A Windmill is a rather simple machine powered by wind energy. The windmill uses wind to turn rotating blades. These rotating blades effectively turn wind energy into usable energy such as electricity and, in earlier times, energy to pump water and grind grain.

While many of today’s windmills are extremely high tech, made from special composite, lightweight materials and include high-tech turbines, a standard windmill such as the ones that were created centuries ago can be constructed with simple tools, materials and know-how. Here are some simple instructions on how to build a windmill:

Building a Basic Windmill

Following these simple instructions will make it easy to build a basic windmill. If you are interested in renewable energy, you should look into purchasing high-tech windmill construction plans. Obviously the types of materials and construction will be vastly different and the overall cost will be significantly higher too.

When constructing a basic windmill, keep in mind that your goal is to maximize the conversion of wind energy into mechanical energy. In order to maximize wind energy, you want a windmill that is tall enough to reach above obstacles and take advantage of wind. In addition, you will require wind blades that will easily catch the flow of the wind and turn the blades with the least possible resistance. Most windmills in use are categorized as horizontal axis windmills, which have blades that spin vertically. The windmills which are sometimes are referred to as turbines, catch the wind energy and convert it to mechanical energy or electricity.

Components of a Basic Windmill

On a basic windmill there are several components including the base, tower, wind blades and nacelle (gearbox to facilitate blade movement).

The Windmill Blades

The blades are very similar to the blades found on an airplane’s propeller. The windmill uses these blades to capture wind energy. You can purchase wind blades or make them from light weight plastic or wood. The size of the base and tower will determine the size of your wind blades. For a basic windmill that stands 5 feet high, wind blades can usually be from one to three feet in length.

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The Windmill Base

The base of your windmill should be strong and relatively heavy compared to the rest of the structure. You can use concrete, a sandbag, etc. For a windmill that is five feet high, a base of about 18 inches square and about 20 pounds in weight should be sufficient.

The Windmill Tower

A windmill tower for a basic windmill that measures about 5 feet high can be made from a strong piece of 2 X 4, plastic PVC piping or other strong materials.

The Windmill Nacelle

The nacelle would normally contain a gearbox. However for a basic windmill, you can use a simple shaft to connect all the windmill blades to the tower which will allow it to spin.

For those interested in building a working windmill to convert the wind’s energy to electricity, you can purchase windmill construction plans on the Internet. These windmills can be tens of feet high and include high-tech blades and nacelles.

Creating your own windmill seems like a fun project, but what is it used for? One of the main functions of this machine is to grind grains, just like a water wheel generator. To learn more about windmills, check out how windmills work. Since windmills are an example of wind turbines, you should also learn how to make a wind turbine.

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