How to make a water wheel. Water mill - principle of operation, device, history, photo Do-it-yourself water mill drawings

Making a windmill with your own hands in the garden, at their summer cottage seems like a rather bad idea. Who needs it and why? Indeed, why a full-fledged working mill on a plot of six acres? Who and what will grind on it? But a decorative model of a small mill can become a worthy original decoration.

Although there is nothing wrong with do-it-yourself decorative windmills, they look very entertaining. Romance and fabulous events around them are at least a dime a dozen. Here are mermaids, mermen, millers-sorcerers and many other fairy-tale characters. Yes, and children will know what it is and what it was used for. If you involve them in the construction process, they will receive certain skills and abilities in an informal setting, from a loved one. This will be remembered for a long time.

Basic requirements for the construction of a water mill

Even a decorative mill must have a wheel rotating under the flow of water. Otherwise, it will be a building of incomprehensible purpose located in the garden.

With a certain amount of luck, sometimes a stream flowing in the area can be the best solution. But this is a very rare case. You can create a water flow different ways. The main attention should be paid to the following details:

1. When using plumbing, water must be diverted somewhere. Insofar as free water does not happen, there must be a rational scheme for its use.
2. In the absence or impossibility of using a water pipe, you can arrange a closed circulation of water by setting a container of a certain size as a battery. The optimal solution there will be a small pond near the mill.

For normal rotation of the mill wheel, a height difference of about a meter is needed. The technical solution to this problem is quite simple. From the pond, the water is raised by a pump to the required height and drained to water wheel. Design solutions there may be a great many. From waste materials, you can build a hill with a cave and a stream flowing out of there, a small waterfall, a lake on top of a mountain with a stream, and many other options. You can create an imitation of a perpetual motion machine. On the wheel, fix small rotating containers that will draw water and pour it into a special chute. The chute will return the water to the point of delivery. For those who do not know the basics of physics, one can imagine the mill as a working model of a “perpetuum mobile” that is not recognized by science.

The real solution to the problem of spinning the wheel under the flow of water in the absence of plumbing is the following: you can use drainage pump of any type with the necessary performance and the rise of water to a height of about a meter. Submersible pump can be placed directly in the reservoir, surface - somewhere nearby. From the outlet pipe of the pump, you need to lay a pipe to the spillway point and fix it. Connect the power cable to the pump. This solves a difficult technical problem. Further, it is desirable to disguise the entire structure as a natural natural look and go to the wheel device.

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Making the wheel and building the mill

For the manufacture of wheels, rims from an old children's bicycle are ideal. Appearance will not match the old days, but special attention no one will give it a go. The rims must be installed on one axis, wooden blades should be placed between them, securing them in any possible way. The axle must be fixed on racks of the required height. The entire structure must be installed in place of the drain and secured.

A mill model can be built from various scraps of used materials left after repair or construction. Sizes and design will depend on stock availability. The shape and decoration, if possible, should correspond to the design of ancient buildings. Better finish use from wood. The internal volume can be used to install the pump, providing a certain reliability of the roof of the structure.

A decorative water mill can serve as a decoration not only for a garden plot in a country house, but also for the country yard. If desired, you can design and build a rainwater drainage system directed to the pond. The collected water can be used for irrigation.

The device of such a system is a rather troublesome task; before starting work, it is advisable to draw drawings of drainage systems to collect and move water with the necessary slopes. The resulting system will create significant savings tap water. Many gardeners prefer to use rainwater to water their garden. In addition to irrigation, water can be used for various economic purposes. It probably makes sense to water mill, which performs not only the role of a decorative decoration, but also carries a certain payload.

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The device of the frame of a decorative windmill

The scheme of the mill device: 1 - wings, 2 - millstones, 3 - a system of gear wheels.

The windmill is one of the inanimate characters in the novel Don Quixote of La Mancha by Miguel Cervantes. It is difficult for the modern generation to explain what it is and why the knight mistook a windmill for a giant and rushed to the attack. The manufacture of a small model, perhaps, will help in this problem and will be able to at least slightly attract the attention of the younger generation to classical literature. After all, besides the novel by Miguel Cervantes, there are many other works with mills, millers, their daughters, witchcraft, and other mystical and romantic stories.

For work you will need:

• wood saw or jigsaw;
• roulette;
• screwdriver;
• sandpaper.

