Building Tips

Bucket Formed Props

By Fred H. Rash
14 January 2013

A well-known, simple, yet surprisingly effective method for making propellers for rubber models is the can or cylindrical prop.

Cylindrical or can props are made by soaking thin sheets of balsa in hot water and molding or forming the blades on a cylinder or can with the prop blade tip pointed up and 15 to 20 degrees left of vertical. The wet blades can be dried at room temperature, dried in a conventional oven, or if the form permits, carefully dried in a microwave oven. The dried blades are then attached to spars or to the hub using a pitch gauge. The blade angles are usually chosen to match a helical pitch distribution as closely as possible for the entire length of the prop blade.