Hand Carved 2m Wooden Wind Turbine Blades

In the last wind turbine video I made a new axial flux alternator for the wind turbine but I installed the old blades that were to small for it. It did work great and had a high output. The issue is that small wind turbines want to spin fast. But I dont want it to spin fast and have large peaks and wear out the blades. So I made some longer blades that will spin slower. On top of the slower idea speed for the longer blades I also turned down the speed on the charge controller. What I end up with is an inefficient turbine but one that should steady charge in low wind speeds and last a lot longer. This for me is a better option than having massive amounts of power and lots of wear and tear. I Hope you enjoy the video.

[@annrhodes3544]

I am a little old lady (80) in Northern California. I am hooked on your videos. I am absolutely gobsmacked at the genius level of skills and knowledge in such a young ‘un.

[@RobEdinger]

I'm 43 and I agree with you whole heartedly. This youngun is truly awesome!

[@ricktaylor14001]

😂🤣 Absolutely AGREE!! 👍🏼☮️

[@annrhodes3544]

@@RobEdinger 😍

[@annrhodes3544]

@@ricktaylor14001 😍

[@Studio23Media]

Millennials make up more than half of the work force... It's us "young'uns" keeping the world going. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@MAGATRON-DESTROY]

We really look up to you as a success in the homestead game! Keep up the good work and thanks for the videos, information and the encouragement by seeing that it can be done with a little hard work 👍

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

Saw you making a set of wooden blades years ago - very clever. You wouldn't be stuck for work in World War 1. Them biplanes were always tipping over their noses on landings.

[@jamesjenkins81]

He would not be stuck for work when WW3 happens, or when the SUN goes Nova. Well done Kris.

[@milliebanks7209]

New. I asked if he helped Noah build the Ark. He didn't reply so he could have.

[@RobEdinger]

@ How Zebediah Thomas He's in the right area for it too.

[@richardburgess399]

When i was in the Army I was a helicopter mechanic, helicopter blades also wear away, what the maintenance manuals have you do is continuously check the blades for missing paint ( bare metal showing). You could always paint the blades ... when you see wood, and it might last a little longer.

[@allonesame6467]

Learning is never boring. Thank you!

[@electric-boat]

It's really quick and easy to stick self-adhesive aluminium foil tape along the leading edge of the blades, then they will last many times longer. Thin tape might be the most aerodynamic but you could just use builders flashing tape which is really tough, sticks to anything, readily available in very wide sizes and should be reasonably easy to peel off if you need to replace it. Another way to make a turbine which works well in low wind speeds is to go for six blades instead of three, then they can be shorter. A really inspirational project, thanks!

[@scottperine8027]

I’m grateful that the talent you possess is still being recognized and carried on.

[@saracinosalvage6062]

I have followed you since the beginning and I’m really proud of your progress. You’re an amazing young man. Keep up the good work!

[@IamBATMAN2024]

Is the beginning from when he built the little house?

[@markanon5581]

@@IamBATMAN2024 First videos a little before that, including a 'red pill, blue pill' talk.

[@skinnybowser]

Me too. The round house including heart break back when Chris was sleeping in a tent. Very inspirational story, I have so much respect for what he has done and what he continues to do.

[@jmazoso]

Love how you give the "explain it like I'm 5" explanations while doing the technical details in the construction.

[@RobEdinger]

Kris, I have followed you for a bit over a year now and have watched all of your videos. You are not only my favorite Homesteading/Self reliance type of KZbinr, you are the example that I point out to people as my idea of the pinicale of a successful Homesteading person. The fact that you have been able to build this whole bit from what you started with is purely inspirational and my dream is to follow in your footsteps with my own alterations for my environment, of course. Cheers! and whenever I make it to the U.K., I hope to visit your farm and shake your hand. Have a great week, Sir to you and Dot!