Of the materials for the manufacture, you can use the remnants of repairs or construction, old furniture, various cuts.

All country crafts are mainly made from such materials. First you need to make a foundation for the building. For small sizes, pieces of chipboard can be used; for a solid structure with a height of more than a meter, it is advisable to use a bar. The dimensions given in the description are not critical, they can be changed at your discretion.

It is necessary to cut two squares with a side length of 300 mm and 400 mm. In the cut parts, determine the centers, drill holes. Cut a bar, the length of the part should be equal to the height between the bases. Fix the bases on the ends of the bar with self-tapping screws through the holes in the center. The bar is a temporary fastener for ease of assembly. Measure the distance between the corresponding corners of the squares. Cut the bars to a certain size, fix them at the corners. The windmill has acquired its first outlines. The center bar used as a temporary fix can be removed.

Decoration suburban area- the task of any gardener. The construction of alpine slides, arrangement - each summer resident decorates a garden, applying imagination and skills in practice. A decorative windmill is an original combination of sophistication and antiquity, such a structure will delight every guest. The difference between a water mill and a classic one is the flow of water that makes the mill work.

Preparations for the construction of the mill

The appearance of the structure differs depending on the wishes, but the principle of operation of a water mill is the same for all types: the blades are set in motion by the flow of water. The water mill consists of the following elements:

• Wheel with paddles;
• water supply chute;
• A frame to support the wheel or a decorative house on the side of the wheel;
• Hinges, axle for wheel rotation and fasteners.

For the construction of a water mill, prepare necessary tools and materials. For a wooden water mill, you will need plywood, bars of different lengths, a metal rod, plastic or roofing tiles are suitable for the gutter, you will need a hammer and screwdrivers. Do not forget to prepare a special one to increase the life of the mill parts.

Mill water supply system

If a reservoir is landscaped on the site, half of the work has already been done. If you have to, choose the right place for a watermill. Avoid areas with large quantity trees and shrubs, in the presence of uneven ground - use this for your own purposes. In order for the mill to start working, it is necessary to provide an artificial flow of water, for this, use one of the options:

• The arrangement of a water mill under the gutter from the drain of the house will perform two important functions: water drainage and decorative placement. The downside of this solution is the time limit: the mill will only work after rain.

• The irregularities of the site, which I wrote about above, will become original way water supply. Use an alpine slide on the site, in the absence of one, create it yourself.
• On a flat area, supply water using a pump. Install the pump in the pond, lay the hose to the gutter, mask with stones and plants. The construction of such a system is similar to the arrangement in a summer cottage.
• If the site has a moving water body, place the wheel a third of the way into the water. The wheel will move naturally.

Construction of a water mill

Let us consider in more detail the stages of creating a water mill. Start work by designing a drawing of a future structure, calculate the dimensions of the parts, and prepare a site for a water mill. After approval of the mill drawing, proceed to the creation of structural elements.

• Water mill wheel. The classic solution is to create a wooden mill wheel from solid wood or plywood. The use of improvised means will give originality to the wheel: a bicycle rim, a tire from a car wheel, plastic elements or rubber hoses. Make the wheel blades from wooden bars or aluminum profile. The design of the wheel involves the presence of two round discs or rims, with blades between them, installed at an equal distance, and a central hole for the axle for rotation.

• Watermill body. Most often presented in the form decorative house which can also be used as a technical room. Lay out the base paving slabs or fill with screed. Assemble the frame of the house from wooden beams, sheathe with clapboard or rail. Close the roof frame of the house with plywood, on top of which lay the selected roofing material.
• Separate and milestone construction of a water mill - processing of wooden elements. Thoroughly sand every detail and cover with protective impregnation in several layers. To preserve wooden elements, repeat the treatment every 2-3 years.

• Installation of a water mill. Drill a hole in the wall of the house, put the wheel on a metal axle, insert it into the hole and fix it on the outer support with nuts. Connect the hoses and connect the pump to start the water.

The creation of a water mill with your own hands is completed. It remains only to apply imagination and decorate the water mill to the desired style. Plant moisture-loving plants around, lay out stones, build across a pond - the resulting place for relaxation will be appreciated by guests and family members.

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The practical significance of mills powered by natural force ( water or wind), receded into the background - they were mostly replaced industrial production. But from an aesthetic point of view, these structures are still attractive. And no less interesting to make such a design yourself.

