BrendAn Posted January 11 Posted January 11 hi, is there anyone making wooden props in aus. need a 2 blade 68 x 48. rotax hub pattern 912 80hp there is aeroperformance in nz. prefer local if possible. someone said sweetapples were still getting made in queensland a while back.
facthunter Posted January 11 Posted January 11 NZ do great stuff and the exchange rate is favourable. Nev
BrendAn Posted January 11 Author Posted January 11 47 minutes ago, facthunter said: NZ do great stuff and the exchange rate is favourable. Nev yes the props on the website look very nice. i have sent a link to the bloke after the prop. their ad says they supply a lot of props to australia. 1
440032 Posted January 12 Posted January 12 Years ago there were quite a few good prop makers in Australia. Brad Waldron, Mick Dye, Bill Miller, all in Victoria, Barrie Bishton in NSW, and no doubt others that I cannot recall. All out of it, and Bill passed a while back. Richard(?) Sweetapple. (never could find any contact details) Ellis Walker (Perfectus Airscrew) - long gone. Ian Henry was "the" prop maker in NZ for years. Brent Thompson propellers (NZ) came on the scene - wow they were good, I had one. Now AeroPerformance. Whoever makes the props for Jabiru to this day? This could very well be old stale info, but: Invincible Airscrews Pty Ltd - AMROBA - please let us know if you find they are still going. I would love to hand make a propeller one day. 1
facthunter Posted January 12 Posted January 12 Peter Franks did it for all the Planes he built. Nev 1
BrendAn Posted Sunday at 02:09 AM Author Posted Sunday at 02:09 AM 51 minutes ago, 440032 said: Years ago there were quite a few good prop makers in Australia. Brad Waldron, Mick Dye, Bill Miller, all in Victoria, Barrie Bishton in NSW, and no doubt others that I cannot recall. All out of it, and Bill passed a while back. Richard(?) Sweetapple. (never could find any contact details) Ellis Walker (Perfectus Airscrew) - long gone. Ian Henry was "the" prop maker in NZ for years. Brent Thompson propellers (NZ) came on the scene - wow they were good, I had one. Now AeroPerformance. Whoever makes the props for Jabiru to this day? This could very well be old stale info, but: Invincible Airscrews Pty Ltd - AMROBA - please let us know if you find they are still going. I would love to hand make a propeller one day. He is getting a quote from aeroperformance. Jabiru use sensenich.
spacesailor Posted Sunday at 02:11 AM Posted Sunday at 02:11 AM When ! . Your ' home chopped prop ' is as good as you can make it , cover it in lightweight glass and epoxy to get a super prop Finnish. spacesailor 1
440032 Posted Sunday at 03:29 AM Posted Sunday at 03:29 AM 1 hour ago, BrendAn said: He is getting a quote from aeroperformance. Jabiru use sensenich. Jabiru wooden propellers - locally made somewhere there in QLD. 1
BrendAn Posted Sunday at 09:00 AM Author Posted Sunday at 09:00 AM (edited) 5 hours ago, 440032 said: Jabiru wooden propellers - locally made somewhere there in QLD. They use sensenich , made in the usa Edited Sunday at 09:01 AM by BrendAn
440032 Posted Sunday at 08:58 PM Posted Sunday at 08:58 PM Website still offers Jabiru wooden propellers also, like they started with. Somebody probably near Bundy is making them for Jabiru, like they always have. 1
BrendAn Posted Sunday at 09:28 PM Author Posted Sunday at 09:28 PM 29 minutes ago, 440032 said: Website still offers Jabiru wooden propellers also, like they started with. Somebody probably near Bundy is making them for Jabiru, like they always have. Ok . I have only ever seen sensenich on jabs so I assumed they were the suppliers. Thanks for the info .
