Stocks & Sweeps
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The Sweeps are fixed to the front end of the windshaft by means of a cast iron canister, or “poll end”. The stocks are located and wedged into the canister and the whips are then bolted to the stocks. The overall diameter is 58 feet (18 meters), and the weight of the timber in the sails is around 3 tons They were balanced before being assembled on the mill, with minor corrections once in place.
There is one pair of Common sails, which have the frame covered with canvas, and one pair of Spring Shutter sails. The shutters are wooden boards actuated by a long shutter bar which operates them all together and is held shut by a large leaf spring. If the wind gets too strong, the boards open against the action of the spring, which acts as a regulator.
The sails need to turn in excess of ten revolutions (or 40 ends) per minute in order to achieve a satisfactory grinding speed at the stones. They rotate in an anit-clockwise direction.
The canvas on the common sails can be reefed into different shapes - including sword-point and dagger-point.
The usual resting position for the sails forms a St. Andrews cross. When a joyous event amongst the miller's family occurs, such as a birth or wedding, the sails will be set to just before the vertical. When a sad event, such as a death occurs, the sails will be set with the top sail just beyond the vertical. This is referred to as the "language of the sails".
