General Safekeeping of the Mill
Keeping the mill safe
The mill should always be kept facing the wind and weather, as the mill front is designed to shed water. Wind and rain driving on the back of the mill will penetrate inside. If the wind is very strong on the rear of the mill, there is danger of ‘tail-winding’ where great damage can occur. This is where the sails and wind-shaft are forced forward out of the tail bearing.
It is imperative to avoid inadvertent rotation of the sails, when the mill is not use, as the brake is not sufficient to hold the sails in a strong wind and even less capable should the mill be tail-winded. By putting baulks of timber through the brake-wheel and onto the sprattle beam, it will be impossible for the sails to turn.
It is recommended that the sails are rotated a quarter of a turn each week to even out the loading on the sails. Each stock is numbered 1 to 4, corresponding to the weeks in the month. The sails are normally set in the St Andrew’s cross position, when not in use, as this balances the loading in all the sails. If high winds are expected (generally at the equinoxes and in the winter) it is advisable to tie the mill into the wind to prevent the mill being turned about its post.
Turning the mill into the wind (winding)
Before trying to turn the mill round, the flexible cables for power and lighting in the roundhouse should be disconnected from sockets on the quarter-bars. Once the mill is turned, the cables should be re-connected to the nearest sockets which are mounted on both the north and south quarter-bars.
In order to turn the mill, the steps to enter the mill can now be lifted, as these act as an anchor on haphazard turning of the mill. The talthur (which is the lever mounted on the tail-pole of the mill) is first linked to the chain on the bottom step and then pulled down under the retaining bracket on the tail-pole. This lifts the steps clear of the ground, which allows the mill to be turned by pushing on the tail-pole.
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