The Bits on the Top

THE CAPPING

This is the platform on top of the mill which supports the sails and the fantail, and which must be capable of rotating freely, to accomodate changes in wind direction.

A circular 12" diameter turntable, with a hole in the middle, meeting the essential requirement of being able to fasten each face independently, was purchased by mail-order, from a model-maker firm's catalogue.

This was not a problem, as sources of supply are obtainable through local Model Shops, or firms can be identified through Model-maker Magazines. (Who will normally try to be helpful if one has any difficulty, even if they are not currently running an actual ad for the firms in question.)
 

The capping base was cut from ¹/₂" plywood and the circular portion has a diameter of 13¹/₂". As can be seen from the photographs, a platform to support the fantail  was incorporated when cutting the base, and this was 6" long, with a width of 4".

The picture opposite shows the turntable attached to the underside of the capping base, while the picture below just about shows an extra bit cut from a corner of the usual 6" square hole.

This extra little hole was needed to be able to screw the other face of this particular type of turntable to the 'top' of the tower - but see below.

Two 11" upright supports for the fantail were cut from 1¹/₂" by ¹/₂" wood strip, and holes drilled centrally ¹/₂" from the tops to take the fantail spindle.

The two bracing supports were made from ³/₄" by ¹/₂" wood strip shaped at each end, to fit flush with the front of  the uprights, and with the bottom of the capping base, and fastened once again with screws and glue.

Finally, a piece of wood 4" by 5" by ¹/₂"  was attached to the rear of the uprights, and to the capping base, to brace the structure against side (wind) forces.

Returning briefly to the tower, what we see here is that the top 12 sided board, to which the side panels were fastened, has been covered with a circular 13¹/₂" diameter board.

This is the board to which the base of the turntable is attached, and in real life would be acted upon by the fantail mechanism, to move the capping relative to the fixed tower so that the sails always faced into the wind.

This board, rests on the edges of the tower side panels, (suitably rubbed down) and on the other 'top' board previously fitted, giving additional strength to the construction.

Fastening to the lower board was with four screws and, yes - the good old glue.