Blade Failure Test

Dave Moller of Royal Fabrication who is carving the Wincharger replacement and custom blades decided to sacrifice a 6' Poplar Laminated Blade today for failure testing.

The purpose of the test was to determine the maximum flex of the blade by securing the root and adding weight to the tip until failure. The specifics of this test as well as more photos and data analysis of the performance of these blades will soon be posted on Dave's updated website at royalfabrication.com

He set up the jig and documented the weights he added while I measured the deflection, took the photos and waited for the big bang. The photos speak for themselves and we both felt this to be very useful information to share for future design consideration as well as an appreciation for the strength of wood as a blade material.