ORIGINAL: DrFrier
I've been asking my club members the proper way to balance a prop. Some say, "sand the heavy end," others claim that will mess up the aerodynamics of the blade and you should sand the blade near the hub. The first group says that will make the blade weak. Additionally, is there a difference for wood vs the APC props?
Thanks,
Jim
What I have found as a good alternative to sanding the prop is to put a coat of colored dope on the tip (about 3/8 - 1/2 inch wide) of the light end. There is no chance of weaking the blade and the color on the tip helps you to avoid accidently "feeding" the engine
Personally, while I like the appearance of a wood prop, I use APC props on most of my planes. The APC props are less fragile than a wood blade, just as efficient (and more efficient than some brands ) and are USUALLY balanced (check them anyway just to be sure ).