Well here it is, Make:Labs first rendition of a homemade turbojet engine!
The first two clips are an attempt to get it started but we ended up flooding it (which resulted in a very impressive flame-out). The third clip is our very first successful start-up and self-sustained run. This development will eventually lead up to an article in MAKE magazine showing how YOU can make a turbojet powered go-kart.
The engine will be displayed at this coming up Bay Area Maker Faire, where you can ask questions on how it works, and how it was built.
6 thoughts on “Sneak Peek at the Make: Labs DIY Turbojet Engine Project”
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Wow, very cool. That is a BIG turbo — off a bus or something?
Now just needs a nozzle and a way to do afterburner/ smoke screen. I have been wanting to make one for a few years but have done nothing other than thinking about it.
I used to belong to http://www.pulse-jets.com/
It’s been years since I built pulse jets and model jet engines (thanks to the works of Thomas Kepling and Kurt Schreckling). Axial flow turbines were my favourite, but parts were always hard to come by. (Reliability and stability is the first consideration when building a turbine, lest it come apart under stress…and kill you in the process). Plus you have to consider the cost of an ECU, without which it’s IMPOSSIBLE to control the throttle of your motor.
I was one of the last to purchase a Wren MW54 engine. I still have it, but haven’t fired it up in years.
Great hobby, lots of fun to build but the cost to me was prohibitive. Stay safe.
J.