[@RobEdinger]

Also, have you considered putting a wind meter in the windmill somewhere and/or finding a way to network your power controls to a centralized unit located in, say, your main living area in a way that gives you instant access to the information and allowing you to make adjustments from there, when needed?

[@Isaac-workshop]

if you ever want another set of blades, i have a 3m/2m commercial cnc router which might do the trick :) keep up the good work !

[@dantrixter]

Kris your bloody brilliant ! You’ve helped me become a better person with your skills and style 👍🏼😁

[@paultreece7764]

I really like when Kris does videos on his renewable power projects. Wind and his hydro setups have been fun videos to watch. Can't wait now to see his barn go up. Good luck Kris and keep up the good work brother.

[@tommycapps9903]

That looks great! Hard work pays off! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us!

[@EVCarGuy]

Kris! You truly are a Craftsman! Is there NOTHING you can't do?😊

[@rhyswilliams695]

Is there anything this man cannot build? V. Inspiring!

[@69Buddha]

I find the blade making endlessly fascinating. And right when you were apologizing for changing volts was right when I was thinking "I hope he changes the volts so we can see what it does" Keep doing what you're doing, and thanks for letting us come along for the ride!

[@Elldeeve]

A nice brass strip on the leading edge wood both look sweet and make it last a bit longer. Would certainly make a cool video, casting the ingots, rolling them out etc 👍🦆

[@josephpotterf9459]

Brings to mind the Wright brothers working in their shop well done Kris. How can someone watch this and not take a second to click like ?

[@Aeradill]

2 things. I love that you've factored in the microplastics that come off the turbine if you glass it, it shows a deeper ecological question in our own use of these products. I think you can gain a few percent on the efficiency of the bades but it comes down to the windprofile on your landscape and clever programming. You've mentioned this tradeoff yourself, but (simplified) the trade-off is this; gain power at any speed while turbine goes at any speed while efficiency is low, or gain more effenciency within given parameters and keep your blades alive. My gut feeling as former 2 year EE and avid daysailor is this, add more weight to wings because of increased surface area just to overcome the luls on your land with variable windspeeds, then a smarter (higher frequency input/output computing) program - perhaps with a sensor or two connected to Pi- to maintain a higher voltage gain /Cmax at higher windspeeds.

[@stevenholton438]

Are you saying that he should have more weight at the centre to provide more momentum as a flywheel perhaps?

[@annrhodes3544]

@@stevenholton438 If you click thumbs up on Aeradill’s comment and yours he will be notified about your question.

[@Aeradill]

yes exactly like a flywheel, the inertia increases squared with mass away from the rotational axis(moment of inertia). So if the surface area goes up squared and the mass increases we can lower the RPM and collect the same power thus saving the blades. ideally we would program a bunch of steps that the turbine works of so that in light winds it strains little with high RPM (stable low wattage) and heavy winds it strains more (stable high wattage and saving blades)with 'low' RPM.

[@patrickfrancisobrien532]

Kris, you're an inspirational fellow. Humble too. Never boring. Always thoughtful. Compulsory viewing.

[@ryanburns3578]

Another great video Kris! Always appreciate your work. Hope yourself, Dot and Puss are keeping well! (:

[@bigav8r]

Almost 1/2 a million baby! Precongrats

[@milliebanks7209]

So good to see you back! Missed you and Dot. Don't be gone that long in the future, please.

[@lancedaniels]

Thanks for posting and sharing. When you brought the blade assembly in front of the workshop was when I realized how big the whole assembly is.

[@closertothetruth9209]

this is like what they call asmr, huge blades, that glue must be something else, never had much faith in glues but maybe i havent used the best there is.

[@gloryriddick397]

Kris you are a very clear man and I like the way you cear for nature

[@ThePigeon1111]

You're a bloody genius buddy 😊 Always very clever and informative... Well done mate...

[@saeedandalusi7579]

That whipping Welsh wind will wheedle the Watts😁.... Happy Ramadan to all🙏

[@annrhodes3544]

Haha!