Water source

We start with the source of energy, which is the flow of water. It could be:

• natural driving source (stream, river);
• body of water with stagnant water (lake or pond);
• gutter.

How does a watermill work? water flow collides with her blades, which are fixed in a circle on the mill wheel. A natural source greatly simplifies the situation. If this is a stream, then you just need to correctly choose the location of the future building and proceed to the design planning stage. In the case of a pond with stagnant water, mechanisms are required that set it in motion - for example, a pump that will pump water through a hose to the blades. In this case, it is a good idea to install the mill so that the water from the reservoir returns to it.

With a drainage supply, the design will only work during rainfall if the flow immediately enters the mill wheel. However, if you make a sump for rainwater, and direct the flow from it to the blades, then it can be launched even in sunny weather.

The absence of any of these sources should not stop you - work on organizing a small pond in the garden (even with a radius of a couple of meters) and creating a small decorative windmill with forced water supply - a simple task.

Water supply methods

There are only two of them - from below (when the stream rotates the wheel, flowing under it; a wheel with such a water supply is called pouring) and from above (water from the gutter flows onto the wheel, making it spin; filling wheel).

The first option is convenient for a natural driving source. In this case, the mill wheel will simply be immersed in water, and no additional power sources are needed. This mill itself can be used as a " work force". For example, options are interesting when a water mill acts as a generator for lighting lamps country paths or others lighting fixtures in the territory.

The flow directed to the wheel from above is convenient when it is rainwater drainage. The flow from a stagnant water source, which is created by a pump, you can supply from below or from above. The principle of operation of the water mill remains the same, just choose for yourself most suitable option from an aesthetic and practical point of view.

Gallery: water mill on the site (25 photos)

Design choice

The whole mechanism of the mill consists of two main parts:

• mill wheel;
• decorative house.

Wheel of rotation

The type and materials of the mill wheel can have different variations. The main thing is that the main design feature- a round base on which the blades are located.

The device of a water mill begins with the basis for the mill wheel - from the axis. Immediately you need to decide how you will fix it:

• on two supports, between which the axle with the wheel will be fixed;
• on one support, which will be rigidly fixed in the wall of the mill house.

The second step is to create the round base of the wheel.

It can be a solid circle or just a rim (like a spoked bicycle wheel). The bases in the amount of two pieces are fastened together with blades - rectangular or square planks.

The easiest option is to cut two identical circles from plywood, drill one hole for the axis in the center of the circles and fasten these two circles together with rectangular strips from the same plywood. Similarly, you can fasten wooden boards together, cut out circles from them and connect them with wooden planks. If the device of the mill will be only decorative, this is enough, but if you want to use it as an energy generator to illuminate the area, then it is necessary that the rotational energy be transmitted along the axis. That is, the axis with the base must be rigidly fixed, and the option with a rigid mount on one support will not work for you.

The blades are generally fixed at right angles, but there are other variations (see drawings of types of wooden mill wheels).

The classic material for creating a mini-mill is wood or its derivatives (the same plywood). In order for the mill to retain its appearance for as long as possible, treat its parts with impregnation and varnish, which will protect it from the harmful effects of moisture.

decorative house

A mill wheel mounted on two supports and placed in well organized place for him (for example, in a garden with abundant vegetation - bushes, trees, a vineyard, etc.), and may not require the construction of a house at all. If you use the mill as a generator, then the house is needed to place the appropriate mechanisms in it. And in this case, the wheel must be mounted on two supports so that the axis on them rotates freely and transmits its work.

If the axis is rigidly fixed in the wall of the house, then it must be built of brick or other hard materials. The axis, mounted on two supports, does not require a special house design, so it can be made from any available materials and in any style.

The house can be used as a storage room for garden tools or other things. Then its dimensions must be chosen in such a way that these objects are conveniently located in it.

Mill dimensions

The main thing in this matter is keep proportions so that the decorative water mill, as well as the structures surrounding them on the site, look harmonious. The flow of water is also a determining factor. If he allows you to make a big wheel, then you can build a big house accordingly. And on a small ornamental pond more aesthetically pleasing to arrange a small structure.

