Vintage Wooden Windmills
 

My other main hobby is restoring 1890 to 1920's antique water pumping windmills, especially the wooden wheeled ones. Typically all that remains is the cast iron central ironwork.

Many of you may not be aware of the vaneless style, but they were once common on american farms, especially in the midwest and great plains. They fold like umbrellas and govern with centrifugal force. There were once a thousand companies making windmills. The mass production of windmills allowed the west to be settled.

Here are some pics of one special one I've restored personally. You can see the wheel in the off position (basket shape) and on position (plate shape). As the wind gets strong, it goes from plate to basket shape automatically.

Re: Vintage Wooden Windmills
 

Another model:

Re: Vintage Wooden Windmills
 

I wondered about your user name and in what way it connected with you. This is really cool. All I have noticed back east are the vane type. I see very few standing now and always wanted to get my hands on one. I love most all things vintage as well as early American history, but also am all about self-reliance (and independence from utility companies). On the family farm the water system has been kept with the spring because no one wanted to pay the electric company to give us our own water. I guess I come from a line of hard heads. I think dad also didn't want to pay for a well drilled when so much water is available through springs. I see the point, but if I end up there I would like a better system, meaning more water w/o requiring a cistern. Plenty of wind up there, so I'd love to set a windmill up and vintage would be awesome.
I hope you'll be showing more pictures and educating us more on these

Re: Vintage Wooden Windmills
 

I grew up in the midwest and have seen many windmills, none so nice as these your showing but most were the Aero brand\type. Id love one just to have one now, no need just want ya know? kind of relaxing hear an old windmill rolling...

Re: Vintage Wooden Windmills
 

Sure thing, I've got a ton of info depending on how technical you want to get.

The vane type was definitely the dominant style east of the missisippi. The vaneless seemed to fair the high winds and storms on the sparse tree great plains better. The vane type had fewer moving parts. With any windmill, you'd still be using a cistern, since flowrate is fairly low (compared to modern submersible electric). Is it windy everyday where you are? If not, you'd want a cistern for the capacity regardless. below are some pics of the antique wooden vane type. I restored the Dempster brand one.


Yep, the aermotors are the most common and really are amazingly well built. You can still find some of those built in the 1920's still fully galvanized and in working order around here, like the one below I bought in 2012 or so. That was an approx. 1933 model. How many other products near 100 years old are still in great shape without being restored? It truly amazing, considering how neglected windmills were (nobody likes to climb towers). That same design is still in production today.

Totally understand listening to them. Its a good sound to fall asleep to.

Re: Vintage Wooden Windmills
 

Cool to see these, like Tim I was wondering about your user name. It makes sense now. Thanks and show us more please.