Homemade Wind Power part-III

Next, you need a twenty-six inch bicycle wheel and tire. You will be leaving the tire on the wheel. You can pick up junk bikes at garage sales and auctions for a couple of bucks and that is all you need. As long as the tube holds air, that is all you need. I used a front wheel as they are lighter. This means less resistance. Make sure the bearings are good and grease them. Drill a hole in the exact center of the lid for the bottom bucket. You want the hole the exact size of the wheel's axle. Now insert the axle through the hole and fasten with a washer and lock nut. Now set this unit on the lid and butting your drill between the spokes, drill four equally spaced holes through the lid. These holes should be at least one-quarter inch diameter and three-eighths is even better. Drill as close to the hub as you can. You will now need four bolts, eight lock-nuts and twelve washers. The bolts need to be the size of the drilled holes, longenough to reach through the spokes and threaded the entire length. Put a washer on each bolt and insert through what will be the inside of the lid. Now add add another washer to the outside of the lid and secure with a lock-nut. Insert the four bolts through the spokes and secure with another washer and lock-nut. These will cause the wheel to spin when the vane unit turns. The unit will be mounted on a two inch pipe on top of a building or tower. In fact the entire tower can be a two inch pipe. It needs to be near a building to be able to build a platform on or a platform is going to need to be connected to the tower. Take a pipe cap to fit the pipe and file or grind the top until it is flat. Now in the exact center of the pipe cap, drill and tap a hole the size and thread count of the bicycle wheel axle. Screw the pipe cap onto the bicycle wheel opposite of the lid. Add a lock-nut to the bicycle wheel bolt to help secure the pipe cap. The bicycle wheel should spin freely between the pipe cap and the lid. Next screw the pipe cap, wheel assembly to the top of the pipe on the tower. Place the buckets on the lid and secure tightly. The windmill portion of your wind generator is now complete. Next time; mounting the alternator.