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Making a Wood Propeller

Discussion in 'Aviation Chat' started by CLamboSHI, Dec 20, 2010.

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  1. Bob Parks

    Bob Parks F1 Veteran
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    #26 Bob Parks, Nov 17, 2011
    Too many clamps is not enough. Ted Hendrickson built wooden props for hundreds of airplanes including the Lockheed silent surveillance airplane, I can't remember the name, but he clamped his propellor laminated blanks between two heavy steel girder "U" beams under which was a fire hose. The beams were, of course, aligned by some heavy studs that allowed some pre-clamping. He turned on the water and inflated the hose to full pressure and it compressed the laminations with a heavy but even pressure. He left it there for three days until the glue was completely dry. His props were a work of art and and absolutely balanced.
     
  2. CLamboSHI

    CLamboSHI Karting

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    #27 CLamboSHI, Nov 18, 2011
    The glue used on the airworthy props is called Ponal Super 3. Since I am not looking for airworthiness, I am going to use a waterproof Titebond II specifically for dark woods. I am working on rounding up as many clamps as I can. I should be on in that department.
     
  3. 1_can_dream

    1_can_dream F1 Veteran

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    #28 1_can_dream, Nov 18, 2011
    Looks like a great start and the first prop you made came out really nice! Fortunately you don't have to go the fire hose route since you're not going to be flying it :)
     
  4. JeremyJon

    JeremyJon F1 Veteran

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    #29 JeremyJon, Nov 24, 2011
    love the work, really looks great! :)

    i recently watched a doc on the wright bros, and how thier designs were almost ideal (for that low rate of speed) even given thier limitations....cool stuff
     
  5. Innovativethinker

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    #30 Innovativethinker, Nov 28, 2011
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  6. Bherb555

    Bherb555 Rookie

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    #31 Bherb555, Jan 28, 2012
    Does anyone have scale plans or blueprints for templates? I'm looking at carving a prop for decoration and can't seem to find much of anything to work with.
     
  7. CLamboSHI

    CLamboSHI Karting

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    #32 CLamboSHI, Jan 30, 2012

    That is the same issue I ran into. Do you know which prop you would like to make?
     
  8. Bherb555

    Bherb555 Rookie

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    #33 Bherb555, Jan 31, 2012
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2012

    I never read your post at the top of the page, just looked at the pictures. I ended up stumbling upon what I would guess as the same technical drawing you did. It took some patience but I was able to scale it up. Just by chance I scaled it up to 7' thinking "where the hell would I even be able to put a prop over 8' long?" After taking another look at this thread, I found it pretty funny that I ended up doing pretty much exactly what you did. I'm hoping to find the rest of the lumber I need this week. The best part is, now I have templates for each layer, so no more head scratching, I can just trace, cut, glue and carve. I can't wait to see how this thing turns out.
    Oh and what tools did find to work best on carving it out?
    I was thinking draw knife or block plain, and spoke shave. I carve a ton of canoe paddle and use primarily a block plain and belt sander. I was just curious what you have found to be most effective...
    Thanks
     
  9. CLamboSHI

    CLamboSHI Karting

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    #34 CLamboSHI, Jan 31, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    You've got the right idea. I use a block plane to tear down most of the wood except for near the hub. Near the hub I am using a couple different chisels. I am getting it pretty close to being completely roughed out. From there, I will most likely finish one side of the prop using a belt and DA sander. Then I will make profile templated at about every 5 inches or so from the hub to the tip. I can take the templates and mirror the opposite side. I have mostly been relying on pictures of that propeller I've found online to get it close to perfect.
    I will see if I have a recent picture of the progress I can post.

    Having gone this far, I have a few areas that I can offer tips on. I would build a template for the bolt pattern of the hub. I would cut it into a piece of plywood and use the same single hub template for each layer. Use a punch or something to mark the holes and make sure they are as perfect as you can get them. Then use a bench press to drill out the holes for each layer before you put them together. It will help ensure that all of the layers are aligned correctly when you start laminating. Also, when you start laminating, the layers needs to be perfectly aligned or when you start carving your layers may not end up looking and fitting right. When I laminated my layers, I started in the middle and added a single layer above and let it dry completely, then added a layer below. I repeated this working my way out. Look for the best wood you can that is free of knots and is as straight grained as possible.
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  10. Bherb555

    Bherb555 Rookie

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    #35 Bherb555, Jan 31, 2012
    I actually made a template for the bolt pattern, for that very reason. I figured I could run bolts through the layers as I glued them. I like the idea of adding the laminates one at a time. I was a little curious about the best way glue them, that makes the most sense.
     