Wheel speed

Browse different variants already finished mills. Please note that the fast flow of water, complete with a small wheel, gives high rotation speed. If you want the wheel to turn more smoothly and calmly, while not being a power generator, vary the parameters that affect the final speed - the flow rate, the size and weight of the wheel.

Water Mill

From the pond, a stream of water rushes rapidly along a wooden gutter. Breaking off and falling with noise on the wheel, the water sets it in motion. And behind the wall, in a log barn, a nimble millstone works tirelessly, grinding the grains into white, warm, fragrant flour.

This is a water mill. Over the centuries, Russian craftsmen have created thousands and thousands of them. The builders of water mills in the old days were called "watery people". They were gifted self-taught masters. Many of them were not literate, but had a subtle engineering flair, the talent of mechanical inventors.

As industry developed, the water wheel began to be used not only for grain processing, but also in other structures, which were also called mills. This was the name of iron-making, sawmilling, paper-making, textile and a number of other enterprises. They appeared later than the flour mill, which was, of course, one of the first technical devices vital to man.

In Russia industrial enterprises with a water wheel spread quite rapidly. In the 16th century, an iron smelter with a water wheel operated in the area of ​​the Vychegda River (on the Lakhoma River). It set in motion a hammer for forging iron - “females”.

In the 60s of the 16th century, in Ivanteevka near Moscow, a water wheel powered paper-making machines. In 1665, there were mills on the Yauza that pushed gunpowder. A factory near the village of Preobrazhensky produced linen. In the royal estate of Izmailovo, in addition to various other mills, a glass mill appeared. In the time of Peter the Great and later, with the development of metallurgy, mechanical engineering and other industries, many water mills arose on both sides of the Ural "stone belt" and in Siberia.

Sometimes the mills were so close that they interfered with each other's work, because of this, the owners even had disputes and litigation. On old geographical maps mills were shown with cross lines, and many rivers were completely dotted with icons. For example, the Miyaka River in Bashkiria. At the beginning of our century, twelve mills worked on it, and the length of this water ribbon is 25 kilometers. It turns out that each sat through two kilometers. Miyaka flowed into the Dema River, where at the mouth a large flour mill was noisy, equipped with many auxiliary machines. How could one not count thousands of water mills when a person mastered any small river so energetically.

We briefly got acquainted with the history of water mills. To get a more complete picture of them, it is interesting to learn about their device. The design has not changed much over many centuries, its main mechanical elements have remained unshakable. We will consider village mills of the nineteenth century before last.

Wood was the main building material. From it they built a barn, and wheels, and shafts, and all other gear. It should be noted that there were also stone barns, but very rarely. Only a few parts were metal: axles, brackets and fasteners.

According to the device, water mills are divided into whorled(whorls) and wheeled.

whorled mills were the prototype of the modern turbine. They had blades located at an angle on the vertical axis. The flow of water, falling on the blades, forced the axis with the millstone planted on it to rotate. Such mills were usually placed on mountain rivers with a strong flow of water. They were also built with dams. These were one of the first primitive mills.

V wheel mills the wheel, called by the masters “water”, rotates. Wheel mills come in two main types: top and lower fight.

At top fight the river is flooding. The flow of water is directed along the chute from the pond, falls on the wheel, which has cuvettes around the circumference, and rotates it with its weight. On a river with high drops, as well as in the mountains, a dam is dispensed with.

Water Mill.
1 - gutter; 2 - water wheel; 3 - dry wheel; 4 - lantern wheel; 5 - shelves; 6 - casing of millstones; 7 - millstones; 8 - chute for flour; 9 - shaker dispenser.

At lower battle the river is not dammed up. The water wheel is given blades instead of cuvettes. They are submerged in water and driven by the flow of the river. They tried to put such mills on rivers with a fast current. In order for the mills to work more efficiently, a special dam was sometimes built, the so-called boon. They blocked only part of the river. In the narrowing, the flow gained more speed, and the wheels turned faster. Boone was built on big rivers, where it is difficult to make a complete dam, and it was not required. This is how mills were built on the Volkhov, Dvina and other wide rivers. The mills of the lower battlefield were also floating. They were towed along the river, changing jobs. They walked along large rivers - the Dvina, the Dnieper and their tributaries.

The arrangement of wheel mills of all types is largely the same. Chopped from logs barn, covered with a thatched or plank roof. They rarely covered with tin: it is hot in summer and cold in winter. After all, the room has no ceiling, the building is without heating, it is cold.

