Moving Mechanism Designer Mechanical Model Tower Mill, Vinyl 585 Parts

The Ugears Mill Tower is not just a windmill model, but another fascinating journey into history. The design of the model is based on the cylindrical tower of the Chesterton Windmill, built in Worwickshire, England in the 17th century.

History of the tower mill from Ugears

The Chesterton windmill, the construction of which dates from 1632-1633, was restored in the late 60-early 70 years of the last century and today is the oldest surviving tower mill in England.

The creation of this unique structure with arched supports is attributed to Sir Edward Peito, who at that time owned Chesterton Castle. Sir Edward was fond of mathematics and astronomy, so there is an assumption that the tower was conceived as an observatory. However, there is no confirmation of this theory, so today we can only guess what considerations the fond feudal lord was guided by when building a unique mill.

Model Design

The Ugears mill model is made in the Victorian Stimpank skeleton style based on the same stone Chesterton windmill.

The sails of the mill have an aerodynamic twist of the blade, which creates a noticeable blowing during rotation. The required rotation speed is provided by a two-stage planetary reduction gear with various gears in shape and size.

If you want to show your child how wind energy turns into a mechanism, use a hairdryer to direct the air flow to the model blades. Even without a working rubber motor, the blades will rotate like in a real windmill.

Structural mechanics

The model is driven by a removable rubber motor, without which the mill operates in manual mode. It is in this mode that it is most interesting to study its fascinating and complex mechanism before installing the rubber motor and starting the mill offline.

Rotation from the rubber motor to the blades of the mill is transmitted by means of a "screw" (i.e. worm or screw) mechanism and a gear train. In the latter, a flexible link is used - a chain drive assembled from many small links. A full copy of the gear chain made of plywood is first used in Ugears models.

The base of the tower with an arched base resembles a spiral ladder-lift. It rotates and as part of the worm gear drives a complex mechanism. The movement of gears and parts for a long time fascinate the look  fascinating mechanics.

Despite the English roots of the prototype, the Ugears model also turns to Spanish classics, complementing the mill tower with figures of desperate romance and fantasist, the cunning hidalgo Don Quixote on a horse and his squire and friend - Sancho Pans.