“Hello Hugh.
My name is Josue (Joshua if it is easier for you). I live in Colombia, South America.
I would like to share this file we made for the 4200 blades. This is the Adobe 3D version. (You’ll need the Acrobat Reader DC in order to see it.)
This file was produced using a CAD program called Solid Works.”
Josue has offered to share the solid works file, and if you are interested in this I will put you in touch with him.
Here is the Acrobat version he sent to me : Aspa V1
You probably won’t be able to view it with your browser but if you download the file and open it with Acrobat Reader DC then you can play around and view the model from all different angles.
I am trying to get the cad drawing on the 4200 blade. It won’t open in the pdf. It is just blank.
I am trying to get the cad drawing on the 4200 blade. It won’t open in the pdf. It is just blank.
Cnc torna, Talaşlı imalat, Fason üretim
Hey, it would be great to get a hold of that solid works file if possible?
I’d be interested in getting the SolidWorks file of this. I am going to have my cabinet maker friend make the tailfin and blades for my new 4200, but longer term I would consider having a set of blades made up in aluminium from this (I work in the oil industry – so lots of companies who could machine them).
What methods did you use to design the shape/planes/curve of the blade? Would be interesting to compare the efficiency of the simple/cheap/easy-to-make blades from Hugh’s book to something like this made. If it comes to fruition, I would do some data logging of both and see how it differs.
Cheers,
Rob.
hi Rob,
I am always mildly puzzled by the enthusiasm with which people approach CNC production of wooden blades. To me it’s a bit like fitting a 2-stroke engine with no silencer to a bicycle. I enjoy cycling. But whatever turns you on is fine and I have no wish to pour cold water. Here is a video of one effort http://windempowerment.org/making-the-4200-blades-with-a-jig/
Large blades can be laborious to carve and I do use some kerfing tricks and suchlike to speed things up.
My designs are not for the ultimate in efficiency but a mix of efficiency and practicality. The shape is not super-critical. An expert blade designer (and I do know at least one) would use a completely different profile that would be very hard indeed to replicate by my simple methods but easy to do with CNC.
It would indeed be interesting to find out how much you would gain in this way.
There have been some studies of alternative approaches to making blades but they have tended to go for a simplification of the shape rather than using a more sophisticated shape. Here are some links.
have fun!
Hugh
Thanks Hugh, I’m also a great believer in using the right tool for the right job… My dad has run a Lucas Freelite since I was knee-high, mostly with a very simple blade shape that he cut himself when the original one was destroyed in a good Highland gale one winter! You have to be realistic about gains in an application like this, and I doubt they stack up. If you have a drama with your turbine and the blade is damaged, a simple/inexpensive design is much less painful to replace all around! Also, simple wood design is less likely to severely damage anything nearby if/when it flies off in such weather conditions… If/when I made something like this, it would just be for the fun and experimentation of it I think. Curious mind and all that!
Cheers,
Rob.
Yes, I’d be more inclined to use a CNC machine if I were making a mould for a composite blade than as a production tool for wooden ones. And I would be worried about using solid aluminium in case it fatigued.
Josue’s 3d model is great for showing what a blade looks like from all angles. I mostly use 3d CAD to produce drawings rather than for machine tools, but for me a lot of the pleasure is in doing the job simply with hand tools.
Make that http://www.cnczone.com sorry about the link mix up.
Nice work. Wouldn’t it be cool to use a CNC router to produce the final product ?
Yes. That is the idea.
Unfortunately, where I live they want to charge me USD 500 per blade to do it on CNC.
Perhaps it could be cheaper in other countries?
Look into http://www.cnc.com for ideas on building your own cnc router. It’s not as hard as you think.
I could imagine that carving a blade would take a particular kind of CNC router. For example, it would need quite a long bed. It’s too bad that it’s so expensive.
I had bought and sold quite a few of the old American wind turbines. I’ve read that some of those manufacturers used duplicating routers which would take a carved example of a blade and run a guide wheel over it. The motion would be transferred to the router head which would carve the blade. Unfortunately that would not be able to use your computer file unless you built your own machine.
Hi Josue,
could you share the SolidWork file?
Thx!