Australian Mills

[Mister Ed]

Pretty interesting brochure. I never realized they are all direct stroke (at least how I read it).

[Peter vk]

I finished the two last mills that I got on a windmill trade from Jim Sawyer from Western Australia.

[Todd]

They look great Peter!! Thanks for posting pics!

[Ron Stauffer]

Peter

Interesting engineering on them. They have what I would call "run in oil" shafts but open gear. What bearings are used for the shafts? It is hard to be sure because of the angle of the pics but the baby and the boomerang appear to be the same size? If so the boomerang is a newer version of the baby based on what I see as the "improvements"?

The sails should be the easiest to make as I've seen but the ties and ribs not so. Curious on the original sails you had for pattern, did they have stress cracks around the bolt holes?

When the border reopens, I need to see the windmill barn.

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

[mtblah]

craftsmanship and sheet metal skills are outstanding !
as windybob stated, verry verry nice .

[Wayne]

A Real Craftsman has been working. Thanks for the pictures.

[FlJet]

Peter- what type of paint did you use on these two mills? I need to paint mine and yours look great.

[Peter vk]

Peter

Interesting engineering on them. They have what I would call "run in oil" shafts but open gear. What bearings are used for the shafts? It is hard to be sure because of the angle of the pics but the baby and the boomerang appear to be the same size? If so the boomerang is a newer version of the baby based on what I see as the "improvements"?

The sails should be the easiest to make as I've seen but the ties and ribs not so. Curious on the original sails you had for pattern, did they have stress cracks around the bolt holes?

When the border reopens, I need to see the windmill barn.

Ron Stauffer
Montrose CO

Hello Ron, they are both 6 footers and the bearings are babbitt. I was told that the Boomerang was made from 1915 to around 1928 and the Baby from 1920 to around 1928 in Fremantle WA. The sample sail ribs didn't have stress cracks. The new ones were quite a job, it was hard to get all the angles right so everything lined up. My next project is to rebuild 3 Beattys.
Peter

[Ron Stauffer]

OK Peter,

Am I seeing that the shafts are "run in oil"? If so, how did they do the oil seals on each side of the reservoir if the bearings were babbitt? They are decent sized reservoirs with drain plugs much different than oil cups that drip a small amount of oil on the bearing surface. One of your great pics of the interior of an oil reservoir might be appropriate. If the shafts ran in oil, what was the condition of the gears?

Rebuilding 3 Beattys might get boring for you...

As always great work

Ron

[Peter vk]

Peter- what type of paint did you use on these two mills? I need to paint mine and yours look great.

This is the paint I used on the cast parts.