[truman]

I was wondering if anyone could help me draw and make a toolpath for a symetrical wooden rc helicopter blade this is not a money making venture it is to try and save some money because I break alot of blades. I don't expect it to be done for me but if somebody can kind of walk me through it I have access to solid works and master cam

thank you

Rob

[mcraig79]

For the price of RC heli blades i would have to say you should continue to buy them and not make them...there could be even more serious issues could happen if you made them..i flew for many yrs and wouldnt recommend it.

[wwendorf]

Helicopter blades cannot just be machined out of a solid piece of wood. They must be balanced plus made out of 2 or 3 different types of woods. Blades that aren't wood, such as carbon fibre or fibreglass are not machined, rather, they are molded.

I've been flying heli's for about 8 years. If you are breaking lots of blades, go with cheap woodies till you get better.

Also, NEVER trying making a heli blade out of aluminum. 1 - it could kill you. 2 - it could kill someone else. 3 - the mechanics for making an aluminum blade would be more difficult that you could imagine 4 - they would have to most likely be hollow anyway, so you'd still have to do some sort of molding.

Hope this helps,
Wade

[truman]

I would never make a blade out of alluminum It would be like a knife spinning at 2800rpm! I also know the blades are made from two different kinds of wood usually the leading edge is hardwood where the trailing edge is something like balsa. I have also seen store bought blades fly apart. I have seen people here make their own guns! what I am trying to say is that with the proper design and materials they would be no more dangerous than a store bought blade. I understand your concern and really do appreciate it but cnc machines are dangerous and everybody is teaching everyone how to build one on this site.

[mcraig79]

A store bought blade and almost any woodie style blade will fly apart if you dont properly glue the root onto the blade...I myself wouldnt make one...Plus you also have to usually weight the tip with a little lead or such.
And well if you are breaking that many blades that its costing you so much that you feel you need to start making your own blades then i would almost look into getting a simulator

[HelicopterJohn]

Hi Truman,

I can't help you with the tool paths but thought I would impart a little information from the past 37 years of R/C Helicopter fun.

My first helicopter was a Dubro Shark and it had solid wood blades (non laminated). It had a really slow head speed and the blades were of Clark Y design (non symmetrical).

Prior to the manufactured blades we have today you had to glue the blades together (usually 3 pieces) leading edge was some kind of basswood, the center section where the blade attaches to the blade holder was of hardwood and the trailing edge was made of balsa. These blades were glued together and sanded to shape. Then they were weighed on a gram scale. Weight was added as necessary to get the blades properly balanced and the proper CG achieved. The area where the blade actually attached to the blade holder was saturated with CA Glue to increase the strength. On some of the blades we made we actually coated that section with a very light layer of Fiberglas and resin.

As you can see it was quite a process and I was really glad when the started to sell quality blades that for the most part are light enough to get the high head speeds some of the electric helicopters produced today.

If you can you should try to join a club that has other helicopter enthusiasts so you can get a little help during the learning process. It may cost a little to join the club or may mean a drive to a distance city but you greatly benefit from it.

Hope this was of some help.

John

[truman]

I have a simulator and I am sure I will settle down on the blades soon but this would be a good learning experience. I also love wind turbines so this would also help me in that area as well. I am sure home made blades could be dangerous but not everyone has a cnc machine to cut them on. I saw a guy make them out of yard sticks with a belt sander and some elbow Greece and they flew well. I think if you choose good stalk and pay attention to what you are doing this is very achievable.

[truman]

Hi Truman,

I can't help you with the tool paths but thought I would impart a little information from the past 37 years of R/C Helicopter fun.

My first helicopter was a Dubro Shark and it had solid wood blades (non laminated). It had a really slow head speed and the blades were of Clark Y design (non symmetrical).

Prior to the manufactured blades we have today you had to glue the blades together (usually 3 pieces) leading edge was some kind of basswood, the center section where the blade attaches to the blade holder was of hardwood and the trailing edge was made of balsa. These blades were glued together and sanded to shape. Then they were weighed on a gram scale. Weight was added as necessary to get the blades properly balanced and the proper CG achieved. The area where the blade actually attached to the blade holder was saturated with CA Glue to increase the strength. On some of the blades we made we actually coated that section with a very light layer of Fiberglas and resin.

As you can see it was quite a process and I was really glad when the started to sell quality blades that for the most part are light enough to get the high head speeds some of the electric helicopters produced today.

If you can you should try to join a club that has other helicopter enthusiasts so you can get a little help during the learning process. It may cost a little to join the club or may mean a drive to a distance city but you greatly benefit from it.

Hope this was of some help.

John

I agree John you are right about the club and that is something I am considering for one thing I thought a project like this could be a fun learning expierience and usefull I happened to have bought a heli that nobody stocks parts for in my area forcing me to cut down trex blades or wait for two weeks for new ones to be shipped.