Last week, those of us who work in the Millwright Shop finally got back to work on the water wheel and flume. While the site is still closed, one or two of us will be working there a few days a week.

We’re being as careful as possible while still making progress. We hope to have the wheel and flume projects completed by the time the current pandemic has receded, so that we can have a functioning mill again.

I came back in to get some work done on the joinery for the wheel.

Each rim board is connected by a saddle-joint, which is basically a diamond-shaped half lap. This locks each piece together and keeps them from racking against each other.

We have to repeat this joint eight times on each side of the wheel and make sure that they’re precisely spaced so as to not interfere with the buckets, which will stretch between both sides.

That’s all for now, but as we continue our progress I’ll make sure to keep everyone updated here. And we’ll still be doing our live-stream on Saturdays, so check out Newlin Grist Mill’s Facebook page for info on that!

As always, I would normally invite everyone to come visit us in the Millwright Shop, but it’s currently closed due to COVID-19. We will be continuing to post here on the blog, and we’ll be doing more Facebook Live videos, so be sure to follow us on Facebook. Stay safe and check back here next week!

If you’d like to take the next step and get involved in the shop once this has all calmed, please contact us at:

Email: info@newlingristmill.org

Find us on Instagram @newlingristmill1704

Look for us on Facebook @newlingristmill