Home made Propeller construction jig

[AltcarBoB]

I wasted a lot of time this morning trying to get the blades on a 3 blade 1/72 prop lined up correctly and it ocurred to me that a jig to line everything up would be useful so I built one. Its only a mark 1 version at the moment made from a 60mm disc of 2mm thick plastikard and two 50mm discs of the same.  I used a cheapo plastic circle cutter to mark everything out then snapped the discs out of the plasticard and filed the edges. Using a bit of schoolboy jommetry I divided up one 50mm disc into three segments and the other 50mm disc into four segments then glued them 3 one side and 4 to the other side of the 60mm disc. A hole was drilled through the centre to allow the hub to fit in flush.

 

A friend has a lathe with a milling attachment and I feel the urge to make a nice shiny jig out of Aluminium

 

See Mrs Blackmore I did learn something in your maths class but I am still not sure why the Squaw was sitting on the back of a Hippopotamus.

 

3 blade side

IMG_20200426_161737580 by Stuart, on Flickr

 

4 blade side

IMG_20200426_161726154 by Stuart, on Flickr

 

Side view showing the blade slots of both sides

IMG_20200426_161816214_HDR by Stuart, on Flickr

[ArnoldAmbrose]

On 4/26/2020 at 11:35 PM, AltcarBoB said:

it ocurred to me that a jig to line everything up would be useful so I built one.

Gidday, I know this is three years old now but this might help. Although I don't do aircraft I do model ships, and lately I've been making my own screws/propellers. I agree with you that a jig helps. I've developed a method that works for my ships and I can't see why it won't work for aircraft props too, both making them and maybe re-attaching snapped-off blades.

       My jig is home made, anyone could make one, and costs almost nothing. It could be made to suit any number of blades and any pitch angle. HTH. Regards, Jeff.