On the upper left is the basic Template Drawing that I’ve been working and building off of. Lets design a 4 foot prop with a 25 degree Hub (or Root) angle, and a 7 degree Tip Angle for this explaination. The diameter of the pipe will determine the width of the blades. For blades that average 4 inches wide at a 25 degree hub angle, you will need a Pipe Diameter in the 10 to 12 inch range.

Cut your Pipe to 4.5 feet long. Draw a Centerline down the entire length of the pipe and accuratly mark the centerline on the inside of both ends of the pipe. This will be the Trailing edge.  Also mark onto the centerline the Center Point between the ends of the pipe. This will be the Bolt Hole.

Put the centerpoint of a protractor against the inside centerline mark on the pipe and find where the 7 degree point is on the inside of the pipe, make your mark there. Next find where the 25 degree point is on the same side of the pipe, and mark that point on the inside of the pipe. accuratly mark the outside of the pipe at these points too. Repeat this step on the otherend of the pipe.

The center of the prop is a circle (or oval) with the bolt hole in the middle of it. The outsides of this circle will be the same distance from the centerline as the 25 degree marks that you marked on the ends of the pipe. I would cut out a thin cardboard circle and wrap it around the pipe centered on the bolt hole mark and trace around it with a marker.

Turn a metal tape measure around backwards and lay it numbers down onto the pipe with one end lined up to the circle and the otherend lined up to the Tip Angle mark at one end of the pipe. draw this line onto the pipe, and repeat for the otherend of the pipe.

All the markings are done now. Since there are no cuts into the circle or through the blades you might want to erase or markout the areas in the center that don’t get cut. These areas are the dotted lines in the drawings above.

Time to start cutting. I think a Recipricating Saw works great. You can just cut straight into the pipe and get Good results. But if you angle the cuts as shown at the bottom of the drawing above, it provides a much longer path for the air around the back of the prop, improving efficiency. This is harder to do though because you want the cut to follow your markings as if they were on the inside of the pipe. You will see when you try to cut it.

Now you have a new PVC Pipe Prop that will spin like carzy in the slightest of wind.
Here is a picture af a 3 foot 4 blader prop experiment that I made from small 1 1/4 inch low pressure pipe . . .

Hope this helps Ya’ll to make some cheap wind power.

On the upper left is the basic Template Drawing that I’ve been working and building off of. Lets design a 4 foot prop with a 25 degree Hub (or Root) angle, and a 7 degree Tip Angle for this explaination. The diameter of the pipe will determine the width of the blades. For blades that average 4 inches wide at a 25 degree hub angle, you will need a Pipe Diameter in the 10 to 12 inch range.

Cut your Pipe to 4.5 feet long. Draw a Centerline down the entire length of the pipe and accuratly mark the centerline on the inside of both ends of the pipe. This will be the Trailing edge.  Also mark onto the centerline the Center Point between the ends of the pipe. This will be the Bolt Hole.

Put the centerpoint of a protractor against the inside centerline mark on the pipe and find where the 7 degree point is on the inside of the pipe, make your mark there. Next find where the 25 degree point is on the same side of the pipe, and mark that point on the inside of the pipe. accuratly mark the outside of the pipe at these points too. Repeat this step on the otherend of the pipe.

The center of the prop is a circle (or oval) with the bolt hole in the middle of it. The outsides of this circle will be the same distance from the centerline as the 25 degree marks that you marked on the ends of the pipe. I would cut out a thin cardboard circle and wrap it around the pipe centered on the bolt hole mark and trace around it with a marker.

Turn a metal tape measure around backwards and lay it numbers down onto the pipe with one end lined up to the circle and the otherend lined up to the Tip Angle mark at one end of the pipe. draw this line onto the pipe, and repeat for the otherend of the pipe.

All the markings are done now. Since there are no cuts into the circle or through the blades you might want to erase or markout the areas in the center that don’t get cut. These areas are the dotted lines in the drawings above.

Time to start cutting. I think a Recipricating Saw works great. You can just cut straight into the pipe and get Good results. But if you angle the cuts as shown at the bottom of the drawing above, it provides a much longer path for the air around the back of the prop, improving efficiency. This is harder to do though because you want the cut to follow your markings as if they were on the inside of the pipe. You will see when you try to cut it.

Now you have a new PVC Pipe Prop that will spin like carzy in the slightest of wind.
Here is a picture af a 3 foot 4 blader prop experiment that I made from small 1 1/4 inch low pressure pipe . . .

Hope this helps Ya’ll to make some cheap wind power.

