Making a WOODEN Airplane Propeller!

[@xylafoxlin]

👟 Check out Vessi’s Memorial Day sale and Vessi styles at www.vessi.com/XYLAFOXLIN. If you missed the sale, Use code XYLAFOXLIN for 15% off your order. Free shipping for CA, US, AU, JP, TW, KR, SGP. FOLLOW CULVER PROPS! Alaina is truly one of the best humans I've had the honor of working with, and I really hope this video does her and her work justice. KZbin: www.youtube.com/@CulverProps Instagram: instagram.com/culver_props/

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

Dear Misses Foxlin. I'm concerned so please don't get me wrong. You look way too skinny. I can see in your face that you do not weigh enough. I absolutely adored Karen Carpenter. She was an unbeliiiievably good singer and musician. But please let her not be a role model in case of your body. Thanks in advance for considering. Best regards, luck and health in particular.

[@KernelLeak]

Shouldn't this post be pinned?

[@nickwulf]

Electro-Swing playlist music.kzbin.info/aero/PLHL-v28H0MXxwZ-mrr8IIjuB7HaA4mTKs&feature=share

[@briankane3905]

Way too cool to see a young lady just making her dreams come true with a lot of hard work!!

[@banglintah9500]

Hi, can you sand it please? I want to buy it. And how much money for one pcs? Am from indonesia..

[@scottmanley]

This is fantastic, loving seeing the whole process. It's a long way from anything I fly.

[@SuperLuminalMan]

The Manley, the myth, the legend!

[@sebdapleb1523]

Bro taught me orbital mechanics 😭

[@I-0-0-I]

Hi Scott! Yesterday the NSF stream, today a Xyla video... Is there really only one of you? Q: If you could make a decent GPTClone of yourself, would you unleash it on the internet?

[@johnnybigpotato2404]

LOL. Watch your stuff all the time bro. Glad to see you here. :)

[@steveskouson9620]

Xyla, book this guy. steve

[@TheBookDoctor]

That copy-lathe is the coolest machine I've seen in a long, long time.

[@ALexP-bh5fx]

Great idea! Simple as a penny - but so easy to use!

[@victorip7632]

I wonder how were the propeller made before that machine ever made 😅

[@Yewtewba]

​@@victorip7632I think slowly is the keyword

[@banaana1234]

@@Yewtewba But also by the time propellers were being made in numbers that sort of machine would have already existed.

[@Yewtewba]

@@banaana1234 apparently the first was 1820. So yeah I guess so

[@AlbertaGeek]

Maybe I don't get out enough, but that lathe is just about the coolest thing I've ever seen.

[@DigitalPetrol]

I had to stop the video and show my wife. She thought it was cool and she's not a geek like me.

[@wgm-en2gx]

It was definitely very cool.

[@KJ6EAD]

It's called a duplicator lathe.

[@AlbertaGeek]

@@KJ6EAD Thanks. It reminds me of the "Sketch-a-Graph" device I had many years ago. Same principle, really.

[@orbitutmost]

same, what an incredible low-tech solution

[@WarningHPB]

Xyla staring into your soul while sanding

[@tompw3141]

She's been taking lessons from @Lord_Vinheteiro

[@Priapos93]

Really? I figured she was making weird mouth shapes behind the ventilator

[@anon_y_mousse]

Nah, it was a silent cry for help. She was practically pleading to be rescued.

[@888johnmac]

@@anon_y_mousse ... lol , i can guess how many hours of sanding there were

[@bruceleenstra6181]

Xyla has perfected Zombie Sanding

[@mattmays9063]

I love Xyla's ability to create such a focus on the "guest" of her collabs in such an organic way; Despite it being Xyla's channel, she's not hesitant to showcase selflessly the "guest" star. What a tremendously wholesome character trait. Bless you, Xyla!

[@jonadams8841]

That’s one of the things that makes Xyla so special

[@rpanda_old]

Safety wires on the propelor screws and the copy lathe machine are so simple yet genius ideas. Wow imagine how many cool genius inventions we have in this world around us that go unnoticed.

[@alonespirit9923]

That's a good point about being unnoticed.

[@grn1]

I work with presses everyday so to me they're nothing special but then someone shows off a press in a video or someone ask me about work and it's like alien technology to people who've never set foot in a press shop. I do still find it interesting learning about machines I've not worked with, new or old.

