a lucky few of you attended a mini-fest here in beautiful Indiana a while back (2002, maybe? could it have been that long ago? geeze…) – a field trip two miles up the road to the Stockdale Mill was part of the entertainment –
the property had changed hands the year before and was rescued from destruction – machinery was complete and in complete disarray – some time past, I posted picts of the turbine reconstruction –
my middle child (now 21 yo) and I spent much of the day there today – I took the woodmizer and sawed up a couple of donated trees, and T helped with a tour group of exceptional children, then we got caught up on all the work that’s been done –
“there’s enough for everyone”
Replies
the mill has three vertical shaft turbines, fitted in 1906 - a 32" unit that ran an animal feed grinding operation and two 36" that can be ganged together run the complex and wonderful flour operation -
the small turbine now powers a small stone mill used for demontration purposes - it's about like using a V-8 to power a lawn mower -
View Image
View Image
here's one of the big turbines - this one is clutched and can be ganged to an identical unit...View Image
...to turn the main power shaft - note the flat belts that run thru holes in the floor above...View Image
...to power a gang of 4 flour breaks - also note the long belt that runs to the 3rd floor...View Image
"there's enough for everyone"
the project of the moment is the repair of the elevators that run from the power floor to the fourth floor - 7 of them, consisting of endless belting with tin cups riveted to it - View Image
during the neglected years the mill had settled and the bottom of the elevators had deteriorated - the assembly has to be jacked up and a new bottom fabricated and installed - I missed getting a pict before the new bottom was fitted - View Image
here's a pict of the 4th floor and the top shaft that powers the elevators - no power there yet, but should have them running this summer - View Image"there's enough for everyone"
Thanks for the pictures David. Wonderful stuff.zak
"so it goes"
Thanks fer the pics. Like Calvin said, it would be interesting to see it again someday. Can't remember if I told you - I toured a mill in Missouri that was kind of similar to that one. It had been restored and was open for tours. It sure was something to see. If you ever wander over that way I can track down where it is if you're interested.
Bumpersticker: The bigger the jackass, the louder the bray.
it would be interesting to see it again someday.
stop by if you're ever thru the area - perhaps we can put together another mini one of these days -
"there's enough for everyone"
If you ever wander over that way I can track down where it is if you're interested.
ya - I would be interested - thanks -
"there's enough for everyone"
David
When I moved to the city way back when when I got out of high school I took a job at National Oats, second largest oatmeal producer in the country, Quaker Oats, just across town was the largest.
Everything in the plant was belt drivin and all grain was moved with "legs". They had the belts with the buckets just as your pictures, brings back memories, although our plant was run by electricity some of the machines were as old as the ones you show, and this was in the 70's.
I remember one of the big problems were the belts, if a leg pluged up it would burn the belt off, you had to be in constant watch for a leg plugging up, it would effect everything down the line.
We used machines to roll the oats for oatmeat that had came out of the Quaker Oats mill after they had a big fire in the early 1900's. They were all belt drivin and had steam run through them, softened the oat so that it could be rolled.
A lot of accidents happened in those places, exposed belts, baring a belt on or off as a means to shut the machine down or bring it up.
Cool to look at these pictures, thanks for posting them.
Doug
Thanks - that's a treasure!
It's great that a place like that could be saved. Thanks for the pics.
Live the Good Life in the Permian Basin.
the flour breaks are wonderful industrial revolution machines that use serated steel cylinders to crush grain - View Image
here's the power to the third floor - View Image
"there's enough for everyone"
a little piece of local history that the mill aquired - lots of little stone mills were used to prepare mash during prohibition - nicely crafted....
View Image
View Image
Very nice, certainly interesting. Thankyou for sharing. It must be eerily quiet when operating.
It reminds me of a place I worked in the mid 60's that still used belt drive for rivets and cold formed parts. It was an old plant in Massachusetts on the Charles River. Powered by electricity by then, though.
Please continue with more if your schedule permits.
...keep smiling...makes 'em wonder what you're up to !!
It looks like it would be worth a trip back to see the progress.
thanks for the update.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
reminds me of the mill you took us to see at RiverFest
.. hey , David... you can now call yourself a millwright , too !Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
You guys up there are so modern...I'm still learning how to dress stones<G> I need a dump truck, baby, to unload my head
>>>>I'm still learning how to dress stones<<<<If you just get them all carharts, you don't have to figure out which ones are boys, and which ones are girls...
The destination is not the point. The completion is not the point. Enjoy today. If you can't enjoy today, then what is the point ?
I don't care what they're wearing, I know which ones the gurls are<G>My family used to make animal feed, started back in 1842, and coincidentally, my parents bought a place on a river that was formerly a saw and grist mill...I've been around some mill stones...My grandfather's brother, my great uncle Roy used to dress the mill stones...I mean, after a whole lot of grinding, hey baybee, it's time to get dressed...When I was a kid, he tried to show me how, but at that time I was more interested in dreaming about some kinda undressing<G> I need a dump truck, baby, to unload my head
LOLAh, youth is wasted on the young...
The destination is not the point. The completion is not the point. Enjoy today. If you can't enjoy today, then what is the point ?
One of the beauties of the Indiana mill was the shute system between the various floors. MC Esher-like.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
Quittin' Time
...the shute system between the various floors. MC Esher-like.View Image
"there's enough for everyone"
It must be eerily quiet when operating.
well, not exactly - I've never heared it in its full glory - someday - tales are with the full system running the building would be roaring and shaking and dust puffing out various orifices - there's a number of cyclonic cleaners in the system, and a 64 hole flour separater mechanism that hangs from wooden dowels and has a crankshaft underneath that makes it shake (on the 4th floor) - they/we hope to have that twisting away this year -
I'll see about postings some picts of the machines -
"there's enough for everyone"
Had to make sure it wasn't the mill that Heartland Highways had covered. Nope. Another mill in IN. HH covers mostly IL/IN areas (produced by Eastern IL Univ.). I watch the show on RFDTV.
http://www.weiu.net/shows/heartland/season3/306.htm
http://www.weiu.net/shows/heartland/showlist.htm
That one you posted looks pretty neat. We don't need no stinking electricity!
jt8
"The difference between greatness and mediocrity is often how an individual views a mistake..."-- Nelson Boswell
Edited 5/9/2006 5:08 pm by JohnT8