building a whirligig propeller using a table saw and miter gage with a home made jig. A wood hub blank is cut using a circle cutter, then the blank is marked with the number of blades. Divide 360 by the number of blades desired. For a two or 4 blade propeller you can use a square hub. Next make a miter gage extension from a piece of wood scrap about 15 inches long. Drill a 1/4" hole in the extension. Bolt the hub blank to the extension, and set the miter gage over to 55 degrees. Match the line on the hub to a line drawn on the miter gage extension and tighten the bolt. Run the hub over the saw blade to make your first slot. If the slot needs to be bigger run it over the blade several more times. Loosen the nut and rotate the hub to the next line. Make your next cut and so on. Consider using a dado blade for larger hubs. Use water proof glue for your propeller blades and pin them in place with a small dowel or nail. Pre drill nail holes to prevent splitting. Always put a bushing in the hub to prevent the screw from from wearing a larger un-even hole in the wood hub. You can also use a large nail for an axle. Anders S. Lunde's from NC book "More Whirligigs" (Chilton books 1984) has patterns and design tips. Send me photos and videos of your work !
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