[@toshn4151]

The propeller lathe is absolutely insane!! 🤯 It's like a steam punk 3d printer. Another fantastic video.

[@mathewritchie]

It looks like a desendant of a machine I saw in a video showing the harpers ferrey gun factory musium and used to carve rifle stocks.

[@FredMcIntyre]

Props Xyla! 👍🏻👊🏻

[@Priapos93]

Underrated comment

[@lauxmyth]

I see what you did there.

[@grn1]

Took me a second.

[@MyAvitech]

Been watching Alaina for years, ever since the Experimental Aircraft Channel made a video highlighting what she does. As an A&P myself, I can say that what she does is Masterclass workmanship. I've even seen a few of her props out in the wild on a couple occasions. I love that she makes each one custom by hand for the aircraft, and it's not just some mass produced prop, churned out on a CnC.

[@georgegilbert7347]

Alaina's daughter appeared to be a skilled shop assistant in her own right. Somehow I got the feeling that the daughter was carefully watching the amateur, Xyla, to make sure she did not mess up.

[@alonespirit9923]

Quite likely! 🔎

[@shubinternet]

I remember in high school working with my dad in his scene shop at the University, where he taught stagecraft. I sometimes wondered why he asked me to do certain things instead of his grad students. Years later, when I actually asked my dad that question, he told me that it was because I had more experience than they did, and he was confident that I would do the job right, and the way he wanted. In hindsight, that was a great bonding experience, although I don't think I appreciated it at the time.

[@alonespirit9923]

@@shubinternet That is both a valuable event and a valuable memory.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

The kid is the one who's _really_ in charge.

[@alexlail7481]

@@alonespirit9923 I think that is sadly something that has been more or less lost currently in our society. For generations community elders or parents in general would teach the next generation the skills of their trade or even everyday life skills in the process both groups learned respect for the other and the next generation acquired a certain level of responsibility and self sufficiency that can be lacking today. KZbin and the skills on offer are great but the self-sufficiency, responsibility, and intergenerational respect are not as easily developed without the more personal interaction of the past. Hopefully society as a whole can figure out how to restore something equally beneficial in the future.

[@bulletproofpepper2]

Great work. I love the quote from Alaina “we are ether going to make a beautiful propeller or Great Wall art”. thanks for sharing.

[@simonabunker]

Woodworking and aviation - the perfect combination for the channel!

[@wxmanthunder]

This. This is why I love KZbin (and your channel). I've had my license for nearly 30 years and somehow have never seen the process of making a wood prop. Thanks for this!

[@excrubulent]

I love this mix of technical precision with organic woodworking craft. I would love to understand how the original prop templates were made! Also something about watching you fill in those stamped numbers with pencil was just deeply satisfying.

[@sarowie]

it is almost funny to see how the process jumps from crafting, to machining back to using a hammer to stamp in the numbers and filling it by hand. It is well: signing of the work making it "official", so the most "hands on" part is the most sacred part of the process as it confirms with the makers knowledge, experience and judgment that this is now a propeller.

[@Jasper_4444]

That's a fascinating question about how the templates were made. My guess is they were carefully handcrafted, with measurements being taken at every moment.

[@brianlhughes]

the lathe which copies the blank is genius!

[@chrissugg968]

That lathe is incredible, the way it uses the top piece as a guide to carve the bottom piece.

[@T3RRY_T3RR0R]

17 years of highly tuned muscle memory. Can't beat craftsmanship like that.

[@kouji71]

This might be one of my favorite videos. from the wood working shop to the brilliant lathe (seriously, so cool!) to the scratch made plane the whole thing just kept getting better the longer I watched.

[@olsonspeed]

Good to see Culver Props is still doing well and training the next generation of craftsperson. Thanks for the great content, it is always a good day when Xyla drops a new video!

[@Skinflaps_Meatslapper]

I made a display prop for my hangar in the same exact manner using my amateur rendition of Jablo densified wood with Douglas fir, then hand formed brass leading edge protectors and soldered them in. There's a local guy with a prop lathe that let me borrow it, and while it does so much of the hard work for you, there's still a ton of work left to do. It's another example of 90% complete with 90% left to do. For anyone doubting the resilience of wood as a prop material in the modern world, MT Propeller is still using wood cores for their high performance composite blades, and a lot of the top tier British WWII fighters used Jablo/Rotol wood props. We started our journey into the skies with wood props, and they're still just as effective today.