In half of the barn, at about shoulder height, there is a massive shelves. On it are placed millstone. There are two of them. lower - sunbed and the upper one above it rotating - runner. There is a hole in the middle of it peephole). The millstones are fenced casing.

Installed above the millstones bucket bunker where the grain is placed. To regulate the supply of grain to the millstones, the hopper is equipped with shaker dispenser. This is a shallow oscillating box suspended from the bottom of the bunker. A hole was made in the front wall of the box for the passage of grain.

Grains from the bunker are poured into the shaker, he, swaying, throws portions into the eye of the millstone. The grains fall between the millstones and are ground.

Grinding size depends on the supply of grains to the millstones. Serve a lot - the flour will come out large, a little - it can be ground, “burned”. Flour is ejected through the opening of the shell into the chute and flows down it into chest.

Grinding size it is regulated not only by the inclination of the dispenser, but also by the rise of the millstone runner. After all, the upper millstone does not closely adjoin the lower one. If he pressed his weight on the lower one, he could only move with the greatest force. The runner above the sunbed is in a suspended position. There is a gap between them. It is adjusted by raising and lowering the vertical axis on which the runner sits. The miller, probing the flour, sets the gap between the stones.

As you can see, the dispenser serves important element grinding control. Probably, it was not used in ancient mills. They thought of it and added it later. But when is difficult to determine.

If the shaker-dispenser is set from an inclined position to a horizontal one, then grains will not fall out of it. He will be locked up.

Lock up the dispenser when delimiting grinds. The first owner domalyvaet. The runner gives out the rest of his flour. The next grinder is already pouring his grain into the bunker. But it does not go to the millstones. As soon as Ivan has removed his flour from the chest, you can tilt the dispenser and let Peter grind. In the meantime, the millstones are working idle.

The millstone is spinning from the water wheel by means of a wooden gear (lantern) transmission. Its wheels are placed below, under the flooring of the millstones. A water wheel with a chute is brought outside the barn. This is how the upper battle mill is arranged. In the lower battle, the water wheel can also be located inside the barn. But, as already mentioned, the flour-grinding device for both mills is basically the same.

Depending on the water reserves and the strength of the river, the mills are two sets, that is, with one barn there are two water wheels and two flour-grinding units.

The working surfaces of both millstones have grooves. They go from the center to the edges in the form of radial curves. Thanks to the grooves and their edges - reefs, the grain is ground into flour, and under the action centrifugal force she goes into the opening of the shell.

"Forge" a stone- to cut grooves on it is a great art. With the help of a special lift, the miller lifted the runner and turned it over. With uniform blows of the spatula hammer, he carefully, slowly, did the responsible work. As the reefs were smoothed out, the forging of the stone was repeated.

Millstones must be special. They require strength, toughness and porosity. Rarely needed quarries were nearby, and millstones had to be transported many miles away.

As you know, flour that has just been ground by millstones contains bran. This is a torn shell of grain. To separate the bran flour sifted. In order to free the hostess from these troubles, flour was sifted right there in some water mills. Above the flour chest, they attached an inclined line stretched over the frame sieve. With the help of a simple mechanism, the sieve received oscillatory movements from the main shaft. Flour from under the millstones flowed onto a sieve, sifted and went into the flour chest. The bran slipped into a separate box. The sieves at the mills were different - rare and frequent. On a rare sieve, less bran came out, on a frequent sieve - more.

Schematic device of the mill.

Mills with a mechanical sieve appeared a long time ago. Back in 1561, a mill was built in the Solovetsky Monastery, which grinded, sifted flour and separated the bran. Later, this experience may have spread, but water mills with a screening device were still rare even at the beginning of the 20th century.

Varieties of flour, depending on the grinding, were called seedlings, grains, rolling and others. In water mills, where there were sieves, they received seedling. Flour of all grades was produced only on perfect steam mechanical mills. Grain was ground there not only with millstones, but also passed between corrugated metal rollers. Hence the name of the flour - rolling. (Note that millstones are not used at modern flour mills. They were replaced by various kinds of flour-grinding units.)

In the grains intended for grinding, there were those on which the shirt remained after threshing. To clean it from it, the entire batch of grains was passed through a grinder or other machine - "upholstery". The film was knocked off the grains and carried away by the fan. During this operation, the grain was also cleaned of other impurities: grains of earth, adhering dirt and other rubbish.

