Fig. 6.—A Four-blade Windmill.
Fig. 7.—Hub
Fig. 8.—How to Slot End of Shaft for Tail.
With the blades in position, pivot the hub to the end of the windmill shaft, a stick 20 inches long ([Fig. 6]). The end opposite to that to which the hub is pivoted is whittled round, and slotted with a saw to receive a tail ([Fig. 8]). The tail may be of the same size as the blades, though it is shown shorter in the illustration.
Mount the Windmill upon a post, pivoting its shaft at the balancing center with a nail or screw. Bore a hole large enough so the shaft will turn freely upon the pivot, and the windmill will thus keep headed into the wind.
The Eight-blade Windmill in [Fig. 9] has a spool hub ([Fig. 10]), and blades made of cigar-box wood, shingles, tin, or cardboard ([Fig. 11]). You will see by [Figs. 10] and [11] that the blades are nailed to the side of short spoke sticks, and the sticks are driven into holes bored in the spool hub. The hub turns on the rounded end of the shaft stick ([Fig. 12]), and the square end of this shaft is slotted to receive the fan-shaped tail ([Figs. 12] and [13]).
Fig. 9.—An Eight-blade Windmill.
For the Hub use a large ribbon-spool. You can get one at any drygoods store. Locate eight holes around the center of the spool at equal distances from one another, and bore these with a gimlet or bit, or cut them with the small blade of your jack-knife.
Cut the Eight Blades 6 inches long, 5 inches wide on their wide edge, and 1½ inches wide on their narrow edge. Prepare the hub sticks about ½ inch by ¾ inch by 4½ inches in size, and whittle one end pointed to fit in the hub ([Fig. 11]). Fasten the blades to the spokes with nails long enough to drive through the spokes and clinch on the under side. Glue the spokes in the hub holes, turning them so the blades will stand at about the angle shown.