[@Hobartthedolphinboy]

That lathe is so cool!

[@warpo007]

That takes some serious balls to fly, let alone, MAKE YOUR OWN PROP!!! Balls the size of planets! that's a compliment! I'm an Aussie, Xyla

[@cassijane22]

This is like an episode of how it's made with two of the coolest people ever!!! Thanks for creating this awesome video.

[@LtBRS]

Absolutely "wonkedy" is a word! The lathe reminds me of the mechanical functioning beauty of a 1860(ish) barrel riffing lathe. 😊

[@emily36130]

I have made hand carved wooden blades for a wind turbine. Seeing them spin in the wind was already pretty cool. Flying a wooden prop that you made yourself must be infinitely cooler. Great work!

[@gaillaffer7579]

You can’t beat the smell of a wood shop. Great video. Thank you.

[@darkphoenix8715]

I literally couldn’t hold my excitement in when i saw the lathe, it’s so cool.

[@markbosworth9877]

A totally woderfull video. That duplicator lathe is a work of art and function. A modern CNC machine could do it but wouldn't have the soul that machine has. Thank you for a great story.

[@parrotraiser6541]

Flying behind a prop you've helped make must be a thrill.

[@ProductsChannel]

Wow. That is truly impressive. When you said lathe, I was thinking straight bores into the wood. But the lathe just blew my mind. It's like those tracing pens we used as kids to trace from one sheet of paper to another. But this lathe traces the prop and cuts out another in its likeness. That is amazing. Everything about it is an intricate artform. The way she cuts those boards which look so seemingly effortless - to the balancing. Y'all did a phenomenal job. I also love the beauty in the way the prop bolts are secured. Thanks for making and sharing this video Xyla.

[@collin_builds]

I’ve followed Culver Props for years, so happy to see this crossover!

[@Graham_Wideman]

Apparently quite a few pilots follow Culver Props... literally!

[@hotcopter]

Wow.!! I love Culver Props they are the best.!! And u did it yourself helping Top.!! Sending love.!! 💞

[@GeirGunnarss]

So fantastic to see a person with a passion for old-school craftsmanship continue on the tradition and it seems she is preparing the next generation to take over one day.

[@gregburch1598]

I'm a life-long aviation enthusiast (66 years old) -- my dad was an engineer who worked in aviation since the 1940s. I've never known how wooden props were made before this video. It was both profoundly informative, and also very, very fun. THANKS!!!

[@donald8354]

Do you like the Wright Brothers?

[@wayausofbounds9255]

That whole video, prop making to flying looked like so much fun. That prop is a work of art.

[@alexlandherr]

I really liked seeing the “saw” that carved/cut the propeller blade by tracing the outline. Cool concept!

[@Poundy]

well, that was *fantastic*. Thank you for showing us such a great business that puts their heart and soul into continuing such a great tradition. Can't get better than old-school woodworking tools making a prop !

[@Lintary]

One of those times you watch something being made and it makes so much sense that is how it is done you nearly feel stupid for not realizing it. Loved the whole thing and lovely little plane in the end.

[@blaster-zy7xx]

She can make ANYTHING!!!! What impresses me is the effort to make stuff PLUS record the process PLUS edit the video. That is all ALOT of work and time!

[@B00s3]

Loved this! Xyla your deadpan stare into the camera during sanding had me choking on my coffee. Loved every bit of this video, and that lathe!

[@victorip7632]

What a fascinating process, I wonder how the first propeller ever made without the guide and that machine which help making the propeller profile. Crazy engineering and craftsmanship.

[@richbuilds_com]

That pattern following cutter is a thing of engineering beauty. As simple as it needs to be.

[@MichaelBerthelsen]

I LOVE the sound of that little engine! Such a cute flight, and gorgeous!❤👍 And of course the propeller works perfectly.😉

[@dan725]

this is AMAZING! They’re preserving an art form with a new generation!

[@aeroant]

Engineering is Art and you do the best job showing that!

[@dolphin64575]

I understand Xyla's fascination with the lathe! That's so cool!