At the beginning of the 20th century, new machines began to appear in large water mills to improve the condition of grain before grinding. puppeteer, for example, removed cockle grains from wheat, oatmeal oatmeal- grains of wild oats - wild oats.

In addition to wheat, rye, barley, spelt, milled and other grain crops: peas, rice, corn, millet, buckwheat, oatmeal, millet, rye for malt. The inventive owner adapted in the mill barn and crowd to push the tow, fuller for felting homespun cloth, and carding drum for wool.

How is the mill stopped? Stop the water supply to the waterwheel. This is done in two ways. The first - water is released into a hatch arranged in the bottom of the gutter coming from the pond. If you open the lid, water will rush into the armhole. The second way, when they want to maintain the level of the pond, is to close the gutter with a valve - as if they are damming it.

A spacious covered barn is attached to the mill building. It housed the wagons and horses of the pilgrims. A small mill yard is bordered by a wide pond and a dense grove of trees - willow, alder, bird cherry. And near the barn, like sentries, there are two or three tall willows.

In the courtyard there is a house, a smithy, a carpenter's shop, a bathhouse, a cattle shed, a garden. The house is divided into two halves. A miller and his family live in one, and a grinding house in the other. There was a grinding and as a separate hut. The porch, architraves and cornice of the house were often decorated with intricate carvings. The mill barn was not bypassed with similar outfits.

In winter, in severe frosts, some mills temporarily stopped. Sometimes a shelter was made over the wheel - a "teplyak" in the form of a straw tent. But that didn't help much. Because some mills were idle, others were imported. We had to wait more than one day, we needed a shelter. In the grinding hut, bunks covered with sackcloth or felt felt stretched along the entire wall. They rested on them. There is also a table and benches. The corner was occupied by a voluminous Russian stove with a cauldron stuck into the furnace. Pomoltsy could cook simple food from flour, zatiruha, salma, potatoes. If desired, it was possible to fish out a fish in the ear from the pond. There is almost always a bucket samovar under steam. On a good stove, you can dry felt boots, footcloths and other clothes.

In the grinding room often accumulated five to eight people. This shelter served as a place for the peasants to socialize, like a small club. People shared news, talked about economic affairs. And sometimes, on long winter evenings, someone will tell a fairy tale or a funny fable. Sometimes they will sing a song together in an undertone.

They built a mill without any drawings. All technical documentation: calculations, details - was kept in the master's memory. Of course, he took the existing mills as a model, but sometimes he had to change something or add a new one. Skill and craftsmanship, of course, required enormous. Although from the sample, it is not so easy to work the water wheel, to distribute evenly around the circumference on the gears the space for the teeth. And all this was made of wood, the main tools were an ax, a saw, a chisel, a drill, an adze, an arshin. Compasses - a cord or rail, at the end with a square. So the circle was outlined. The blacksmith helped the miller. He forged auxiliary parts. It should be noted that industrial water mills were often built according to drawings and projects (“projects”, as they were called then). This is evidenced by the technical literature of the 17th-18th and 19th centuries.

A small flour mill was often set up by three or four people in one season. The dam was made with the simplest improvised means by the whole village. A plot of virgin soil was plowed, and a dam was laid out of the sod. The layer was dense, like a belt, stretched without breaking for several fathoms. They laid it flat and firmly. For fastening, poles, stakes, bundles of brushwood were used. Having started friendly work from early morning, by the evening the river was stopped. Gratitude for such a great service was due only in the form of a plentiful treat, which the miller offered to the peasants.

Some dams were equipped with a lifting shield-gate. He saved from the spring flood. Without such safety device the dam broke in the spring, and it had to be built again.

Dams were built on large rivers with robes. Log cabins with a strong floor were cut from oak logs. Such log boxes - robes - were filled with stones, rubble, boulders, and they sank to the bottom of the river. As they sank into the log house, new crowns were built up and so they led up to the elevation above the water. The corner of the row was placed against the flow of the river. Ice floes broke on it during the ice drift.