[@VinceSalzer]

So every farm, household, small business could be off the grid with the right combo of tools...Great!!!

[@uhaneokalanijames8029]

"CAN'T" does not exist in this mans vocabulary!!

[@gertfrankjrgensen9790]

I realy love your work! From Denmark

[@rayw9067]

Is there anything you can’t do kris? Build and house, build a workshop, rebuild a motor, carve a set of wind turbine blades! It’s really impressive to see what you will take on and what you achieve!!

[@bethedmonds9635]

You remind me of someone I use to know. You are a very talentive young man. Love your skills and your channel.

[@bobross5580]

Classic Kris Harbour! I love your work.

[@dansmith6909]

Not boring. Fascinating. You've become my renewable energy guru. We have very similar design philosophies.

[@kennethgibbons366]

I also have followed you since the beginning (as no doubt have many others) and I never cease to be amazed at your skills. I am really excited to see the barn build underway. All the very best with this project.

[@hastingshastings72]

A Wednesday release! I’ll take it! Thank you Kris. I look forward to watching later tonight.

[@joyardley1742]

Kris I think you are amazing I have followed you for years😊 I am watching you with a chest infection exacerbated by Asthma. My lungs ruined by years of woodworking😥 Please do wear a mask 😢 x

[@jukkanisula7735]

Kris! Another incredible display of skill from you. I really appreciate your handiwork because I build and renovate mostly form wood myself. My family has a small summer place that i revovate whenever i have time. Thanks for the interesting stuff. I am actively following from here in Finland.

[@jrkorman]

You should dump your excess in the shed. It would be a bit of extra heat! Well done and looking forward to the barn build.

[@1956vern]

Always a pleasure to see you tackle a problem and make the best of your talents Kris! Will be interesting how you work out that tail of your windmill!

[@GoofieNewfie69]

On grandfadders windjack, after the second set of blades back in the late 50's, he tacked a copper strip to the leading edge, faiered it with a file. Blades lasted almost 10 years vs 1.5 years. That was in Nfld with harsh winters.

[@rebeccamunoz4596]

Beautiful job! I remember the first pair you made. Never thought about the leading edge wear, and it does make sense that it would do that! Like a river running over stone. ❤🤗👍 have a great day

[@OldGoatStillGoing]

Great video's. I'm always impressed how smart you are and the things you do. It's truely amazing what you have accomplished. Looking forward to seeing that barn build.

[@jshaw4757]

Top channel name you picked 😂👍🐐🐐

[@ericnorsman9203]

Not long found your channel but have since caught up on many many.. many hours of really informative interesting inspirational educational stuff that has been a joy to watch from the start,.. makes me wish I had half of your intelligence and ability along with half of my life again! Great channel, great content!

[@dhacarpetsflooring620]

I can literally watch your videos like a Netflix series. Keep up the good work !

[@TheeEggMan]

Kris, you should be the “poster boy” for green power! I’m truly inspired. It’s amazing at what can be done with your genius mind and handy skills! I love seeing you in the shop doing hands on crafting. I will definitely be watching this video more than twice as I try my hand at making some blades. I’ll be starting small though. Perhaps a pinwheel turning a whirligig? 😊

[@spoonerbooner]

The man. Takes a rest from building by making his own blades! Brilliant

[@rowanhard]

Your videos are always worth waiting for. Enjoyed this one. Thanks!

[@WoodfulProjects]

Congrats for the soon half million subscribers Kris. All deserved.

[@dalejones4186]

I was so happy to see you post a new video. Goes really good with a warm cup of tea. Thank you for making your videos.

[@jeffcottis2489]

The twist in the blade is referred to as the Helical Advance for equalizing the wind load over the length of the blade. Interesting stuff.

[@thecorbies]

On an aircraft wing it's known as 'washout' and it is built into it so that the last part of the wing to stall is the tip.