[@cookingwithcuyandotherfuns6238]

She is awesome!! Does beautiful work! Our wood prop on our Pietenpol is a 72-42 Falcon. (65 HP Pietenpol, NX48MC) Aha---my friend Scott! Too funny. Small world!! Never met Tim and Joylani but went back and forth a lot....awesome, gifted couple. So tragic. Great video!

[@lemonherb1]

That prop lathe kinda reminds me of a key cutting machine to a degree. Super cool process overall, and a fantastic art form. Thanks for bringing us along!

[@TheCrease1]

Just no words to explain how cool this whole video is. Thanks for showing us this amazing process. That life might be the coolest machine in history. Very entertaining to see you and Alaina work together. Ya'll are the same person.

[@CallumFinlayson]

First time since finding her channel a new video's come out -- been bingeing on the back-catalogue the last week-or-so, great to see something brand new!

[@kameljoe21]

You will be lucky to see half a dozen or so videos from her per year. I am one of her biggest haters and she knows it.

[@jonasholzem2909]

@@kameljoe21 Who cares? If it's half a dozen of great videos like that, why not just enjoy them?

[@kameljoe21]

@@jonasholzem2909 Because she asked everyone via a community post if she should buy a plane or build a shop and the votes where a huge margin to build the shop to create more videos and she bought a plane. Then she got evicted from her place and moved in to a shed and called that a shop video build. She said this directly to me about how it was a shop video when it was not. It was a saw stop which was donated to her if I am not mistaken. She started this channel and blew up during covid and then now collects monthly salary from 911 people who support her for 3 dollars or more per month. If we are going by the low price she likely walks away with 1500 or more after they take their cut and she pays her taxes if she even does that. She added around 100 new people up from the the plane ride video with Simone. At this rate she no longer has to work hard to make a living on top of the ad money she might get and any brand deals she has or will get. I clearly do not know why anyone who pays money would ever allow people to stiff them. Keep in mind we are not giving her 3 dollars a month to sit around on her ass doing nothing while she is off living her best life. The condtions most people do is to give her money to help support her in doing these videos. Not to take advantage of people. There are a lot of creators who have been doing this. I mean a lot of creators who do this and they make 10s of thousands of dollars a month. I can give you one example Stuff made here makes around 13.500 on the low end at 5 dollars a month and 2700 plus people and still has not uploaded anything for 5 plus months. You want people to respect these people. FFS this is never going to happen. I am done supporting people. Pulling all my funding and no longer going to support anyone who does not upload stuff.

[@heartsky]

@@kameljoe21 You're clearly obsessed and don't sound healthy, maybe take a break from her channel, might do you good.

[@kameljoe21]

@@heartsky Take a break, its not like she uploads that often. Some people watch all of the creators videos from early on. While many come and go just for one video. Those of us who have been here a very long time tend to know a lot more than you one timers who could care less. She went out of her way to piss off her viewers by the actions she did and she is not gonna get away with it. She knows for a fact that I am a hater and because of that I will likely stick around for years and make sure she knows it. This will be years of enjoyment to which people like you will respond and I will get a kick out of it.

[@neoanderson7]

The expression in your eyes as you’re sanding! 🤣 Awesome to see there’s still customers out there in need of a prop. 👏🏻

[@theblindbuildergrandminuti5648]

Oh! Nice! That’s so great to keep some these skill alive.

[@ClanMcDuck]

Amazing. I love watching videos of people who are experts at their craft. Thank you for sharing this with everyone!

[@alexit123]

Props to you for such an awesome video ! 😉

[@karonbeilunka6845]

Xyla just living her best life sanding ;)

[@TheChubbs6977]

Safety Wire!!! The bane of my existence in the hydraulic shop and doing brake hubs lol. Few more years and you'll get those twists done perfectly lol

[@cjsjedi73]

So glad to see you back Xyla!🎉

[@arizonagoodtimes]

Super cool how they create these props. Each step demonstrated meticulous and ingenious craftsmanship. I also liked the safety wiring when they installed the completed prop on the customer's plane. And then they flew it!

[@teamgt7690]

skill, talent and fun, actual girl power at its best...respect!

[@markthompson8656]

What BIG eyes you have mydear. 👀

[@mattlewandowski73]

Love the choice of music at the end, not to mention the B&W segment... gave a great feel to showcasing the first flight of the new prop.

