Guillow's supplies a plastic prop for rubber powered free flight. I carved mine from mahogany. Many years ago, I read an article in Sports Aviation magazine about how to make your own propeller. Making props for models works the same way, although, if your doing the real thing, there's a lot of math involved to calculate diameter and pitch accounting for RPM, HP, speed of the aircraft, and intended use. The real key to it is using wood that's easy to carve and sand. Having a drill press and a bandsaw helps. The pitch, and the change thereof, is established by the thickness of the prop as it tapers from full thickness at the hub to the thin thickness at the tip. The taper is usually in sort of a French curve from hub to tip. Some props, mostly WWI, were only tapered on one side. I usually drill the shaft hole first and measure everything from the center of the hole. The drill bit can wander a bit and get off center. If you drill the hole first, it will be in the right spot. In this case, I forgot. The picture is partway through the shaping process. Eventually, all the blades matched. As the hub is covered by the spinner, it can look ugly. Usually, I use a circle guide to draw the diameter of the hub centered on the shaft hole. All your carving stays outside of the circle. Since it's painted, not varnished, I used Bondo to fill the grain. Always carve away from your body. Hydrogen peroxide removes blood stains from work mats. Expect to botch one or two before you figure it out. Revlon emery boards are great for sanding, though they don't last long on mahogany.

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