Mill transmission gears

THIS NEEDS TO BE VIEWED LARGE TO BEST SEE WHAT IS GOING ON!!


I thought it would a very cold day today, so here is what you will find on the ground floor below the millstones in yesterday's blip. These are the gears that transmit the rotary power of the turbine (which now produces hydropower), to the millstones. There is more machinery behind where the tripod is placed and these are the belts that turn the axle.

Here is a potted account of how it works:

The five vertical shafts go to the four sets of millstones above with the fifth being for lifting machinery in the roof.. There are four sets on this side of the mill. We have two sets on the other side driven by a waterwheel.

The large gears (4) are all mounted on one shaft which turns the large gears. The small crown gears can be lowered onto the large gears one at a time and this engages them to turn the millstones. You may notice smaller gear wheels between the large ones. These drive other machinery.

The gears themselves are cast iron and about 150 years old. The teeth on the gears are made of apple wood. These teeth are inserted into slots in the casting. This wood is very strong and if a tooth breaks, it can easily be replaced. If the teeth were cast in iron as part of the gear itself, and broke off, it would be a major catastrophe. The wood teeth are an ingenious design used in many mills.

The turbine itself was renewed about 100 years ago. The drawings are archived at the manufacturers who still make turbines (Gilkes of Kendal). It was paid for by the Duke of Devonshire and rumour has it the miller saved the Duke's life and this was his gift. I'm not convinced!! More likely, the mill could have been part of the Chatsworth Estate owned by the Duke. It needs researching.

It is pitch black in there and this was quite a long exposure. I left it as colour to make it easier to pick out the parts.

We propose to take away the wooden panelling that protects operators from falling onto the machinery and replace it with glass. We intend to connect the machinery to an electric motor powered by the turbine and have the machinery turning slowly and suitably lit for show.

Any simple questions, please ask. I think I will try a landscape or something tomorrow so you have a break from industrial photos!!