Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

The guy i used to know Jim Koch who passed away recently told me he used hard maple for the wood bearings in flint and walling mill's.But that's one opinion.he was the only one i knew who made wood bearings.

Thanks, Mr Ed. I assumed ironwood was a specific species. My dad was a cabinetmaker and got it for me. I remember it was very hard and almost black in color.

Im rebuilding a pre 1903 Woodmanse mill. with wood breaings. The bearings are trashed and the shafts are wore uneven. I going to try and true up the shafts on a lathe and make new wood bearings. Does anybody know what clearances I should have?

I've made wood bearings before. Paul Cowly has. Some bearings have weep holes in them for oil to run in to the shaft area.

I would be thinking of a new shaft. I'm thinking a couple thou clearance. I have a copy of an early Machinery Handbook, I'll look and see if it lists wood bearings.

Don't forget, the wood may swell when oily or wet. If they are oily, water will be repelled.

I was also thinking of getting rid of the small oil reservoir on both shafts and the pitman arm and adding zerks instead. Ideas? Good or bad

Personally myself i would restore it to original.Thats just my opinion.

I've done the zerk thing several times. Depends on just what you feel about a restoration, and the eventual purpose of the mill.

Im really leaning to the zerk idea because several of the oil revisors are just open cups in the casting and other just have a small loss fitting cover over them. I dont have the bonnet for this mill and I cant find any pictures of one to try and reperduce it. I thought the zerks would hold up to the weather better.