[Regia-NA] Re: [Regia] Grinding Wheels & Scrams

[Frojel Gotlandica]

For what it is worth my grandfather had two old grinding wheels, as a ch=
ild it was my job to wet the stone 
and keep it wet with a jug of water, later I actually got to turn the ha=
ndle and found that once it was moving 
it turned quite easily. The big wheel was over 100 years old and that wa=
s more than 50 years ago, Oak 
framed with an iron handle and bronze bushes with oil holes. A very mode=
rn version of a very old tool.    
The older smaller wheel, 18 inch half the size of the big one, was not a=
s modern and was used only rarely. 
The wheels had to be turned away from the user and was used to sharpen e=
verything from axes and hoes 
down to kitchen knives etc. Grinding was done with files not the wheel. =
The house we lived in was built in 
1690 and most of the equipment and fittings were inherited with the farm=
 including both wheels. The big one 
had a square iron shaft through a square hole rounded where it went thro=
ugh the bushes, the smaller had a 
square shaft as well but the bushes were iron, open ended and U shaped a=
nd my grandfather had to lift it out 
of the open slot and grease the axel before use . Considering how well t=
hey worked I doubt the design saw 
many changes over the centuries.  I have no idea how old either one was =
other than my grandfather telling 
me the big wheel (The new one as he called it ) had been in the family f=
or more than 100 years and it was a 
priviledge to be allowed to turn it, talk about reverse Physcology. Oh w=
ell. You live and learn, he used the 
same trick to get me to pump water from the well.
Sandy

>There is every reason to believe that you can wedge a grinding wheel on=
 a
>pole lathe. However, getting used to sharpening on an occilating stone =
must
>take some getting used to...... Other examples have been unearthed in H=
edeby
>and show a square shaft hole - I think this is true of some of the York=
 ones
>as well ( Martin feel free to comment here please ).
>
>Another subtlety is that they must run through a bath of water, or be
>whetted ( no oil  at all ) and not used dry. If I recall correctly, the=

>grinder must be above the wheel in the case of a large one with the whe=
el
>running away from him picking up water from the trough below pulling it=
 up
>and over the grinding surface. Hence nose to the grindstone.........etc=
,
>etc.
>
>As for their size, again I think we should not get too hung up over the=
ir
>technology. I wouldn't be too surprised to find they used water to powe=
r
>larger wheels. I witnessed the direct driven side shot mill replica at
>Wexford - the same thing that was found at Tamworth. It's fair to say t=
hat
>when they open the sluice gate the thing fair pissed round ( sorry for =
the
>expletive, but I can't think of another word to describe the violence o=
f
>it ) - I don't wonder that they burnt down regularly if they ran out of=

>flour between their stones.
>
>Roll.
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "martin williams" <postmaster@oswiu.u-net.com>
>To: <regia@yahoogroups.com>
>Sent: Friday, June 14, 2002 9:20 PM
>Subject: Re: [Regia] Scrams
>
>
>> Dave Pateman wrote:
>> >
>> > At this moment, I have neither the source nor the picture
>> > itself to hand. I do however have a recollection of an
>> > Anglo-Saxon manuscript that shows a man sitting on a wooden
>> > framework with a large circular (grind?)wheel between his
>> > legs. He appears to be holding a sword edge on to this wheel.
>> >
>> > If we commit the cardinal sin of scaling the wheel to the
>> > height of the man from the illustration, the wheel would be
>> > some 5 or so feet in diameter and almost a foot thick. I
>> > seem to think that this was being powered by a hand crank
>> > although I cannot be exactly sure.
>> >
>> > The size would make reasonable sense for a hand-cranked item
>> > (assuming it were a reasonably permanent fixture) as once
>> > the wheel had got moving, a reasonably fast speed could be
>> > achieved at its edge.
>> >
>> > It would seem that this is being used for
>> > grinding/sharpening. Given the speeds that could be
>> > achieved and the variety of materials that it could indeed
>> > be made from, it could also have been used for polishing.
>> >
>> > If I do come across the illustration, I'll post it or of
>> > course if anyone else has the same one ...
>> >
>> > Dave
>> > MAA
>>
>> The York fascicule AY 17/14: 'Finds from Anglo-Sacandinavian
>> York' contains details of 29 rotary grindstones from 50-440mm
>> in diameter from Coppergate: and notes one of 540mm diameter
>> from Pavement (AY 17/3 pg. 76, find no. 378). Largely from
>> Millstone Grit, of course...
>>
>> Pax
>> oswiu
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>list-regia-na mailing list
>list-regia-na@lig.net
>http://www.lig.net/mailman/listinfo/list-regia-na
>


Fr=94jel Gotlandica Viking Re-enactment Society.
http://www.frojel.com/
frojel@frojel.com