Ted Baer's Bicycle Wheel Windmill

Step 3 Blade attachment detail

This shows how the blade is attached. The bend is made by hand, simply bending the aluminum flashing over a metal rod about 1/8th inch in diameter. The metal flashing we used (years ago) was thicker than currently available. You will have to laminate (rivet or use two-sided tape) two thicknesses together to obtain a blade that is stiff enough. But you can also make blades out of wood (1/8 inch plywood or door skins) or plastic.

Comments

[Hycro]

Wouldn't it work to fold over all but the trailing edges to make the blade stiffer, that way you use less material, the blade is lighter, and is more aerodynamic that two pieces riveted together?? (thinking of rivets and the seam between the two pieces causing drag, or am I just talking nonsense??)

[drbill]

This is way cool. I was thinking of using dacron sail cloth at one time but it looks like this is better because only one edge of the blade needs to be connected to a spoke. This even looks like it could be used to power a bench sander or grinder or some such.