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Instructions on Making an Airplane Propeller

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, "Propellers are basically rotating airfoils, and they vary in type, including two-blade fixed pitch, four-blade controllable variable pitch, and eight-blade contra-rotating pitch." Though a wooden propeller may work for a human-operated airplane, it is best to leave designing actual airplanes to the professionals because flying an improperly built plane can be very dangerous. A two-blade wooden propeller, however, allows model airplanes to fly through the air seamlessly.

Things You'll Need

  • Hardwood board
  • Chisel
  • Electric sander
  • Blade or saw
  • Medium-grit sandpaper
  • Varnish
  • Marker
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Instructions

    • 1

      Design the shape of the propeller. Propellers consist of one wooden piece. The far sides of this piece is round while the middle of the piece is thin. Research propeller shapes through an aviation expert or look at another model airplane. For an easy propeller, draw a long oval.

    • 2

      Draw the shape of the propeller on the piece of wood using a marker.

    • 3

      Cut the propeller from the wood using a blade. Chisel away at one end of the propeller to create a slanted edge. Chisel away at the other end of the propeller, on the opposite side. The two ends of the propeller should "lean" in opposite directions.

    • 4

      Use an electric sander to thin the edges of the propeller. The very edges of the propeller blade should be about one-third as thin as the middle of the blade.

    • 5

      Sand the propeller with medium-grit sandpaper using a circular motion. Sand the entire propeller, until it is smooth.

    • 6

      Apply a coat of wood varnish using a medium-sized paint brush.

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