[@hwhack]

Xyla uses the belt saw like a heart surgeon.

[@NewHampshireJack]

My compliments to the video creator. You have given an old retired guy in the Philippines great joy. Thank you for posting this excellent KZbin and bringing back some happy memories from my younger years.

[@Nerdfighter1123]

That lathe is awesome!

[@tojiroh]

Rooting for a Lathe-Night series with you and other lady builders! 😉👍🏼

[@helixhippie]

This was the coolest episode of, anything, I've seen in a long time. She's brilliant. And her husband is a lucky man.

[@gerardvila4685]

Great video! Reminds me of a French TV program on people who built their dream vehicle. One couple built a single-engine plane INSIDE their house: I think it was fuselage in the living room, tail in the kitchen and wings in the garage. They lived like that for three years... but once they'd finished it and got it certified, they decided they BOTH wanted to fly and started on a second one!

[@ekarolak]

Next step is to build a whole plane Xyla 😅

[@archivist17]

Well, she's been hanging out with Peter Sripol, so it's possible she shared ideas..

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I could probably do that, assuming origami ones count.

[@marcericdavis]

I love watching Culver props getting made.

[@wilgarcia1]

That must have been fun getting a classic design up in the air like that =D

[@ltpinecone]

That lathe is easily the coolest thing in this video!

[@davidf2281]

12:39 That lathe is amazing

[@FlyMeAirplane]

Fun video! I like the prop backside to be black so you don't see it in flight. I like some white at the front of the prop tips so when running on the ground you see this white arc and know its running.

[@HeisenbergFam]

Xyla is the only KZbinr who casually goes from joining circus to making wooden airplane propeller

[@kurtnelle]

And all the content is totally lit!

[@Rickster621]

You're literally in all the channels i watch. Last i saw you where on mxr plays

[@reclhoss]

@@Rickster621 I see em a lot too.

[@rustyudder]

I'm here because of bulletproof dress 😅

[@QuanrumPresence]

There is one more ;)

[@jamesdubben3687]

Love that propeller algorithm going on up in that loft, making it pretty.

[@JohannesSchmitz]

Awesome project, would have loved to get more technical information about that particular prop you made and why it works well for the plane you've put it on, including discussion of the size, profile, etc.

[@hobbyxtremerc]

Now that definitely qualifies as Hobby Xtreme! Well done Xyla, it’s obviously not just a hobby for you….it’s a passion!

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

I am amazed that wooden airplane props are just boards "Glued" together 🤯

[@TheBigburcie]

Wood is an amazing material. The combination of flex when needed and rigidity when needed at a relatively light weight (depending on the variety) is hard to replicate.

[@UhOhUmm]

@@TheBigburcie Wood is essentially a natural plastic. It's a fiber bound by lignin, which is an organic polymer, just like most plastics are some fiber (glass or carbon) bound by a different polymer. And when you laminate wood by gluing boards together you eliminate the natural weakness of wood, because it wants to split along the grain. So yeah, it's not hard to replicate at all, if anything it's really really bad compared to modern materials.

[@myotherusername9224]

"when you laminate wood by gluing boards together you eliminate the natural weakness of wood, because it wants to split along the grain" except that in this case, the grain goes in the same direction in every layer, so how does this eliminate the weakness of wanting to split along the grain ? " it's really really bad compared to modern materials" Wood is bad? How so ?

[@UhOhUmm]

@@myotherusername9224 it's heavier than say carbon fiber or glass fiber polymers, it can experience water damage if the finish is damaged. It does go in the same direction every layer, but they aren't perfectly aligned and wood glue is stronger than lignin, so it binds them better.

[@michaelsamson3276]

@@UhOhUmm Some of the most modern propellers, like the MT for example, still use wood covered in a plastic with a stainless steel leading edge.

[@rickj6348]

Your safety wiring is very good. Better than a lot of my apprentices over the years!

[@bman5988]

She’s given us Ladies Who Launch (rockets) and now Ladies Who Lathe (airplane props)

[@patrickh7368]

Blimey….I was “glued” to the screen from start to finish, how interesting was that..! No idea the amount of variation and the technical details behind prop making 😮 fabulous x

[@Dr.K.Wette_BE]

Hand made has always that prestigious aura that industrial made objects will never have.

