12" Propellor for the 37" Rubber-Powered Babcock

Blades cut out from a 32oz container of Polly-O Ricotta cheese.
Spar is a 5/32" diameter bamboo skewer. The brass ramp is epoxied in place. No other words, no music, just pix. This Free-Flight Basics #11 details the complete process. • Free-Flight Basics #11...
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[@joebtemp]

Thank you for showing this. Propellers have always been a trouble spot for me and this made things a little clearer. I would love to see a more in depth video on making plastic props, especially the construction of the hub. There's not a lot of clear and concise videos and articles on this.

[@williamrobinson7435]

I am constantly struck by similarities between these advanced rubber power aeromodeling techniques and boatbuilding. This is so concise.. "Simple when you know how" springs to mind. Brilliant, quite brilliant. Thanks so much! 👍👍

[@robertm8401]

Incredible workmanship, attention to detail and patience.

[@waterfordrs22]

Man o man is that a beautiful process. Thank you for sharing.

[@tvideo1189]

Thank you! And I (along with a LOT of your followers) hope you will do a video or two on how you cover your models.

[@davestambaugh7282]

One of the most enjoyable things that I liked about building and flying rubber was carving the prop using the blank layout that was shown in the plans.

[@yassermasood3423]

So that is how they are made. Thanks for showing me. I have seen drawings and in your videos but always thought how it's done.

[@jfan4reva]

This is just such a simple, elegant way to build an efficient prop! 'Props' to whoever came up with it! (pun intended)

[@billsomrak]

Excellent ... reminds me of when I used to hand around some Indoor Mic & Condenser paper builders (when I was young), who always built their own props. Same principle, but those Mic guys got beau-coup patience!

[@sanpol4399]

Beautiful ! Construction of propellers are always a show apart.

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

That is a work of art 😍👍

[@CheshireTomcat68]

Love the jig. Probably use something similar to make Morgan sports cars!

[@Georgeolddrones]

Excellent video thanks guys.

[@davidduganne5939]

Been searching for the best combo of plastic and adhesive for built up props. Not all RIC (Resin Identification Code) numbers work with CA. Pinning the blade to the spar is a great idea, for larger props and spar sizes; I'm trying to optimize a 6.5" dia setup.

[@maxfliart]

I've used this on a number of plastics, including the typical 1 - 2 liter soda bottles. Props as small as 5" diameter. The key seems to be the posts or pins that go thru the bamboo or dowel spar. But I still rough up both the spar and the area on the plastic blade where the spar will sit. Simple cross hatching with an Xacto blade appears to help. Good luck with yours.

[@davidduganne5939]

Thanks for the tips.

[@kentalbot4923]

thanks for sharing your process - once again, so much learned and so much to still process. So im thinking - you would have to insert the prop shaft into your nose block, through the brass ramp - THEN give it the right angle bend - THEN glue on the nose cone?

[@maxfliart]

Exactly. And since the prop spar is a dowel, it's a simple matter to add the nose cone with a rat tail file. No slots. If the shaft bends at some point, it's much easier to remove the cone then reattach. Fortunately, these blades give or bend when they hit, so the shafts rarely bend.

[@pakistanhobby1st537]

Beautiful trick thanks this solution my problem.

[@yassermasood3423]

If it is possible please make a video on how you make the wing ribs and their wooden template and cutting process. Thanks

[@KrisKraya25]

AMAZING 👍👍👍👍👍i very love this tutorial its PERFECT HANDMADE❤️👍😊🙏

[@robertrussellmd]

I see how the larger clutch and freewheeling tube works, but it looks like the smaller propeller shaft brass tube housing is more than a simple tube but I can't quite sort out it's structure. Can you help me here? Thanks for all the wonderful videos. I have built a Rees wing by watching your wordless workshops.

[@johnroberts3723]

Wonderful stuff Just wondered if you prefer this type of construction as aposed to carving from balsa and if so why Thanks again.

[@maxfliart]

Thx, John. Truthfully, at the time I had never carved a balsa prop. (I've since come to enjoy carving them). Since the nose cone was rather small, I felt the available 12" plastic props were too large at the hub, so I went with the simplicity and size of the bamboo spar. This kind of prop allows the blades to flex if the nose hits hard, so it generally saves the prop from breaking and the shaft from bending. I've also used this type of prop successfully on my twins where I needed counter-rotating props. They've never failed.