[@tomclarke6415]

Kris loved the wind turbines video, glad that your content is flowing again. I’d just like to say you look really well and I count the days to your next report. It’s certainly better than most things the BBC put out. I for one can’t wait to see the spring growth on the trees.

[@djmastergroove946]

Genius Kris! Love the wind turbine and the breakdown of information. Really interesting. I've been watching your videos for a couple of years now, and everytime I'm so impressed how much you've grown. Incredible channel mate.

[@deplorable8015]

Thank you Kris. I look forward to your videos. You are a true craftsman.

[@darrellcaruk8880]

You make carpentry look so easy. You have skills.

[@jphdg]

Awesome turbine. I really like this setup and home built construction. The way you can tune it for what you need is also really neat. Good job. Hope it keeps performing for many years to come.

[@Everydayimpeddling]

Always a good day when a new Kris Harbor video drops! The blades look awesome.

[@everestyeti]

I'm just blown away, not only an exceptional craftsman but the knowledge and skillset to are something us mere mortals can only dream of. 👍

[@visionisscaryYTg]

Thanks for all the extra details. Also try using a snatch block/pulley on your winch for better control.

[@davidstoddard9160]

I watched your video on your upgrade of your wind turbine and thought that is really great, but I remember you mainly did the project because you wanted to make the blades less noisy. I just watched a video about the company called Zipline, which is a drone that delivers packages. In this video toward the end it talks about the design of the blades that does work to make the blades whisper quiet and i thought you would be interested in that also. What I seen was that the blades was not inline with each other and the curve of the blades are different. Well if you watch you will see what I am talking about.

[@D4NS80]

Great stuff mate, the mighty Land Rover winch had no trouble pulling the wind generator back into place. ;)

[@Dutch779]

1.30 AM. here in Australia, good job Kris.

[@valdecirborgesdasilva6371]

Olá meu amigo parabéns pelo seu gerador eólicos tubina 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 Brasil

[@damogranheart5521]

Where there is a will, there is a way! Because persistent people will make it so! And you are persistent! Well done ye 👏 👍 🙌 😀

[@dallasmandy]

Thank you for taking time to show and teach us

[@solitaryneighbour3815]

Your hard work is just as impressive as your talent. Inspiration for all of us!

[@unchained20000000]

slow n steady wins the race

[@chrisknight6884]

Although it is more complex to carve, creating a washout from root to tip will improve efficiency by quite a bit. Increasing the pitch at the root and reducing it at the peak will bring the centre of pressure away from the tip (where the greater speed will generate more torque but has the greatest potential losses) and even out the load and make the whole of the blade do work rather than the bulk being done at the tip. This will also have the added benefit of reducing noise, which is primarily caused by the tip.

[@janhemmer8181]

In aerodynamics the shape for wings with higher speed are more slim and thin with less of a bulge at the top side and with a smaller angle of attack. The shape for low speeds also are not flat on the down side, they even have an inward curve, and a greater angle of attack. In wind mill blades this is all taken into account. You can construct the ideal shape for the average wind speed with vector diagrams for the different radii. The way Chris has done this one makes the tip more of a brake to the rest of the blade

[@Deiphobuzz]

We have company locally that makes 6meter blades from wood, on a 12m mast. they produce around 30.000kwh a year. usually around 60rpm, with 100rpm max. So if you ever get bored... Company is called EAZ Wind.

[@ukwheat]

Just brilliant Kris. Please keep making videos they are inspiring.

[@carlapickard6579]

You have a gift for teaching also.

[@CazPea]

You’ve such a wealth of knowledge. Not only do we get to see the artist at work, we get to learn along the way. Job well done 🌈

[@bassalh2025]

Another nice one Kris. Tip for you, what if you steam wooden plank to give it a tweast, it should be much easier than shaving and sanding

[@andymccabe6712]

.... They won't stay twisted.......!!

[@bassalh2025]

@@andymccabe6712 Hi Andy, I have seen someone working steaming wood making stylish furniture, what he does too is he stops the steam and let wood dry in that tweasted position and never bent back

[@pault1289]

Thanks for taking the time to explain this Kris, you've loads on and it's appreciated. I find it fascinating and find the explanations really helpful.

