Author Topic: New Plastic Blades (Read 3760 times)

FishbonzWV · « **on:** April 28, 2005, 10:28:19 PM »

Decided to see if I could make a 6 blade mill.

Pulled the old 8" hub off, made a 12" one and put a 4" v groove pulley behind it.

Cut some new blades 32" long, 5.5" root, and 2.75" tip.

Pulled the mags and brushes from the motor and mounted the new setup on it. This baby spins if you breathe on it!

I put a 2" pulley on another motor and mounted it on a hinged plate and let gravity do the tensioning.

Now we wait for the wind.

Here's the motor mounting

Pulley and polycord belt

Bonz

ghurd · « **Reply #1 on:** April 28, 2005, 04:41:46 PM »

Wait for wind. Sounds familiar.

What kind of plastic are those blades?

Flat, curved? Flexable, brittle?

The root is just set by the all-thread?

G-

FishbonzWV · « **Reply #2 on:** April 28, 2005, 04:55:08 PM »

Hey ghurd

It's flexible plastic about a quarter inch thick and easy to work with.

Yes I adjust the root with a nut on the 3" machine screws. I've been playing with the angle to see where it turns best.

I'm also going to heat it with a torch right above the jack screw and see if it will take a better shape. Still playin around with it.

fishbonz

WBW40 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 28, 2005, 05:05:04 PM »

LOOK"S GOOD I LIKE 6 BLADES ,I DO 6 AND GET GOOD POWER AT LOW WINDS

GOOD LUCK........

TomW · « **Reply #4 on:** April 28, 2005, 05:15:10 PM »

WBW40;

Friendly Heads up to a new user, press caps lock key Before typing Very unfriendly to SHOUT.

And you need to shorten your file names and no spaces for them to work, too.

Cheers.

TomW

WBW40 · « **Reply #5 on:** April 28, 2005, 05:23:05 PM »

Cheers tomw ,

frome wayne in the uk...

picmacmillan · « **Reply #6 on:** April 28, 2005, 05:24:57 PM »

not sure if this might help the stability of the blades with little or no compromise to the drag, but here is a picture of some blades i have for a lawn ornament, it has #9 fencing wire pulled through all the blades and adds real good stability to the circumference of the system....pickster

electrondady1 · « **Reply #7 on:** April 28, 2005, 08:00:51 PM »

hello fishbonz i like your rig. it looks as though you have one geni runing direct drive, off the main shaft and a second unit over driven two to one . slick layout! there is no load on the generators at this time? if the self tightening mechanism is functional, congratulations !! that is very nice work.

Norm · « **Reply #8 on:** April 28, 2005, 09:27:51 PM »

what is the approximate angle at the root?

I'm making a 6 blader 16 inch long from 5 gal.

buckets with a fairly large hub...bolted to the

blade clutch of a gutted Briggs & Stratton

lawnmower engine 40 inch diameter...It's really

something to hold it in your hands in a 10mph

wind and hear the swoosh of the 'prop wash'

Built a little 32 inch 3 blader and like you...

waiting for the wind....join the club LOL!

Fun in NE Ohio!

( :>) Norm

wpowokal · « **Reply #9 on:** April 28, 2005, 11:08:08 PM »

http://www.otherpower.com/images/scimages/3185/6bla

FishbonzWV · « **Reply #10 on:** April 29, 2005, 04:10:34 AM »

ed1

I'm just using the motor on the blades as a shaft. Pulled the mags and brushes from it so it will spin with no drag.

FishbonzWV · « **Reply #11 on:** April 29, 2005, 04:14:48 AM »

Norm

It's 1.75" out from the hub. Had it at 1.5" and thought I'd add a little more.

With the jack screws I can play with angle.

Norm · « **Reply #12 on:** April 29, 2005, 07:22:19 AM »

Okay ...Thanks I can figure it from there

....What no built in angle indicator? LOL

One of mine with the 3 ridges (top part of

buckets ) I took a regular wood plane and planed

a flat spot at a certain angle would have worked

,but I didn't plane it at the right places. Maybe

I'll do that the next time. Good idea! (why didn't I think of that?....(smacks forehead))

( :>) Norm.

Norm · « **Reply #13 on:** April 29, 2005, 07:24:30 AM »

I meant maybe I'll use jacking screws next time......

Norm.

domwild · « **Reply #14 on:** April 30, 2005, 01:24:11 AM »

Bonz,

Thanks for the photos. Neat work. I like the idea of setting the angle. May need an alu sandwich a la Jerry to stop them flying off.

FishbonzWV · « **Reply #15 on:** April 30, 2005, 05:50:32 AM »

I don't think it would help here. Jerry's blades have a different mounting system and on mine I think the hub would have to fall apart before the blades would come off. Only time will tell.

FishbonzWV · « **Reply #16 on:** April 30, 2005, 04:54:32 PM »

Tested the rig today in 10-12 winds. Played around with the root angle and finally set the front of the blades at 1.5 inches from the hub. Amps peaked a little over 2.5 into one of those marine/starting batteries that I had run down to 12v for the testing. The pulley system worked great because of the clockwise rotation of the blades. This lets the v pulley pull the bottom of the polycord belt creating a downward force on the genny with the 2" pulley. At the fastest rpm I saw, the top of the belt actually had an arch in it. Cool!

Might take a half an inch off of the trailing edge taper to see if it will improve the tip speed.

ThuThuThuThat all folk.

Bonz

nanotech · « **Reply #17 on:** April 30, 2005, 11:11:36 PM »

Now, I like your idea there!!

Using a burned out motor for its bearings.....

Now THAT'S got me thinking!!! >

FishbonzWV · « **Reply #18 on:** May 05, 2005, 02:53:18 PM »

Another update on the mill

Took a propane torch and heated the blades from the middle of the root to about 12" up, angled to the leading edge. This softened the plastic and let it release the tension from the jacking screw making a nice airfoil shape farther up the blades.

When I put it back on the mill, it immediately started turning and I thought I had somehow knocked the balance off but it kept going round even tho there was no perceptable breeze. Looks to be an improvement.

titch21163 · « **Reply #19 on:** December 06, 2005, 02:26:46 AM »

Hi thats a great looking blades could you send me some drawings and me details if you could please.

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Author Topic: New Plastic Blades (Read 3760 times)