[@johnroberts3723]

@@maxfliart thanks very much. Also how do calculate the amount of turns a motor will hold before it becomes dangerous and how do you know when rubber is past its best?.

[@pastipaham2916]

Answer of my question. Thanks

[@windsurfer3329]

Great video! I will definitely implement this. Two questions: (1) what kind of plastic sheeting did you use? (2) What glue did you use? Usually, nothing sticks to plastic, especially if it is shiny. Please let me know. Take care, and thanks for the video.

[@maxfliart]

I used a 32oz Polly-O Ricotta cheese container for the blades. I then scratched the surfaces of the bamboo & plastic with an X-acto blade, and glued them with CA. Here's my film that shows the process. kzbin.info/www/bejne/ooeaq2uDfKpnbJI

[@Astracygnus]

Great.. Thank you. Do you use any type of different freewheeler in your other models? I see on this propeller you installed a notched metal tube intended to catch bent front end of the propeller shaft. How's your experience with this type? Does it work for both braided and non braided rubber motors?

[@maxfliart]

Yes, I prefer using this ramp method for the free-wheel. In the past I had simply epoxied the brass tube to the bamboo spar, but without the side notches. One prop failed after the epoxy got soft in the heat, so now I use the notches for additional strength. It works well. Braiding or not braiding should not matter to this method. Both would work.

[@qiangqiangpan2362]

Great. How to cut planes on a bamboo stick. Thank you?

[@CGOMAR100]

exelente trabajo

[@rowanadventures]

I think the video shows the bamboo is cut or carved flat so the blades can be glued to them. How do you determine that angle, with the gauge? If so, is it 45 degrees or 30 as the blades themselves?

[@maxfliart]

Generally I carve / sand the flat 40-45º onto the spar, as that's close to the desired blade angle at the mid point. The tips of the prop blades are probably closer to 30º. I don't get terribly scientific about it, but that formula has worked well so far.

[@rowanadventures]

@@maxfliart Thank you!

[@Colin399]

Lovely

[@stanhauser]

I see we have 30º in the middle of the blade. What are the desirable angles on the beginning and at the end of it? Thanks in advance for your attention :-)

[@maxfliart]

Hi Stan. I don't look at the tip and the root, only going with the 30º at the half way point of the blade, which seems to have worked well.

[@stanhauser]

@@maxfliart Thanks again :-) Do you think blades could be made of wood (veneer) also ?

[@adarshlakshman4715]

Nice! What did you use for the clutch unit?

[@maxfliart]

That's a brass tube to which I've filed a ramp, along with a channel so that it can slip over the bamboo spar. Eventually I float some epoxy around its base which secures it to the spar.

[@markmayfield]

How do you determine the chord width of the blade? Does it correlate with the size of the propeller? I’ve been searching for information, and the closest I’ve come to finding an answer was looking at the Larrabee prop calculator. Any help/advice would greatly appreciated!

[@maxfliart]

Hi Mark. I wish I could say it was calculated, and there was science behind it, but much of what I end up with is eyeball technology. It simply felt right to me, when compared to other rubber props of similar diameter.

[@markmayfield]

@@maxfliart Hi Tom, thanks for the reply. Ah ok fair enough! Well whatever you’re doing definitely seems to work anyway. Keep up the good work 👍🏻

[@FedericoConci]

Hi. I've learned more from your videos than from 20 yr of education.. question: how do you carve the inside of the nosecone?

[@maxfliart]

Thx fore the kind words. I rough cut chunks of balsa out of the nose cone with an X-acto knife, then use a sanding dowel to slowly sand to the desired thickness.

[@micregil]

And I was going to say "very carefully", ha ha.

[@mdtidwell6095]

Fantastic. Is there a method to establish the camber of the plastic prop pieces?

[@maxfliart]

Thx. I'm cutting the blades out of a round Ricotta cheese container, so the camber is already there.

[@NSsFlyer]

@@maxfliart just out of curiosity what angle are you cutting the blades at on the ricotta container? As in how much off of vertical?

[@maxfliart]

@@NSsFlyer 15º is the typical angle, with the tip being at the top of the container. Some flyers go to 17º. The shape angles to the left.

[@NSsFlyer]

@@maxfliart thank you!

[@Georgeolddrones]

Excellent video thanks guys.