Things you need to know about a vane, or known as a tail in slang.

Just because you read it here does not mean it is the only way or necessarily the right way, it just means I have found it to work.

I make my Vanes out of 16 gauge metal.

I had the mathematic equations on here at one time to help figure an exact size for your vane to match with the mass and lift coefficient of the rotor you were going to use, but it seemed to confuse some people.  So let me make it simple.

If your generator is balanced on its vertical axis it should turn (YAW) pretty easy.  If it does not YAW easy you will want to make a longer boom, like 4 to 6 foot sticking out the back to give the wind more leverage to YAW the generator.  Then make a cool looking vane.  If it turns easy a shorter boom will work.
Let your eyes do the math.  If your vain looks too small... It is!  If it looks too big, it will still work fine, and it is better to have too big than too small of a vane.  Unless it looks stupid.

Figure out what shape you want for your vane to be, the traditional arrow style, or some creation you come up with on your own.  You can make your Vane in wild shapes like the batman symbol, a heart on its side, a 1/2 circle, a boot, etc.  It doesn't really matter as long as you maintain a slope on the leading edge side.  The simplest and easiest to make is the arrow style.

Once you get the shape of your Vane made you are ready to cut your boom to length.  Make it long enough so that your Vane can run full length down the boom for support.
 
Now it is just a matter of drilling holes in your Vane and into your boom so that you can bolt your vane to your boom.  Remember to have at least 18" of boom between the generator and the start of the Vane.

Mount the boom to your generator so that your boom runs perpendicular (at a 90 degree angle) from the rotor and you have that part done

Or you can buy a cool looking one from TLG. (click here to see it).

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