  11. CLamboSHI

    CLamboSHI Karting

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    #36 CLamboSHI, Jan 31, 2012

    Thats what I did. One other thing I wish I had done is once you have all of your layers cut to the shape of the templates, when you dry fit all of them prior to glueing, take a straight edge and mark 3 or 4 alignment lines vertically on the hub. I found out (seems obvious now) that the lines you use on each layer to line everything up are covered by the glue. If they are on the hub, it offers one more place that you can make sure you are as close to lined up as possible.
     
  12. cheesey

    cheesey Formula 3

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    #37 cheesey, Feb 3, 2012
    most metro areas with airports have a prop shop, it is a specialized business, find one that still deals with wooden props... it could be a source of interesting insight to future decorative prop builds
     
  13. GrigioGuy

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    #38 GrigioGuy, Feb 3, 2012
  14. Bherb555

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    #39 Bherb555, Feb 8, 2012
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  15. CLamboSHI

    CLamboSHI Karting

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    #40 CLamboSHI, Feb 9, 2012
    Holy hell man, you work fast!

    Looks amazing!
     
  16. Bherb555

    Bherb555 Rookie

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    #41 Bherb555, Feb 10, 2012
    Thanks... I'm pretty happy with it. Making it went much quicker than I expected. Turns out it's alot like carving canoe paddles. It took me about 3 hours and a six pack to shape it. I have a buddy who is a metal fabricator to make a hub just like the one shown a few posts back. Then it will be done and I can start my next one...
     
  17. CLamboSHI

    CLamboSHI Karting

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    #42 CLamboSHI, Feb 10, 2012
    Do you have the blueprint for the hub? I have it saved on my computer at home.

    I need more wood working equiptment. I have been spending so much time using hand chisels to cut wood near the hub where my plane wont fit. I have spent many hours doing that.
     
  18. Bherb555

    Bherb555 Rookie

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    #43 Bherb555, Feb 10, 2012
    No, I don't have a blueprint. That would be nice though.

    I didn't touch a chisel. I used a 5 inch block plane for most of it. Around the hub I used a belt sander. Then finished it with an orbital sander.
    A spoke shave would work well near the hub too.
     
  19. Bob Parks

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    #44 Bob Parks, Feb 10, 2012
    The spoke shave and careful rough file, curved double cut bastard, and careful sanding around the hub area. Carefully stick to the outlines of the patterns.
     
  20. CLamboSHI

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    #45 CLamboSHI, Jul 16, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    I finally got the first coat of laquer on the prop this weekend. Its been a long, slow process but I am very happy with the results. I will probably do 4-5 coats of laquer.

    I will get some more detailed photos with a better camera once I am done. Here are a couple of shots.

    The picture from the back of the prop looks funny because one of the layers blends in with the brick background. The angle looks odd too.
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  21. Bob Parks

    Bob Parks F1 Veteran
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    #46 Bob Parks, Jul 16, 2012
    That sure looks good. Great kob!
     
  22. schloodog

    schloodog Rookie

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    #47 schloodog, Dec 3, 2012
    Hi CLamboSHI (Craig) .. Bherb555

    Unsure how to contact each of you individually, as I cannot find a way to send public/private messages from this forum.

    I'm a woodworker (by hobby). While doing some research on making a display airscrew for my brother-in-law (pilot), I came across your post, as well as the one you've referenced (http://www.holzpropeller.de). Having never made an airscrew before, I read your posts with great interest. I'm going to attempt to leverage the template pictured on holzpropeller's website, but it's very hard to make out and not quite clear. The pic you posted of the laminates helps a bunch. Once you hit the 4th laminate, do the layers repeat themselves (mirrored)? What are the thicknesses of each laminate? Also, if you by chance have a template for any of the laminates or the hub, I would be forever grateful.

    Thanks for any assistance you can provide.

    Dave
    Westfield, NJ
    [email protected]
     
  23. Tcar

    Tcar F1 Rookie

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    #48 Tcar, Dec 4, 2012
    Click on the person's screen name, you get a menu... can send PMs to anyone, emails if they allow it...
     
  24. schloodog

    schloodog Rookie

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    #49 schloodog, Dec 5, 2012
    Thx! For some reason I didn't get that option earlier. Or I just missed it (wouldn't be my first brain freeze)
     
  25. AB1Vasek

    AB1Vasek Rookie

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    #50 AB1Vasek, Mar 23, 2013
    Hi gentlemen,

    I can see some very nice and precise work here. Well done! I am an aircraft constructor and in a near term I would like to build an AXIAL propeller for a reproduction of Fokker D.VII. Could I ask you whether any of you own a copy of technical drawings from Achim Engels of AXIAL Propeller? They could be found in WWI Aero magazine.

    If so, please contact me.

    My email address is [email protected]

    Thank you!
     
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