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Anybody ever made a ceiling fan from an out spec propeller? Is it feasible?

Would love to hear pro and con

You can buy ceiling fans that look like aviation props.

Aviation Ceiling Fan

Aviation Prop Inspired Ceiling Fans

Most ceiling fans are 3 blades min, but 4 blades is typical or more.
Metal Aircraft Props would be too heavy.
Wood Aircraft Poops are two blades but there are some 3 blade ones.
Most props that are "out of spec" are damaged and not suitable to be used (they are twisted or splintered into scrap wood)

Ceiling fans have blades that are flat, wide, thin at high pitch to move air at slow RPM. An aircraft props are made to spin at 2500 RPM to move air. A genuine aircraft prop has aerodynamics, blade length, chord, airfoil not idea to move air at slow speed RPM of a ceiling fan. It will do something but not efficiently. Most people put Props over the fireplace mantel on the wall as static display.

You could make your own wood prop by carving one from wood. You could make it from foam, shape it and fiberglass it. Paint it and put Hartzell or Senenich stickers on it. If you had a big 3D printer you could make individual blades and bolt them together in a hub and make it look like an aircraft prop?
 
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Not a ceiling fan, but I saw the coolest table ever when we chartered a Beaver with Kenmore Air out of Seattle. It was an old radial cleaned and polished with a piece of glass over it. Wow, That is about as good as it gets.
 
I’ve had a three-blade Catto hanging on the wall for a number of years, with the intent of making a ceiling fan out of it - just never seem to have the spare time to find a motor….. Don’t really care if it’s efficient or not - would just be neat to have!
 

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Direction

To make it blow down , it has to turn in reverse or you have to be looking at the back of the blades. I have a 2 blade prop fan from Lowes that has a very authentic hum and most folks assume it's real. Also comes in 3 blade.
 
That’s similar to my thoughts, not necessarily functional, but plenty of eye appeal

Might just mount it in my shop
 
I built one that worked great. Recently moved and brought it with me intending to install in my new house. Unfortunately the attic wasn’t suitable. I used a 1/2” aluminum plate and attached a motor, heavy duty gear reduction unit, and two one inch pillow block bearings. Then ran a long 1” steel shaft down thru the attic into living room. The prop was pitch adjustable so i was able to have the painted side down and the airfoil correct. I’ll try and post pictures tomorrow.
 
Some pictures showing parts.
 

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This thread really puts a smile on my face. I love the innovation among the VAF folks!
 
Now, we need sound!

The addition of sound on start-up would put it over the top..seems more electronics will be required.
 
To make it blow down , it has to turn in reverse or you have to be looking at the back of the blades. I have a 2 blade prop fan from Lowes that has a very authentic hum and most folks assume it's real. Also comes in 3 blade.

It looks great ! Does it move air like a regular 56" fan or does having 2 blades make it move less, like a smaller fan?
 
Although there's pretty much every practical reason in the world that this is a bad idea, I have to admit I've got an out of spec prop out in my shop that I've though about doing the same thing with.

It would be heavier and require more support structure than a regular ceiling fan, wouldn't move as much air, would have to be mounted so you're looking at the back side of it to move air down, would probably have to be geared down and belt driven so it didn't shake your house apart, blahblahblah.

All of that means nothing against the coolness factor. I'd say if you've got the spare time on your hands and are looking for a winter project, go for it.
 
I have a couple of seven foot wood props, and I'm definitely thinking about hanging one as a fan.

Does a fan really need to blow downward? I think "yes" on an open porch or large space, but perhaps not in the average room. They're really air circulators. Flow upward in the center of the room and down along the walls isn't a lot different from down in the center and up along the walls.
 
Dan, since you have a couple of wood props, and great metal work skills, this would be right up you your alley.
 

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!!

This is the content I am here for!

I built one that worked great. Recently moved and brought it with me intending to install in my new house. Unfortunately the attic wasn’t suitable. I used a 1/2” aluminum plate and attached a motor, heavy duty gear reduction unit, and two one inch pillow block bearings. Then ran a long 1” steel shaft down thru the attic into living room. The prop was pitch adjustable so i was able to have the painted side down and the airfoil correct. I’ll try and post pictures tomorrow.
 
...Does a fan really need to blow downward? I think "yes" on an open porch or large space, but perhaps not in the average room. They're really air circulators. Flow upward in the center of the room and down along the walls isn't a lot different from down in the center and up along the walls...

The recommendation is that a ceiling fan blow down in the summer for evaporative cooling and blow up in the winter to recirculate the warm air off the ceiling.
 
Wonder how effective a propeller would move air turning backward? I've got two old wooden propellers that I've thought about adapting as ceiling fans, but won't do it if I can't see the front of the blades.
 
Wonder how effective a propeller would move air turning backward? I've got two old wooden propellers that I've thought about adapting as ceiling fans, but won't do it if I can't see the front of the blades.

Every ceiling fan I have ever had had a reverse switch to change direction in winter and summer. Either direction moves the air either up or down. If I had an extra propeller sitting around I think it would be so cool to have as a fan I wouldnt care if it moved the air at all. It would still be amazing to have!!
 
I have 2 sets of tail rotor blades off of 2 different helicopters. I’m gonna build a fan with them with two different mounting holes so I can reverse them. I’m debating on using all 4 or just 2 to cut down on the weight on the motor.
 

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