hi there
i have a navitron ikw turbine and i want to make a set of timber blades for it. I see that some one has made them from cedarwood i wonder what the lifespan would be for them. also how are they waterproofed to keep them in balance. Is there any other suitable timber available here in ireland. best regards
hi jim
the 3.6m (gyreum) machine used cedar , this could have been larch (small machine) so its not critical ,however finding air dried knot free wood is not that easy ,air dried cedar has a high oil content which works as a natural water repelant (i think) so the wood has naturally long life span , some people just rub linseed oil into the wood and leave it at that ,once a year this could be repeated , my own prop was just given a coat of light undercoat and gloss which still looks ok and lets the wood breath a little ...
if the wood can breath a little balance dosent seem to be upset much due to moisture , i,m gussing that you are looking at a 3 meter prop so cedar larch even pine might be fine ,its getting air dried knot free stuff thats the trick bit
just my opinion ! let us know how you are gettin on
[quote=niall]
many thanks niall Yes its a three meter ok The ones that were on it were fiberglass but they got destroyed in the gales...it forgot to furl!!!
So the search goes on for a good dry piece of timber..
hi again jim
since the last post i had a go at laminating strips of 2 by 2 pine to make blanks for making props ,(suggested by admin a while back) its definately a solution to the wood
availabity problem and cheaper ...i,m trying to locate a supplier of 2 by 3 knot free cedar or larch locally ,i.ll post up anything i can find and a few pics of a test finished 6 foot prop
regards niall
helllo niall
i not sure what part of the country you are in but theres a guy up this who may have some ideas about thes the cedar paul reynolde he is near mohill
hi again jim
since the last post i had a go at laminating strips of 2 by 2 pine to make blanks for making props ,(suggested by admin a while back) its definately a solution to the wood
availabity problem and cheaper ...i,m trying to locate a supplier of 2 by 3 knot free cedar or larch locally ,i.ll post up anything i can find and a few pics of a test finished 6 foot prop
regards niall
hi jim
thats interesting i,m near mohill (30 mins) itd be good if he had anything ...brooks in sligo stock a lot of cedar but its not cheap
the smallest stock is 3 by 6 at 6.68 euros a foot ! , for a small prop i suppose thats ok ..they seem to carry a lot of timbers hard and soft (they have a web site) there also in longford but dont carry the same choice , i,ll call in next time i,m down , calling in to poke around is always better than the phone