Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Build Your Own Jet Engine

Posted by michael on from the burning-down-the-house dept.

jgarland79 writes "Have you ever wanted your very own jet engine? Build one at home in your own garage. The guys over at www.garagejet.com have done just that. Their jet engine is made from an automotive turbo, spark plugs, and some scrap metal. I have made a mirror site here." We've had a couple of previous stories about a guy building pulsejet engines - the type of engine described above is a turbojet.

16 of 148 comments (clear)

  1. Darwin Award in the making by cheinz · · Score: 5, Funny

    'Nuff said! ;)

  2. Oh great, by demonbug · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now I'm going to have to start worrying about real rice rockets on the way home from work.

  3. Excellent! by AndroidCat · · Score: 5, Funny

    Combined with the Slashdot articles on Build Your Own Cruise Missle, I'm good to go!

    --
    One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
    1. Re:Excellent! by slickwillie · · Score: 5, Funny

      Let's see. Aurora-type cruise missile, homemade rail gun, webcam, and 802.11g with high power antenna. I think we've got something here.

      DId I leave anything out?

  4. Another one... by simcop2387 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Another site that shows you some of the steps in building a gas turbine engine (also known as a jet engine) this one uses a turbo charge, probably not quite as good though

    http://asciimation.co.nz/turbine/

    he also uses it to cool beer.

    http://asciimation.co.nz/beer/

  5. Other homebuilt gas turbines by airbatica · · Score: 5, Informative

    These guys are amateurs compared to Mark Nye of Nye Thermodynamics. I realize the page is a little old, but homebuilt gas turbines aren't exactly high tech till you get up to the FADEC systems of commercial jetliners

    http://www.nyethermodynamics.com/

    Off topic: Ooo... lets slashdot the server to oblivion. It's got MOVIES!

  6. turbojet and turboprop homebuilt engines by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If you like small engines, take a look at 5bears.com -- he's made a turbojet (centrifugal compressor and turbine) and a turboprop, complete with microcontroller-based starter/fuel system, in addition to a couple of radial engines, a CNC mill, and a homebuilt spotwelder.

    1. Re:turbojet and turboprop homebuilt engines by Temple+23 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      If you want to see some really tiny engines, check out this site: http://cpl.usc.edu/eschuste/ Speciffically, http://cpl.usc.edu/eschuste/turbine.htm I worked with this guy while doing research at USC in combustion physics. Taking models out into the engineering quad and taxing them around was entertaining (despite the small size, these things are quite loud).

  7. Re:Yeah... not tough. by The-Dalai-LLama · · Score: 5, Funny

    The FBI were right to go after you.

    I had a friend who knew this guy one time and his sister's cousin built a jet engine just like the one in the article and bolted it to the top of this old Nova that he had. He took it for a test run in the desert in, like, Arizona. He forgot that his normal brakes wouldn't be enough to stop it, and the accident investigators found the remains of the jet engine 80 feet up the side of a mesa.

    Dude, his teeth were still embedded in the melted steering wheel. That's how they identified him. Don't mess with home-brewed jet propulsion, it's a recipe for trouble. You could put someone's eye out.

    The Dalai LLama
    ...true story, I swear...

    --
    My sig could be your sig!
  8. Mental note to self..... by j3ll0 · · Score: 4, Funny


    When building an engine that will potentially operate at over 1000 degrees Celsius, be sure to build frame out of wood.

  9. Re:now i can... by penguinoid · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The upshot is that you can't use a jet engine to get into outer space, only a rocket engine, because there's not oxygen up there for a jet engine to burn enough fuel to make enough thrust.

    Wrong! You *can* use a jet engine to go into space. You just need to accelerate to 11,000 km/h, the escape velocity (lower if you are at higher altitude, or just want to go into orbit). You can even go into space with a (really big) cannon.

    Your jet engine will come crashing down.

    And if you do reach space, you will be wishing that you did come crashing down.

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
  10. let's be safe out there by jamie · · Score: 5, Informative
    Kids, if you build your own jet engine, then unlike the nice fellow in the videos, please wear ear and eye protection.

    Especially if you plan on titling one of your videos "Ooops! Forgot to make sure the fittings were tight!"

    Jeez...

  11. 555 timer? by kd5ujz · · Score: 4, Informative

    These guys are charging $20 for the 555 chip. These things go for around $0.90 at radio shack. At first I thought it was the entire assembly, but then I saw the assembly for $50.

    --
    -William
    God is everything science has yet to explain.
  12. A co-worker built one by Boyceterous · · Score: 4, Interesting

    back in the mid 1980's. He was a mech engineer and used the company machine shop to fab the parts. He said it got up to about 200 lbs of thrust - until the turbine blades flew out the back end ( he used aluminum instead of titanium) - luckily he only got slightly injured.

  13. Cute DIY, But Been Done: See Links by cmholm · · Score: 4, Informative
    First, full points to the builder for moving beyond the web research stage and getting his hands dirty. For those wanting to play with turbines, but want a design that's ready to slap onto a r/c model, some gents in the Netherlands implemented a cheap design using a smaller turbocharger and an empty Gaz propane camping stove cartridge back in '99. The original links to this design are harder to Google nowadays, now that the designers have gone commercial.

    You've seen the movie, now buy the book: Gas Turbine Engines for Model Aircraft by Kurt Schreckling

    What Kurt's design looks like when built per plans.

    Gas Turbine Builders Association

    Photos from the GTBA of various completed motors, note the small sizes.

    --
    Luke, help me take this mask off ... Just for once, let me butterfly kiss you with my own eyes.
  14. Re:junkyard wars did this.... by NewtonsLaw · · Score: 4, Informative

    I was the pulsejet "expert" on the Jetcar episode of Scrapheap Challenge (aka Junkyard wars) and the turbocharger turbojet *did* produce a very healthy amount of thrust (probably about 65lbs).

    They didn't win because they had reliability problems and their vehicle was much heavier than our lightweight pulsjet-powered creation.