Quainton Windmill
For safety reasons the sixth floor above is not accessible when the sails are turning. The rotating sails turn the large vertical wheel, the brakewheel, that engages with the smaller horizontal gear wheel, the wallower, on top of the upright shaft. The upright shaft goes down the centre of the mill to turn the great spur wheel on the spout floor. This in turn drives the millstones on the stone floor above it. (Note the use of wooden teeth in the brakewheel to
Other machinery on the sixth floor is the luffing gear that turns the mill cap and sails using the fantail assembly to keep the sails facing into wind, and the sack hoist mechanism that uses the rotating sails to raise sacks of grain from ground level to the bin floor.
The large and impressive machinery on this floor could be called the Powerhouse of the Mill !!!
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