Red Posted Monday at 07:45 AM Posted Monday at 07:45 AM The jabiru aircraft, I've seen in the UK have had a wooden props branded "GT" I don't know if this is the in house brand. Possibly an alternative to look at? 1
BrendAn Posted Monday at 08:25 AM Author Posted Monday at 08:25 AM 38 minutes ago, Red said: The jabiru aircraft, I've seen in the UK have had a wooden props branded "GT" I don't know if this is the in house brand. Possibly an alternative to look at? I am looking for a prop for a friend with a 912 gazelle. I don't think jab props will help.
facthunter Posted Monday at 11:13 PM Posted Monday at 11:13 PM It's unlikely it would match the change to geared engine and different cruise speed. Suitable diameter might vary too. Wooden props don't like rain. Nev
spacesailor Posted Tuesday at 05:38 AM Posted Tuesday at 05:38 AM Unless they're sheaved in FRP ! . Then it's waterproofed. spacesailor 1
facthunter Posted Tuesday at 07:41 AM Posted Tuesday at 07:41 AM Needs more than water "proofing" . Nev 1
spacesailor Posted Tuesday at 08:20 AM Posted Tuesday at 08:20 AM Stainless insert for that leading edge. It's all possible when DIY . PYLON500 Made a composite prop , vacuum bagged , but " never again " said he . spacesailor 1
facthunter Posted Tuesday at 08:27 AM Posted Tuesday at 08:27 AM DH props have a brass covered LE. with rivets You don't fly in rain with wooden props. Nev 1
danny_galaga Posted Wednesday at 03:09 AM Posted Wednesday at 03:09 AM (edited) Mine is clear finish glass covered, with some sort of polyurethane reinforced leading edge, maybe 8mm thick. "Depicted is a test propeller which was turned at 3300 rpm. A front end loader (JCB) slowly tipped 500kilograms of river sand (average grain size of 0.2mm up to 4mm) into the arc of the propeller. The end result was that 40% of the propeller was eroded. However only 3% of the urethane leading material was removed." But coming from Sert Efrikah freight might be a problem. https://www.p-propeller.co.za/propeller-manufacturing/ Edited Wednesday at 03:17 AM by danny_galaga
Red Posted Wednesday at 05:16 PM Posted Wednesday at 05:16 PM (edited) 14 hours ago, danny_galaga said: Mine is clear finish glass covered, with some sort of polyurethane reinforced leading edge, maybe 8mm thick. "Depicted is a test propeller which was turned at 3300 rpm. A front end loader (JCB) slowly tipped 500kilograms of river sand (average grain size of 0.2mm up to 4mm) into the arc of the propeller. The end result was that 40% of the propeller was eroded. However only 3% of the urethane leading material was removed." But coming from Sert Efrikah freight might be a problem. https://www.p-propeller.co.za/propeller-manufacturing/ Had a locally made wood prop (Newton) with that type of leading edge, went through a few light showers with no visible harm. Only had the aircraft for 200 hours (prop was new when I got it) but the prop looked good after that amount of time. Wood props do require care in installation and do tend to go out of balance with moisture changes. Good practice is to always leave parked with blades horizontal (assuming 2 blade as most are) don't leave out in the blazing sun without some protection and take care not to crush the hub when installing or damage the finish as this lets moisture in Edited Wednesday at 05:17 PM by Red 1
kgwilson Posted Wednesday at 09:37 PM Posted Wednesday at 09:37 PM On 13/01/2025 at 8:28 AM, BrendAn said: Ok . I have only ever seen sensenich on jabs so I assumed they were the suppliers. Thanks for the info . I've never seen a Jabiru with a Sensenich propeller. Since 2016 all new Jabs have been sold with their own design "Scimitar" composite prop made by Bolly from South Australia. 1
Garfly Posted Wednesday at 10:13 PM Posted Wednesday at 10:13 PM Speaking of wooden propellers - a tall tale, and true, of the Canadian north. 1
skippydiesel Posted Thursday at 02:05 AM Posted Thursday at 02:05 AM Just wondering - why the fixation on a wooden propeller?? There are so many very nice ground adjust props on the market. I wonder would not one of these fit your purpose & achieve a more optimised/durable & weather resistant, fan at the same time? 😈 1
facthunter Posted Thursday at 02:31 AM Posted Thursday at 02:31 AM Cheap safe and easy on the engine. Nev 1
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