[@MattGrayYES]

Whoooaaa that circular saw pantograph lathe is amazing

[@timpatton3948]

I love to see old craftsmanship still alive and kicking. Yes kids you still need math.

[@douglasboyle6544]

That's exactly what I was thinking too😂

[@Noahmadic]

You can relearn math as it's necessary throughout your life though

[@douglasboyle6544]

@@Noahmadic it's still good to have a foundation though to begin with

[@bassemb]

That copy lathe works like a key duplicator. Awesome! And so is this lady and her kids!

[@cabe_bedlam]

The eternal complaint - "I don't have quite as much room as I need."

[@totallybonkers]

Wow. This was like a better version of How it's Made!! Love that she makes propellers just like her grandpa ❤ So cool.

[@ShugoAWay]

Uh, odd question by why couldn't the new propeller go on her plane? i missed that part

[@xylafoxlin]

Good question!! My plane is certified but the prop is experimental so it can only go on an experimental aircraft

[@ShugoAWay]

@Xyla Foxlin ah legal red tape? That makes sense

[@StSparky]

My great uncle Leo Kaplan & my Dad made wooden propellers. My dad is 100 & on the 18th this month will celebrate his 73rd anniversary with my mom. Used to have a prop with a clock in it in my room as a kid. Thank you Xyla.

[@nicholaswouters1203]

This is incredible ! it is really cool that there are still people doing this, and extra cool that it is a small company like this, and not some cnc/robot arm just churning them out.

[@jebblinne3273]

Outstanding craftsmanship....I mean craftswomanship! I grew up about 80 minutes from this shop.

[@johnmccoy9653]

I always enjoy watching your aviation-related content, Xyla -- mainly to see the unbridled joy on your face as you take to the air.

[@johnnybigpotato2404]

There are few greater things a man can enjoy in life. This is definitely one of them. Thank you ladies! Amazing build! I hope to do something similar some wonderful day. That is literally the very essence of what dreams are made of. PEACE! ;)

[@WJSpies]

This is amazing. Xyla entrances me; my concentration on her vids is something I typically don't do all the time with other content makers, but she captures my attention almost every time I watch one of hers. She's a force of nature somehow. I don't know how she pulls together so much of her apparent energy. I know it must take tons of effort but she makes it look effortless. And nice! I'm an old geezer, but in my almost forgotten youth I was a lot like her. So I really get it. Hats off, Xyla.. you're pretty awesome. 👍🏻

[@JimPekarek]

So good to see people using proper PPE when working with hazardous materials. The number of times I've watched people on KZbin sand carbon fiber or use noxious chemicals without a respirator is too damn high. Also this was a really cool process to watch!

[@JeRKII]

What a unique art form I wonder how many place's in the world make such amazing propellers ? This had to be a very special bucket list item.

[@jemakrol]

Seen a couple of vids with Culver and the job she does is just mind blowing! Seeing you visit and do what you do and everything: amazing and wholesome! Did the prop perform good with the plane? I'd expect it to but still... Tht lathe is mesmerizing for sure by the way. Only thing I kinde missed is the surface process, it's so satisfying to see the propeller gets is surface finish and final elegance. I so much enjoyed this video. Thanks for being you. Joy and creativity combined.

[@Simple_But_Expensive]

Worked on gas turbine engines for 45 years. Lockwiring is indeed an art form. Gas turbines have thousands of pieces requiring lockwire. After a while, I stopped using lockwire pliers. I found it easier to get right by hand twisting and maybe using needlenose pliers to feed it through the holes. Glad to see you twisting the stub end. That end is razor sharp, and the cuts from them take forever to heal. Not tucking the ends is a good way to get your whole family cursed.

[@glowingeye]

That's the coolest plane I've ever seen, wow!

[@devincalhoun3792]

I love all things engineered (I share this love with both my sons as well) and this was just a joy to watch. I had no idea how a wooden propeller was made and while I’ve seen some amazing (and large) lathes for both wood and metal, I have NEVER seen one quite like this. I loved watching every second of this video from grabbing the wood planks to taking flight. Keep it up Xyla!

[@shepbook]

The pure mechanical nature of the lathe just brings a special joy to all of this. Also, the sanding stare. We've all been there. 🤣