Making Windmill Blades

Building a energy generating windmill is a great way to go green.

Windmills can serve many different purposes, from helping to generate power to simply decorating the yard. Building a windmill for the purpose of generating energy can be a great way for an individual or business looking to go green to generate natural energy. For others, adding a windmill to your yard can add a unique design element to your landscaping. Regardless of its purpose, building a windmill can be a relatively easy task if you pay close attention to the details.

Things You'll Need

• Sheet metal
• Metal cutting scissors
• Electric hand saw
• 1 PVC pipe
• Tape measure
• Marker

Instructions

1. Cut your PVC pipe in half lengthwise with a hand saw to form a half tube. Set aside. You will later use the PVC pipe as a mold to shape the metal of your windmill blades -- it will not be part of your final product.

2. Calculate the size of your blades. The length of your blades will depend on how many you want and how tall your base is. The length of each blade should be no more than 1/3 the height of your windmill base. Some windmills are made with several shorter blades placed closer together, whereas standard power generating windmills often use three long, slender blades. For this article, the windmill will be 20 yards tall, and will have 20 shorter blades each measuring 3 feet long by 6 inches wide.

3. Measure one rectangle on your sheet metal for each blade, based on the dimensions you formulated in step 2. Cut out each rectangular blade. Drill holes in each of your blades to use in mounting them to your windmill base. The position and number of holes will depend on how you plan to mount them to the base.

4. Line up the bottom and top of each blade one at a time with the ends of your PVC pipe and bend the sides of the blade to curve around the pipe. Your blades are now ready to be attached to your windmill.

Tips & Warnings

• The size PVC pipe you will need will depend on how large your blades are. The bigger the blades you plan to use, the bigger the diameter of your PVC pipe should be. You can also use different size PVC pipe to determine how much curve your blades will have. For example, if you use a larger diameter PVC pipe for more narrow blades, there will be less curvature to your blade than if you use a small PVC pipe for wider blades. Ideally the best option would be to use a PVC pipe that is the same diameter as the width of your windmill blades.

• Using sheet metal can be great for projects requiring flexibility, but it also requires caution when handling, especially after it is cut. Sharp points or edges can cut skin easily. For this reason, always use gloves and wear proper attire when working with sheet metal.

References

• The Back Shed: Home Grown Power; Turbine Blades
• My Wind Power System: How to Make PVC Wind Turbine Blades
• Your Green Dream: Quick PVC Wind Turbine/Windmill Blades
• FarmCollector.com; How to Build Windmill Fans; Jim Lacey; June 2010