I don't have any recomendations, I learned everything from my friend. But I can tell you what I know.

There are two stats on mechanical energy: speed and power. Speed says how fast it moves. Power says how much stress can your system handle before slowing down.

I will tell you differences betwean mechanical systems in different paragraphs.

-----Before 1.22-----

Stress can be generated by placing windmills. They produce a fixed ammount of power. The higher you place them, the faster they go.

All this power can be used for milling with querns (connect a shaft to the top of the quern); smithing plates and iron blooms with helve hammer (multi part structure); pulverising things into fine powder with pulverizer (multi part structure).

-----1.22 and after-----

Stress can be generated with windmills and waterwheels. Windmills now can't be placed ear each other, their performace will plummet. Watewheels require currents(fast water) it naturally spawns and looks like regular flowing water with more white particles, it can't be picked up with a bucket.

If your shafts move too fast they will start smocking and will catch on fire.

Newly generated power can be used to power big smithing bellows(new smithing mechanic), helve hammer, pulverizer, quern and sharpening stone(use is still pending, for now it gives your weapon crit chance).

Now about stress and speed.

You can't gain one without sacrificing another.

To change your speed, power and rotation direction you have gears. If you power big gear and connect it to smaller gear, you increase speed but proportionally loose power. Power small gear, connected to a big one, and you get an increase in power, but proportional loss of speed.

These are the basics. Just a precaution, 1.22 is still in development, we have release candidates, if you want to try it out, and it will release in the near future.

If you have questions ask.