Prop choice

[rizzz]

I agree the possibilities are fantastic.Problem is the Auto Cad software .
I am familiar with and use sketchup all the time in my business but to the best of my knowledge you can't transfer anything from it to a cnc machine so what I was wondering is would a product like TurboCad http://www.cadandgraphics.com/tcpro16.html work in this respect ? Most Auto Cad software is pricey but the Turbo Cad can be had for a few hundred dollars ,albeit an older version but who cares.Does anyone know if it will work ?This would be a great way to render the Onex for paint schemes also.
Mike

TurboCAD will probably work, I have not played with it yet.

For 2D drawing, LiteCAD is a reasonable free CAD software package:
http://www.kolbasoft.com/litecad.html
Not as good as AutoCAD though.

There is a lot of software out there to automatically program CNC machines from CAD drawings, again very expensive software though.

[sonex892]

Here is a post I thought might be of use with links to free software. Its from a guy on the yahoo propellor group who is already cnc shaping his own props.
Steve
Sonex 892

I found this one called heekscnc, and I tried it on a prop for a ppg which seems to work very nice (both software and the prop).


link:
http://www.heeks.net/
http://code.google.com/p/heekscnc/downloads/list


I'm using A9cad for the profile drawings, then heekscnc for the cam part and emc2 for the cnc control on my homebuilt cnc. All free to use software.

My cnc in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQZ5tn9rSTo
.

[Mike53]

Thanks Mike and Steve .I have found a free on-line AutoCad course and am going through it slowly to see if I can learn it or if it's to much for an analog brain like mine :?
Mike

[chris]

Mike - could you post a link to the course? I could use an AutoCad refresher.

Steve - Did you use a standard wood glue to laminate the pieces together or something else? How do you orient the grain of the wood when gluing together?

[Mike53]

Here it is Chris http://www.we-r-here.com/cad/tutorials/index.htm

[structurespilot]

Here are a few options I have found for those who are interested in wood propellers. If anyone has personal experience with either of these, please post your opinions. Thanks.

Ed Sterba propellers

Tennessee propellers.

Regards, Norm

[dcstrng]

Mike and Vic. The program is fairly simple to use. Its uses excel, just need to enter data in the fields such as RPM, speeds, HP, airframe type (slippery or draggy) diameter, type of wood etc. It took a little playing around with these fields to get the prop pitch I wanted. From this it will produce performance graphs and plotted airfoil section drawings for seven stations along with a table of coordinates for each station....
Steve
Sonex 892

I'm about two years late coming to this conversation, but I've had Jan's program for about a year and use it quite often for "advanced daydreaming." I've used DesignCAD in hobby work for awhile and can transfer the ordinates easily enough, but not sure if I'm brave enough to actually build a real prop when the time comes... since my engine is further along than the rest of the effort, I thought I might try a test club just for grins, and see how it goes from there (but I'm still a couple of years away from really needing it).

-- Larry
Sonex #1621 (just getting organized)

[onex28]

Has anyone used either of the following prop manufacturers' props on a VW based engine? If so, what has been your experience, performance data and opinion?

propsinc.net or arrowprop.com


David

[sjakulski]

Any Warp Drive solutions used that one can post details on? Steve