Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

Starting to work on my Dempster #3 and have a question. What type of bushing is used in the front of the main casting?

I bought either a 3 or 4 for a guy and when my machinist friend went to redo the bushing he put in brass and it only had a bottom no room in cap for a bushing. At the time of original build I would think babbit tho.

I have seen two main castings on the Dempt #4, one is just like a #4 the other has a square box for the back bearing with maple blocks, its a boxy looking casting where the top cap goes over it. The outside has a lot larger round bearing holder and there is a thin maple bearing inside it with a large hole in it with the wheel spyder casting bearing inside that. The wheel sypder round part of the bearing has a larger washer that covers the wood, it has three holes in it, one for the shaft and the other two for the linkage rods. I will try to get you some pics later.

I got to thinking, I wasn't clear, the above describes the wood bearing version, the other is just like a #4, the bearings are identical to a Pipe Raymond or a lot of others. I like the wood version myself, harder to restore but the outer bearing doesn't wear through on the casting like the #4 does.

Yours in the picture has the washer so I am sure it has a thin wood bushing in it. Its only maybe 3/8 or 1/2 thick, I cut a hole saw in the middle close and then chuck the wood in an engine lathe and rake it out with a boaring bar until the hole fits your cast iron bearing on the inside of the spyder., turn the outside first or cut it in a bandsaw while it is still strong. If I have time, I make them, put them in a jug of linseed oil and let them set out all summer, by winter you got to scrape the card stuff off, sometimes heat them a bit but the oil penetrates the bearing so it works better.

Here is some comparisons between the two main castings I have seen on #2, the babbit one looks just like the #4s I have seen.

The one on the pallet is the babbit type #4. If you really look closely, the main castings are not really symetrical,they might be a half inch or more bigger or have more bulge on one side than the other, you would never see that on a Pipe Raymond.