AIR AND WATER AS SERVANTS OF MAN 



123 



The base of the windmill is built thus: Cut a 3-inch length 

 of ^-inch stuff that is i inch wide. At each end with small 

 brads fasten on a 2 -inch length of the same material at right 

 angles to the 3 -inch strip, the two shorter strips parallel to each 

 other and on the same side of the 3-inch strip. Bore a hole near 

 the top of each 2 -inch piece, the holes in line so that the cylin- 

 drical piece fastened to the windmill may be run through them. 

 Bore a hole in the middle of the 3-inch 

 piece. This is fastened to the upright 

 piece, which should be f inch square 

 and 8 inches long. Cut a thin piece of 

 wood out of a cigar box or simi- 

 lar material to form the vane of 

 the mill. Let this be 6 inches 

 long and 4 inches wide, with a 

 projecting piece sticking out 

 from the 4-inch side, the projec- 

 tion to be i inch long and J inch 

 wide. Tack this projection to 

 the 3 -inch strip that makes the 

 base of the structure that carries 

 the mill so that the vane pro- 

 jects from the base in a vertical 

 plane parallel to the cylindrical 

 strip that serves as the axle for 

 the mill. 



When this vane is on the basal strip, fasten the base to the 

 upright support by running a flat-headed wire nail through the 

 hole bored in the basal piece; drive it in through the center of 

 the end of the supporting upright. Put the axle of the mill 

 through the holes bored in the supports and drive a couple of 

 small brads through the axle, one on either side of one of the 

 supports, so that the mill will be held in place. 



The blades of the old-type windmills were wooden frames 

 covered with cloth and were often spoken of as the sails (Fig. 49) . 



FIG. 49. An old-fashioned windmill 



