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Foam pipe blades.
By Jerry, Section Diaries Posted on Fri Feb 2nd, 2007 at 04:16:29 AM MST
Blade set done, not flown yet.

Finished another 4ft blade set today. This one is make from the 5/16" thick wall PVC pipe.
I used a triangle hub made from 2 layers of 3/4" plywood. I used my Roto Zips circal cutting atachment with a 5/16" router tip to make the groove for the blades to rest in. I drilled a hole through the hub and blade and fastened the blade to the hub with 1/4" carage bolts.
The nose cone is one of those plastic pipe caps from Lowes. I took this one out side and with a 1/4" phillips screw driver at the shaft and held it into the 3 mph wind.
It spun up prety fast. It a littel out of ballance but I'm sure I can cure that.
This one set at 30 degrees at the root and just a few degrees at the tip. I took a few picture but I think it looks much better in real life.
This foam pipe is 6" inside diameter. I'm going to try a 5ft version with the 8" foam pipe.
This foam center pipe is very strong and is almost hard to bend. I'm not sure what the TSR is on this blade but is starts up real easy and is fairly flate at the tip.
Soon I hope to wind test this blade on a genny.
Heres a few pictures.

JK TAS Jerry

Foam pipe blades. | 12 comments (12 topical, 0 editorial)

Re: Foam pipe blades. (3.00 / 0) (#1)
by jimjjnn (jimjjnn at yahoo dot com) on Thu Feb 1st, 2007 at 11:54:10 PM MST
(User Info)

Damn Jerry you are having too much fun for a sane person. Keep it up. Love your insanity !!!!!
Jim Denver,CO

Re: Foam pipe blades. (3.00 / 0) (#2)
by swmiwindnsolar on Fri Feb 2nd, 2007 at 05:55:03 AM MST
(User Info)

Hello Jerry.

Nice top and side pics.
Do you have pics of the underside?

Thanks, Art.
Lawrence, MI
swmiwindnsolar
[ Parent ]

Re: Foam pipe blades. (3.00 / 0) (#3)
by Jerry on Fri Feb 2nd, 2007 at 09:22:43 AM MST
(User Info) http://www.dplusv.com/Photo-03.html

Here,s a couple bottom pictures Art.

You can almost see the foam core.

JK TAS Jerry

Airheads Page

[ Parent ]

Re: Foam pipe blades. (3.00 / 0) (#7)
by swmiwindnsolar on Fri Feb 2nd, 2007 at 10:00:58 PM MST
(User Info)

Thanks. Art.
swmiwindnsolar
[ Parent ]

Re: Foam pipe blades. (3.00 / 0) (#4)
by disaray1 on Fri Feb 2nd, 2007 at 02:49:29 PM MST
(User Info)

Jerry,

If you do another one of the triangle hubs, would you mind snapping a shot of the setup you use to cut the blade slots. I keep trying to figure out exactly how you get the curve cut in there without a bunch ugliness. Hmmmmm

Thanks in advance!
David

Re: Foam pipe blades. (3.00 / 0) (#5)
by Jerry on Fri Feb 2nd, 2007 at 07:48:18 PM MST
(User Info) http://www.dplusv.com/Photo-03.html

Hi David.

I'm at home now. The wood gig I built to hold the hub inplace while I used my Roto Zip cercel cutter. I'll try to get a picture tommorow of the gig.

Here is a a picture of the Roto Zip. I atached the Roto Zip to its optional jig saw atachment. There is a slot through the base of the atachment for a cutting guide.

I used a pice of 1/8"X 3/8" X 5" steel instead of the gude. I threded a 1/4" bolt into this pice of steel. I cut the head off the bolt. Noew I have a home built cercal cutter.

I used a 5/16" router bit and cut the round slot for the blade.

JK TAS Jerry

Airheads Page

[ Parent ]

Re: Foam pipe blades. (3.00 / 0) (#9)
by Jerry on Sat Feb 3rd, 2007 at 09:03:00 PM MST
(User Info) http://www.dplusv.com/Photo-03.html

Hi David.

Here are a few pictures of the wood gig used to hold the triangle hub for cutting the mounting slot for the plastic pipe blades.

This is one of 2 boards. I think you can see the hole for the centering bolt and the slot the router tip has cut. Thats the starting point.

This shows the Roto Zip router in postion. These shots are kinda like those littel ant farms you had when you were a kid. X-ray vision?

Router swong out a littel. Ofcourse the triangle hub is not present in these pictures.

Looking from the top with both side boards in place. I use a long 1/4" bolt to hold these boards together. The bolt passes through the center hole in the hub. The boards at the angles make sure the hub rests in the right position.

This all works real well.

You can also change the picth of the blade easyly by were it rest in the grove. I don't worry about the root angle and shoot for just a couple degrees at the tip ( this very easy to ajust. Once your happy with the angle just drill through and bolt it.

JK TAS Jerry

Airheads Page

[ Parent ]

Re: Foam pipe blades. (3.00 / 0) (#11)
by disaray1 on Sun Feb 4th, 2007 at 06:09:02 AM MST
(User Info)

Jerry, Thanks for those pics and instructions. For some reason, I had imagined you were using a milling machine and a rotary vise somehow...your real method is so much more simple!

Thanks again.

David

[ Parent ]

Re: Foam pipe blades. (3.00 / 0) (#6)
by RobC on Fri Feb 2nd, 2007 at 09:15:11 PM MST
(User Info)

Blades look good Jerry nice job. Don't know if I mentioned it last time I talked to you but I was building blades out of 1/2 inch Baltic birch plywood. They are three layers at the root tapering to one at the tip. Each blade is 5 ft long. Well we've had 6 months of rough wind and they are still going strong. On more thing no twist just constant 5 degrees from root to tip. I would not hesitate to build another set as long as I can find plywood relatively free of voids. Having said that they will probably fall off tomorrow. RobC

Re: Foam pipe blades. (3.00 / 0) (#8)
by Jerry on Sat Feb 3rd, 2007 at 08:41:01 PM MST
(User Info) http://www.dplusv.com/Photo-03.html

Hi Rob C.

Have you posted some pictures of your blades yet?

I'd like to see them. What kinda power you getting from them?

Discribe your alt?

Thanks.

JK TAS Jerry

Airheads Page

[ Parent ]

Re: Foam pipe blades. (3.00 / 0) (#10)
by RobC on Sat Feb 3rd, 2007 at 10:03:49 PM MST
(User Info)

I am still running the old Volvo style generator 400 to 500 watt output. Blades are really to big for it but it will start and run in very low winds. Will post some pics of the blades and my new inductor style desulfaters shortly. RobC

Re: Foam pipe blades. (3.00 / 0) (#12)
by Jerry on Sun Feb 4th, 2007 at 07:00:23 PM MST
(User Info) http://www.dplusv.com/Photo-03.html

TRhanks Rob.

Looking forward to the photos.

JK TAS Jerry

Airheads Page

[ Parent ]

Foam pipe blades. | 12 comments (12 topical, 0 editorial)

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