kosher slaughter is an attempt to divert the discussion because, in that context, the heart continues to beat for a few seconds after the cut, facilitating blood drainage. This has nothing to do with decapitation, where the heart and brain are separated, making any significant residual circulation impossible. If a severed head truly remained conscious for several seconds, there would be clear evidence of complex cognitive reactions, not just simple reflex muscle spasms. No scientific research has ever demonstrated conscious brain activity after decapitation, and anecdotal accounts from the post-French Revolution era do not withstand experimental verification. You have repeated the same claim multiple times without providing a physiological explanation to support it, which shows that you are trying to uphold a thesis without scientific basis. Repeating an incorrect concept does not make it true.

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

Neurons require a constant supply of oxygen and glucose to sustain synaptic activity, and without adequate arterial pressure, bioelectrical activity stops instantly. When you state that the oxygen present in venous blood is still at 75% of arterial blood, you demonstrate a misunderstanding of cerebral physiology: the issue is not how much oxygen remains in the residual blood, but the fact that without arterial pressure, blood can no longer effectively reach neurons.

This process is driven by diffusion, diffusion needs a difference in particle density not a pressure difference.

 

[L'absent]

This process is driven by diffusion, diffusion needs a difference in particle density not a pressure difference.

You claim that the diffusion of oxygen into tissues could keep consciousness going even after decapitation, based on the idea that pressure isn't the only factor in oxygen transport. That shows a misunderstanding of how the brain works. Passive diffusion plays a minimal role in oxygen delivery because the human circulatory system doesn't rely on it alone. Blood flow depends on arterial pressure, which the heart generates to keep oxygen and nutrients constantly reaching neurons. If diffusion alone were enough to keep you conscious, people could survive without a heartbeat just by relying on a concentration gradient. But that's not how it works—diffusion is way too slow and inefficient compared to active blood circulation. When the head is cut off, blood flow stops instantly, meaning oxygen can't reach neurons anymore. Plus, the blood doesn't just sit there—it drains fast due to the sudden loss of pressure. Even if some oxygen is still in the capillaries, without an active system to push it to brain cells, it's useless. Your mistake is assuming the brain can function without constant blood circulation, ignoring that it needs a steady oxygen supply to stay conscious. Your argument doesn't hold up against biological reality.

 

[Temporary Breakway]

If you don't want to go to the effort to build a guillotine, you can always just ask a buddy to wack your head off with a sword ISIS style.

If you have access to an airfield, a running propeller will lop your head off in mere milliseconds.

If you're seeking decapitation with the full guillotine experience, you'll need to build a complete replica of the wooden structures you can find pictures of on the internet. They're utilitarian devices and they don't have any bells and whistles, so there's not really anything you can remove to simplify it and reduce the effort to build it.

The only simplification I can think of is if you have a house you can modify, you could cut down on the bracing required by building it into the wall. You would need a window or cut a hole in the wall to stick your head through, then you could mount the blade on a lightweight frame bolted to the wall. That would also be less consipicuous than a standalone guillotine.

I would be terrified to stick my neck in any guillotine that was built half-assed, because a blade that sticks halfway through sounds like a horrific torture device. It needs to be built right with a lot of testing. Guillotines are large devices built for industrial scale execution, not 1-off suicides, so there will necessarily be a high cost-to-benefit ratio if that's the route you want to take.

"Hey man I've been feeling down recently wouldn't be epic if you totally decapitated me"

 

[wiggy]

"Low effort guillotine" is something of an oxymoron. By its design, the contraption would have to be quite large and heavy and the blade would similarly need to be impractically large and sharp, not to mention some kind of well lubricated rail system. If you wanted to jerryrig some kind of homebrew self decapitation device, I would imagine some kind of collar would be the foundation of the design.