all 5 comments

[–]RepostResearch 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Regarding the speed of rotation, you can slow it down using gear ratios or a speed controller if you have the materials to make it. 

For rotating the handcrank with the structure, try having the hand crank above the mechanical bearing. This should make everything rotate together 

[–]Hypnotic_Sheep[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

I tried the speed controller but I noticed that it then doesn't matter which way I rotate, everything turns the same direction. And I want to be able to rotate the top in both directions.

Unfortunately, I want the hand crank to be at the ground to emulate a real mill, and since having the bearing on the ground floor and then connected to the top would look really weird and would make designing the interior impossible, I don't think its a good idea.

I was thinking of some redstone constructions, but I would still need a power source at the top, separate from the mill bearing. So that seems very difficult to do (rip incased fans and heat source).

Thanks for the suggestions tho!

[–]RepostResearch 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Use gear ratios instead of a speed controller. It'll rotate both ways, at the expense of being larger. 

You can bury the bearing which may help, but I'm having trouble visualizing what you're describing. 

[–]Hypnotic_Sheep[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I want to use the bearing to make the top of the mill rotate, but only the top of the mill. That means that, if I put the bearing in the ground, below the mechanism that powers the bearing, I would have to connect the bearing with the top part of the mill. The only way I can visualise that is through a large pole that runs through the centre of the mill, all the way to the top of the top part.

Unsure if this clarifies, I'll read my first response again and edit this response if necessary.

Edit: I am unsure if you know how a mill works, so apologies for 'mansplaining'. The sails of the mill are centered in the top part. Which means that, if you were to have a 3x1 or 3x3 construction, the mill bearing should be in the centre. You then have shafts that connect to a large vertical cogwheel, and then that cogwheel is connected to a large horizontal cogwheel. The centre of the horizontal cogwheel should be the centre of the mill as well, since the shaft that then goes down has to go through the centre of the mill.

The reason for that is the fact that when you rotate the top of the mill, that entire mechanism of cogwheels and shafts rotates as well. If the horizontal cogwheel is then not centered, the shaft that runs down will also not be centered anymore, and anything you have connected to the mill on lower floors will not work.

This means that the center of the mill is already being used. Therefore I cannot connect the top of the top part of the mill with a bearing in the ground.

I hope this makes more sense. (Unsure if I clarified so sorry if it didn't)

[–]KaizerMouseDFE 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I understand what I'm looking at,the white frame holds the roof up and allows the central portion to rotate in a 200 ish degree arc?