Making A Water Mill

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

In ancient times, the economic life of any estate without a mill was meaningless. A large number of legends are associated with mills - both windmills and watermills. According to legends, the fabulous forces of nature help to rotate the wheel or the wings of the mill

Install a decorative water mill for your garden and it will undoubtedly become the main accent of your landscape design. The water mill is not only a colorful decoration of your site, but also a source of peace. You can listen to the quiet murmur and admire the overflowing water for hours. It is good if there is a river or stream near your infield, then there will be less difficulties in creating a water decoration.

Choosing a location for a water mill

Initially, decide on the choice of a place for a water mill; a prerequisite should be the presence of a reservoir on the site. Ideally, such a structure will look next to a stream or on a hill. In addition to the wheel, the component parts of the mill are a chute, blades and a driving part - a strong hinged axle. All mills work according to the principle: the driving force (in this case, the flow of water from the chute) drives the blades.

Methods for obtaining a water flow

If there is no constant flow of water, then it is created artificially, using the appropriate solution options:

- Install a water mill under the gutter. When it rains, your mill will run continuously. And you can take a watering hose to supply water using a pump. The water flowing down the pipe to the mill wheel can then be used for the needs of the garden;

- If the terrain is uneven, arrange a falling stream. On a hill, dig a large container into the ground where sediment or water from a well will collect. Install a mill not far from the tank, to which water will be supplied through the trough;

- If your yard is level, create a hill by analogy with an "alpine slide", using cobblestones and compacted soil. It would be a great idea to create an imitation of an underground key, for this, brick a water hose in the middle of the slide;

-Choose the power of the pump so that it pumps water from the lower reservoir to the upper reservoir and feeds it directly to the mill wheel.

Making a water mill

After you have decided on the device for the difference in water levels, go to the construction of the main structure. This requires a house where a water pump and a wheel driven by a stream of water are installed. Although you can do without a house, limiting yourself only to the wheel.

A bicycle wheel, a cable reel can be adapted as a flywheel for a water mill. Or you can make a water wheel from planks knocked together or a sawn wooden circle. To create a wheel, choose any material, while there must be blades in the center of the wheel, a pipe in which the axis of rotation is installed.

Stages of creating a water mill

1. Making a water wheel with blades. The simplest solution is to install the paddles between two fixed circles. Fastening is carried out in an accessible mechanical way.

2. Create two supports, where the axle of the water wheel is fixed in a movable way, use bearings for this. Often, for a decorative effect, supports are built in the form of a house made of metal corners, oak beams, brick or cement.

3. To allow the water to drain onto the blades, slide the chute to the top of the wheel. If the blades are wooden, then cover them with 2-3 layers of water-repellent varnish, with metal blades - anti-corrosion paint.

4. Think over where the water will be diverted. Create a canal device to drain water into the garden or storage tank.

5. Decoration of the area around the water mill.

Water mill decoration

A wheel, chute and blades will not make a truly beautiful decorative mill. And by turning on imagination and embellishing this design, you will receive an original and laconic decoration for your site. You can finish building a small house, make windows and other interesting details from scrap materials, use unused material from previous buildings. In order for the mill to carry a functional load, then make the house higher and it will become a room for storing garden tools. Stylize the semi-antique wheel, this will give a mystery and a romantic touch, and your site will resemble an old Russian estate.