Waterwheel Work
19th July 2007

The waterwheel was the focus of the team’s efforts today. On the sunniest day we have had for some time the team consisted of Colin and Richard, although Headley did join us after lunch to see how we were getting on.

The cast iron waterwheel is lined with sole plates made from 3 millimetre galvanised steel. These bolt to the sides of the wheel and to each bucket. All but three of these sole plates are in place, along with a good number of buckets. The buckets are made from the same thickness of galvanised steel.

As there was only two of us this morning we decided complete the attachment of two of the buckets to their sole plate. This meant drilling eleven holes, four of them through sole plate and bucket and seven through two sole plates and a bucket.

We started with a small drill bit and worked up to the full 12mm drill. It doesn’t sound like much when it is written down but it is hard work. We had to take a couple of breaks to let the electric drill cool down enough so that we could hold it.

Once the holes are drilled to the full size we fitted short coach bolts and tightened them home. This meant Colin inserting a bolt from inside the wheel while Richard screwed on the nut from outside the wheel. It was hard to tell which was the hotter job in the sunshine. Richard got the full benefit of the sun on his back but Colin got the heat from the steel plates. By mid afternoon the steel was getting too hot to touch but we had fitted all the bolts we could without re-positioning the waterwheel, so we had an excuse to call it a day.

In the previous diary entry we wished for better weather and it seemed as if our wishes were answered but lightning is punctuating the evening as this is being written and the rain is falling again. At least we are not out in the rain at the moment.

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