[@danielnicholls6868]

what i done was make a wooden form to set blade in and a fixture to run router back and forth with the taper from tip to base for the flatter side. worked well

[@propylaeen]

Totally love your statement on plastics and wind abrasions!!! Very important massage there! Why commercial blades are not made from aluminium? The abrasives of ,those wouldn‘d be hormone active at least … Thank your for sharing! Great project, great videos! ❤❤❤

[@mentalneil]

This is pretty amazing stuff, I enjoy watching you making electricity via different methods, wind, water, sun

[@jimmycricket7385]

Great work man. You must have put a lot of time into learning all the stuff you know.

[@Gabblerwba1]

That is so cool, glue some large pieces of wood together, measure, carve, assemble, weatherproof, mount this replacement on your own, admire the beast then tweak the electronic controller. Congratulations Kris, your turbine now is running as you wanted from your explanation. So interesting to watch your video, planning ahead for more consistent power to serve your barn build. Top job.😎

[@allon33]

I learnt something new today. 🙂

[@jontaylor1652]

This was a nice surprise, I wasn't expecting a mid-week video. Nice one Kris.

[@annir.2047]

I love your woodworking videos, they're what inspired me to start working with wood myself ❤

[@om617yota8]

Great work Kris. 50-400w generated for 23.5 out of 24 hours is much more kwh at the end of the day than 1kw for 1 out of 24 hours.

[@Rodney_Trotter_Dave]

Hope your having a good day kris 👍

[@KrisHarbour]

Not really! im putting up the temporary building for the barn build and its cold and raining!

[@huwzebediahthomas9193]

@@KrisHarbour It's been a baffling March, this year. Bizarre early Spring.

[@KrisHarbour]

It has, we had no rain for jan and feb. now its march and its freezing a raining everyday. im just glad I got this dry months though, otherwise I would be so far behind. the barn build is starting in a week so I just have to get out in the rain and get on with it.

[@Rodney_Trotter_Dave]

@@KrisHarbour I’m on the south coast and not much different 😕

[@Rodney_Trotter_Dave]

@@huwzebediahthomas9193 I agree ! Snow last week then 3 days later nothing but blue skys and in shorts and t shirt ! Weird weather

[@carlustownsend7588]

Genius at work. Big up Chris

[@randacnam7321]

Making the blades out of laminated wood actually reduces the risk of longitudinal warping, especially if you alternate the grain of each board so the natural warping forces cancel each other out. Also, wind turbine power curves are more of an S shape whereas the one you have in the Classic is more linear. I would try bumping up the curve points on the high end.

[@GeeCeeAte]

Amazing job! FYI, You can mount your router to your plasma cam and do stuff like that with the CNC. Just the sock plasma z height/travel of the rig should be enough for something like that

[@daverichardson5861]

Brilliant Kris, progress is always good. Keep it up and stay well.

[@robertanderson2223]

Another great video!! Enjoying the variety of topics.

[@peterkitts8815]

I look forward to you making 3m blades in 2 years time

[@remog38]

Great video Kris thanks.

[@tonners.pettitt9938]

6 minutes in and I subscribed, great commentary!

[@johnbutler5208]

Nice job looks like your blades are well balanced.

[@jimmyfingers2]

Very Intresting, cheers for the Upload.

[@KevIsOffGrid]

Small steps of progress add up - well done and good work.

[@marksmith-ew7ir]

Great blades made, more power later on down the road

[@glenlongstreet7]

My maternal Grandfather was drafted toward the end of WW1. He was a Journeyman Carpenter and they had him carve propellers. I understand that he was disappointed that he didn't see any action. I am glad he didn't, after all, where would I be if he got sunk.

[@kittonsmitton]

Thanks for the lesson Kris, you make it look fairly easy, I may give this a try.