Panoramic Scannercam

put together a panoramic digital camera using a scanner and some miscellaneous parts. You may remember seeing something like this about six months ago and originally about five years back. The parts used here work together nicely. The sensor board from the scanner is mounted to a metal plate along with a 50mm lens. The plate is mounted to a hard drive platter that is turned via belts connected to the original scanner motor. This way, when you tell the computer to scan an image, the lens is rotated to capture the panorama. The use of an 18V tool battery is a nice portability hack for the scanner circuitry.

Judging from this 71MP image he has achieved some remarkable results.

http://www.solarfriend.co.uk/

http://www.nelincs.gov.uk/community/maps/Highways_in_Winter.htm#SaltingMaps

On this page it shows the Gritting routes for the Gritter. I know we have had a little more snow then usual but it is winter So I would expect some snow and Ice.Those that know me  know where I live and work and I normally take the rural back roads to work. All throught this bad weather I have carried on taking the same route to work .I have added on extra time for the run to and from work slowed my speed well down and I’ve been getting to and from work with out a problem.Yes I’ve had the odd slide or skid but because of my reduced speed I have not crashed  or come off the road.I drive a 4×4   and it does not make you immune to comming of the road.

Also  some  drivers of 4X4 dont even realise that their car  might not alway be in 4 wheel drive  many models are on 2 wheel drive unless you select 4 wheel drive and if you have locking hubs  it not alway possible to go into 4 wheel drive mode

This is because  you can be on the wrong type of surface and end up with whats call transission windup explained here and you then start to break you tansmission or propshafts  . So while your flying down the road in you nice shiny 4×4 thinking i am safe you could well be in 2 wheel drive and soon heading for the nearest ditch.To my viewers in other countries .we dont get enough snow to warrent snow chains and we dont get enough snow plus the fact its not around long enough  to get use to driving on it

So a lot of people who have passed their driving test of the past few years have never driven in snow  dont know what to do.Also  if you look at a lot of driving habbits  it this country  the car is mainly used to the school run  even though the kids could get there quicker on foot and they very rarely drive out of town plus the face most modern cars have Airbags and ABS  they think it will stop them skidding.The only thing it will do if give you a false confidence  you travel faster and hit the ditch harder or another car head on.I cant fault ABS or Air bags  but dont  think they make you a better driver.They help reduce accidents and injuries   they dont stop them

Santa sled fireball

TEHRAN (Dec 24)-The Iranian News Agency is claiming that the Doshan Tapeh Air Base commander has reported one of it’s newly aquired Russian SA-15 anti-aircraft missile defense batteries engaged and shot down the Santa Claus reindeer propelled flying sled over Northern Iran today. The target was tracked on radar for 10 minutes before the order to fire was given by the regional air defense commander

Witnesses report seeing the SA-15 streak skyward erupting in a brilliant flash and then a giant fireball plummeting to the earth. The fireball was captured on film.

The smoldering wreckage was discovered in the mountainous region of Mazandaran Province, just south of the Caspian Sea.

The crash site had been looted by local village children leaving only scraps of colorful paper wraps and ribbon amid a large impact crater.

There were no signs of a survivor. Villagers reported a large pack of wolves carried off the reindeer remains.

A NORAD command spokesperson at Peterson Air Force Base answered “no comment” when asked if Santa had yet to appear on US radar. An unnamed senior radar specialist commented, “In all the years I’ve been doing this I’ve never seen Santa fail to show up on radar. I fear something dreadful has happened”.

SUBJECT: DEQ File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County  Dear Mr. DeVries:
It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity: Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.  A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department’s files shows that no permits have been issued. Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated. The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel.. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2009.  Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action. We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.  Sincerely,  David L. Price District Representative and Water Management Division. Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:

Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County
Dear Mr. Price,
Your certified letter dated 12/17/07 has been handed to me to respond to. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania .  A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood ‘debris’ dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials ‘debris.’  I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.  These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity. My first dam question to you is: 
(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or
(2) Do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?

If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued.  (Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.)
I have several concerns. My first concern is, aren’t the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation — so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department’s dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names. > > If you want the stream ‘restored’ to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers — but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.  In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers’ Dams).  So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2009? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.  In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area. It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! The bears are not careful where they dump!  Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.
THANK YOU,
RYAN DEVRIES  & THE DAM BEAVERS > >

What is Geographing?

· It’s a game – how many grid squares will you contribute? ·
· It’s a geography project for the people ·
· It’s a national photography project ·
· It’s a good excuse to get out more! ·
· It’s a free and open online community project for all ·