The Last Lap

THINGS NEEDING DOING - THE FINAL FRENZY

The waterproofing of bits and pieces which I had missed as the work progressed.

Painting the various components before final assembly.

Painting of doors and windows - scale 1" to a foot - I was fortunate to have an in-house artist in the form of my wife Jill.

Making and fitting of access to the ground floor door, using ³/₄" by ¹/₂" wood strip for side supports, which are sloped at 45°, and also for three of the 3¹/₂" wide steps. The top step was cut from 1" by 1¹/₂" strip, then with everything tacked and glued together, fastened to the base of the Mill with one screw. (Through the thicker top step).

Putting bricks in the base (as below) for stability - note foam strips down sides of door for waterproofing.

A detailed view of the lower part of the mill.

At last the completed Windmill -- although I still think that there would be scope for doing more, for anyone in a location with more reliable winds.

Firstly, as previously mentioned, there is the theoretical possibility of using the sails to drive a dynamo, to power a small light.

Secondly, with enough wind power, it might be feasible to instal gearing, actuated by the fantail, to bear on the top of the tower, thus moving the sails/capping as wind direction changed.

However, I don't see my wife agreeing to move to the top of a hill to enable the above ideas to be tested, and anyway, it's probably time to consider starting a new project!

(Did I hear someone groan "OH NO!!")

If anyone has queries or comments, please drop me a line at stanley.lawson@ukonline.co.uk