As for the productivity of the mills, it depended on the size of the stone and the speed of its rotation. Millstone took a diameter of 50 to 120 centimeters. On low-water rivers, a small runner, and it rotated within 60 revolutions per minute. A river with more water could turn a larger stone, and it made up to 150 revolutions. Depending on this, one setting grinded from one pood (16 kg) to four poods (64 kg) per hour. One mill served two or three villages with a total population of a thousand people. Note that the flour was not only for people, but also for livestock.

In conclusion, I would like to say the following. The watermill is one of the earliest monuments of human knowledge. It also carries elements of technology and architecture, inscribed in the picturesque canvas of nature. The good nurse did not pollute the earth. Crystal water, leaving the pond and circling the wheel, went further than the same transparent.

At present, these sights of material culture have almost disappeared. There are only a few left in our country. As profitable enterprises, they have outlived their time. Water mills died tragically. Spring floods broke through the dam. Often broke and the mill. The pond dried up. The company is empty. There was no point in restoring it for grinding. Restore and preserve as a monument? For this, too, no one undertook. So such rarities disappeared. It seems that if there are still whole mills somewhere, they should be preserved and restored. Now there are still people who know about their device. But there will be no old-timers, eyewitnesses - there will be no one to tell about water mills. Let them be at least one, two in each region. They would become interesting sights, centers of knowledge about the technology and culture of the past.

© "Encyclopedia of Technologies and Methods" Patlakh V.V. 1993-2007

Water is one of the elements that can make a person observe himself without taking his eyes off, you can admire the flow of a stream or the movement of waves for an eternity. Everything that is connected with water is also interesting to a person: bridges and ships, dams and mills. Of course, in our time it is not so easy to meet a water mill, modern technologies have forced this amazing structure out of use, but in ancient times the mill had a large practical value. In addition, the mill has always been an element that gives the landscape a special attraction and romance, it seemed to be a mysterious building and was considered a haven for water and mermaids.

What is a water mill

Water mills in the old days were used to make flour - the water turned the wheel, the movement was transmitted to the millstones, the grain placed between them was ground into flour. Today, large grain processing plants have been built for the manufacture of flour, and the mill has remained more of a decorative element, the construction of which is resorted to by the owners of suburban areas.

The construction of a water mill in the country will decorate landscaped garden no worse than decorative fountain or garden sculptures.

A decorative water mill is a wheel installed on the bank of a river or stream. They mount it on hinges, through a special groove on the blades, evenly spaced on the wheel, water is supplied and sets the wheel in motion.

If there is no natural current in the reservoir, then you can resort to installing a pump to supply water to the blades of the mill wheel.

The installation of a water wheel alone may not seem decorative enough to the owners of the site, most often a picturesque house is built near the wheel, decorated with beautiful carved doors and windows, a reed roof, or a roof made of natural wood. Near the decorative mill, a canopy with a weather vane, benches, original sculptures, flower beds are being built. For more decorative effect the mill can be surrounded by chaotically arranged beautiful boulders, dwarf varieties can be planted between the stones coniferous trees, tall grasses, bushes.

When planning the construction of a mill, one should take into account general style plot, for example, a stone structure is more suitable for a classic landscape; for a country style, the best decision would be to build wooden building from logs.

Mill on a plot in country style

As mentioned above, the country style involves the construction of a wooden house with a wooden mill wheel on the site, this option is great to complement the landscape with a touch of romanticism. A log bridge located nearby will look beautiful, wooden gazebo or a bench, a sculpture made of wood, a well with a wooden frame.

To give historical authenticity to the picture, the wood from which the house and the wheel are made can be artificially aged. Plants in such a garden should correspond to its spirit, you can use those that are found in the wild or in rustic gardens:

• chamomile,
• mother and stepmother
• primrose,
• reeds,
• sunflowers,
• mallow.

Water mill in the Japanese garden

Water mill in the country house decorated in Japanese style will also look very attractive. The sophistication of the style and its underlined minimalism will be emphasized by the elegant masonry of the house, the wheel can also be decorated using white pebbles or shell rock. The basis of such a composition is water, stones and original form plants: dwarf maple, Japanese sakura, arizerma.

The house can be made in the form of a castle with narrow loopholes instead of windows; stone benches will look good nearby. The sound of water and the slow rotation of the wheel are the perfect accompaniment to reflect on the eternity of being.

It is not in vain that Japanese wisdom claims that the melody of flowing water is more harmonious than the melodies that can be recreated on any musical instrument.

