General Information

Serial #

N/A

Part Number

1

Total Parts

33

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

wood/ metal

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

N/A

Width

N/A

Height

N/A

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Agriculture

Category

Power sources

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Elgin

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Illinois

City

Elgin

Context

Country

Canada

State/Province

Ontario

Period

Unknown

Canada

Mr. Mott actively collected windmills after his retirement from Ontario Hydro in the mid 1970s. Before that he acquired windmills as he came across them in the course of his lineman duties in south central and southwestern Ontario.

Function

One of six sail sections. All parts to this catalogue number form a vaneless windmill.

Technical

Sectional windmills were most commonly built of wood, though models with metal sections were available as an option from some manufacturers (including Elgin Wind Power). The wheel sections of this wooden windmill fold open and closed. This means the sections pivot in and out to regulate the amount of their surface area that is exposed to the wind. The control on this activity to prevent the windmill from spinning out of control and breaking is affected through the use of a cast iron governing/counter weight. The easiest (and best) way to understand this process is to stand with your back to the wind and try opening and closing an umbrella. The combination of the tendency of the sections to swing into the wind and of the counter-weight's control over the opening and closing of the sections has the key effect of regulating the windmill's speed/action. Unlike a fixed vane windmill the wheel sections of vaneless windmills turn behind the derrick. Although by the turn of the century it was most common to use angle iron in the construction of windmill towers, wooden Hummers were equipped with a wooden tower on which was mounted a maintenance platform. The edge of the platform (as is the instance with this example) was often equipped with decorative ironwork by the owner. Given the majority of the components of this style of windmill were made of wood of those examples currently in existence many ave had those parts replaced. Mr. Mott took great care to use the proper wood (cypress) and even went to the extent of using hand boring tools used in the windmill industry of the period to make holes for the iron bolts. He also took care to ensure his wooden windmills were kept painted to prevent the onset of rot.

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

none

Missing

Appears complete.

Finish

Wooden blades painted white with red tips. Metal hardware.

Decoration

N/A