Windmills

[jckmares]

Anyone know where I can get blueprints for some of the old-timey western windmills you see on a ranch?  I don't want something too small, the kind you see by a garden just for looks, but a useable windmill that will pump water or generate electricity.  Thanks, Joseph

[Billy Bob]

Here's one possibility:

http://www.lindsaybks.com/bks3/wmotor/index.html

You said old timey, and these are reprints from a 1910 book. [smiley=rolleyes.gif]

I once had an old Popular Science mag with instructions for building one, including how to rewind a Model "A" generator for power generation.  If you look it may be available as a reprint.

Good luck!

[glenn kangiser]

I think I have that book somewhere, Billy Bob.  Seems the mills in it take castings but you could cast them from aluminum of fab them.

Joseph, welcome to the forum.  Sounds like you are interested in the fun stuff.  I have an Aermotor 53" windmill I need to put up.
For power the propeller type blade is much more efficient.  I have a Bergey wind generator, but you can make very good ones yourself.

Here is a website that has it all.

http://www.scoraigwind.com/
Hugh Piggott - Scoraig Wind Electric

Almost -- here is more

http://www.fieldlines.com/
the Otherpower.com Discussion Board  Make your electricity from scratch!

I also would like to build an old Dutch style  or similar mill.

[bartholomew]

I read somewhere that the old-time multi-bladed farm windmills are ideal for mechanical water pumping. But for electricity generation, whether to run an electrical pump or something else, a modern high-speed two or three blade design will be much more efficient. It may have been in one of the last few issues of Home Power magazine, I'll try to find it. //www.homepower.com

[Erin]

I've read the same thing wrt to power vs. water on the "old" windmills (I say "old" because we still use standard aeromotors on our ranch to water cattle!)

So far as plans, the tower itself is fairly easy to build.  Just a pyramid of legs, basically.  It's the motor/fan assembly that's going to be a bit more difficult if you want it to actually pump.  
We get parts and such here:
http://www.aermotorwindmills.com/

And here's a diagram of the gizmos that are all a part of an Aermotor fan/head assembly:
http://www.aermotorwindmills.com/windmillrepairparts.htm

[Erin]

PS:
A good site i ran across when hunting for alternative power:
http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_wind.html
This page has a lot of info on wind power (including buiding turbines!)

[glenn kangiser]

Hi Erin.  Welcome to the forum. Otherpower is a good link -- One I have visited.  They have a link to Forcefield which has the high powered magnets needed for the home built wind power alternator /generators.

[Erin]

Hi Erin.  Welcome to the forum.

Thanks.   I've been reading for a while (rolling around the idea of buying a few acres for ourselves and plunking a strawbale house on it).  Never bothered to register though until I saw a question about something I know a little about.  

[glenn-k]

Glad you did.  I have the Bergey XL1 wind generator.  It is a great little generator - makes about 1/3 of my power.  I would love to build one and carve the blades as per Hugh Piggot's site, but don't have the time - may only get home 1 day this week - maybe not at all --- too much work building for the masses right now.