Windmill in the landscape of a Dutch garden

Since this structure was quite common in countries Western Europe, then it may well become the highlight and main element of the landscape in the Dutch style. The ideal environment for the object will be compositions of daffodils and tulips, garden roses. The building should have a concise and colorful design.

It can be a half-timbered house that serves calling card architecture of many Dutch and German cities. It would be appropriate to install a weather vane, as garden sculptures, you can choose figures of gnomes.

Mill dimensions

The dimensions of the mill wheel can be very diverse - from 1.5 m to 10 m in diameter, but when determining them, it should be understood that they must be commensurate with the size of the site. A mill house can also have a different area, depending on how it is planned to be used - as a place for children to play, for storing garden tools, etc.

Building a water mill with your own hands is not very difficult, you just need to decide on the style, draw up a project and acquire the necessary building materials.

How to make a water mill in the garden with your own hands

Let's start the description of the process by repeating the recommendation about the commensurability of the dimensions of the mill wheel and the plot - a capital structure made of logs in a garden on six acres will look at least illogical. Much more interesting will be the current reduced copy of a real water mill. First, we draw a sketch of the future structure and draw its project.

we create conditions for the operation of the mill

The ideal option would be the location of the mill near the reservoir with running water. But such conditions are extremely rare; in any case, it will be necessary to provide a difference in the water level.

The easiest way is to position the mill wheel so that when it rains waste water fell on the blades from the drainpipe. When it rains, the wheel will spin on its own. The flowing water can be diverted along the gutter to the side of the beds and used for watering plants.

To ensure the movement of the wheel in sunny weather, it will be necessary to resort to the construction of a falling stream. To do this, a water collector is installed, you can use a plastic cube or a bath, a large barrel. We build a similarity next to the container Alpine slide, at least 0.5 m high.

For work, you can use different construction waste: the remains of bricks, stones, crushed stone. A hose should be mounted inside the slide, one end of it should be located in the lower water collector, the other at the highest point of the slide. To mask the hose over its exit, you can place beautifully overhanging stones or climbing plants. Such a decor will look very natural, as if water naturally flows out from under the stones.

The pump installed in the catchment tank will ensure the rise of water on the hill. The pump should be chosen so that its power is sufficient to raise the water to the required height. When the pump is turned on, water is pumped up the hose, then naturally falls down, hits the wheel blades and sets it in motion.

If the territory of the site is terraced, then you can build a beautiful water cascade. For this option, several trays or gutters will be required (in accordance with the number of steps), their length should be equal to the width of the steps of the terraces. Drains are laid across the terraces with a slight slope. When laying, make sure that water from the upper gutter flows into the lower one. A hose is connected to the chute located at the top, and a storage tank is installed under the lower chute. The wheels of decorative watermills built into this cascade will look very attractive.

water mill device with a house

For work, you can use a variety of materials, depending on the style of the house being built. By the way, it will be possible to place a pump in it for pumping water from the lower water collector to the upper reservoir.

how to make a wheel

To create it, you can use a wide variety of items: a plastic coil from a wire, a wheel from an old bicycle, a plastic wheel from a toy windmill, a piece of plastic pipe with blades attached. The main thing is to comply with the basic constructive principle- a round base with blades fixed on it.

In the center there should be a fragment of the pipe, which will be put on the axis of the corresponding diameter. The best option- use for the wheel gear of two identical bases with blades fixed around the perimeter. The blades can be fastened with screws or welding.

To complete the installation of the wheel, the construction of a support will be required. In its capacity, you can use a pipe rigidly fixed in the wall of the house, you can build two supports with an axis fixed between them. The wheel mounted on the axle should rotate easily.

assembly features

The installation of the water supply chute located at the top must be carried out in such a way that the water falling on the blades sets them in motion. If wooden elements were used to create the wheel, then they should be treated with impregnation and coated with high-quality varnish.

we build a house from improvised materials

You can build a mill house from any suitable material: pieces of brick or stone, thereby emphasizing the solidity of the structure, moreover, such a house is best placed on a foundation. Suitable for rural landscape wooden house with reed or thatched roofing.

Boards, tiles, boxes can go into business. Wooden fragments used in construction should be treated with antifungal impregnations and coated with a layer of varnish - this will extend the life of your building. You will also need to show imagination and come up with a variant of beautiful decoration of the house.