Blades and Assembly
Blades & Assembly
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•carving the blades
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•assembling the alternator
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•balancing the blades
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•testing the turbine
Flatten the pieces of timber.
Cut the rough shape out of timber using the plywood jig. Make sure there are no knots in the middle of the blade.
Make sure they are of equal thickness.
Transfer marks from the jig and also mark out the carving line.
Use a draw knife to cut carve the bulk of the timber...
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Use a block plane and or spoke shave to get a smooth finish...
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Mark the underside from the newly carved edge and turn the blade over.
Use a saw to cut down to the line. 100mm spaces are okay if you’re strong enough to chisel trough them. Make lot’s of cuts around knots where the grain changes.
Use hammer and chisel to get rid of the bulk of the timber. Carve down to the new lines, draw the final marks, ...
... finish carving the blades.
Mark out and cut the two plywood pieces that hold the blades together.
If possible, use a pillar drill to drill 4 holes through the metal and plywood disc.
Drill holes for metal bolts.
Align the 3 blades on a flat surface...
... use a spirit levels and spacers to make sure the blades are level...
... and tape measures to ensure the distance between the tips of the blades are equal.
Fix the plywood pieces in place with screws...
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Clamp the stator to the alternator frame with an equal distance from the shaft to the edge of the hole in the stator. Also make sure that one corner of the stator is on the centre line of the bottom T part of the frame and the other 2 holes parallel to the top of the T.
Carefully drill through the stator with a 12mm drill.
An old alternator.
... or calculate it by adding up the thicknesses of the various components.
Cut threaded bar and use nuts and washers to fix the stator to the alternator frame. (Note the ball bearing/ hub is screwed on to the shaft.)
You can use a ruler to determine the length of the threaded bar...
Carefully assemble the alternator...
...
... lot’s of hands make it easier...
Use bolts and washer to create appropriate spacing and fix the components in place.
Place the alternator on a temporary pole and attach the blades.
Front.
Side view...
Use filler to fix faults in the blades.
Use a weight (e.g. lead) and patience to balance the blades.
Lead used on roofing.
Fix bits of lead into the corners between the blades and...
... try again.
Back.
Remove the blades, connect alternator to batteries and test by spinning the machine.
Putting up temporary 10m pole....
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Ready to go: Battery.
Blades and tail.
The location is okay for the purpose of testing the wind turbine but suited as a permanent spot to keep it.
Final bits of wiring up.
Everybody ready to go...
...
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Trying to hold the tower in place with bits of stone.
The team lift the tower off the ground, just enough to attach the alternator and the tail...
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The tower is lifted further and the blades are pushed in place...
... and screwed onto the alternator.
The team lift the turbine into position...
Best to move it up
