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Cord-Wound Staff Churn Drive: A Swinging Lever Twists the Dash To and Fro by Cords
Hoop

Created by

Hoop

7. October 2026GB
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Cord-Wound Staff Churn Drive: A Swinging Lever Twists the Dash To and Fro by Cords

Lucius Leavenworth of Trumansburg, New York, received US 14,458, dated 18 March 1856, for "Machinery for Operating Churns": cords from a pulley, worked by a swinging lever, wind and unwind on the dash staff and turn it to and fro. This rung prints the pulley, lever head, frame and dash, builds the drive on a churn and makes butter.
Intermediate
About 4 hours, plus printing

Instructions

1

From a swing to a twist

Loading Jupyter Notebook...
2

A turned staff before it

Boyers turns his shaft with a crank; Leavenworth twists his with cords.
3

Read US 14,458

"By taking hold of the handle of the lever, and moving it with a reciprocating motion, the cords attached to arc of the lever, will alternately wind and unwind on the pulley F, causing it to partially revolve in the direction of the lever, thus causing the cords E, E, to move the staff with a reciprocating motion."
4

Print the parts

Print the pulley (/uploads/blueprints/cord-wound-staff-churn-drive-pulley.stl), the lever head (/uploads/blueprints/cord-wound-staff-churn-drive-lever-arc.stl), the frame (/uploads/blueprints/cord-wound-staff-churn-drive-frame.stl) and the dash (/uploads/blueprints/cord-wound-staff-churn-drive-dash.stl). Print in PETG at 0.2 mm layers, 30 % infill, 4 walls; wash before first use.

Materials for this step:

PETG FilamentPETG Filament1 piece

Tools needed:

FDM 3D PrinterFDM 3D Printer
5

Post, frame and pulley

Stand a pine post beside a tapered food-grade bucket. Clamp the frame on its top, with a pine arm out over the bucket's centre carrying the pulley on a 10 mm rod. Pin the lever head on a 10 mm rod lower in the frame and glue a 12 mm dowel handle into it.

Materials for this step:

Pine BoardPine Board1 piece
20-Liter Bucket20-Liter Bucket1 piece
Mild Steel RodMild Steel Rod1 piece
Hardwood DowelsHardwood Dowels1 piece
#8 x 1" Wood Screw#8 x 1" Wood Screw1 piece

Tools needed:

Hand SawHand Saw
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
6

Staff, dash and cords

Push the dash onto a 16 mm hardwood staff and stand it in the bucket, its top in the pulley's large groove. Tie a cord from each pulley groove, wind it a few turns round the staff, the two the same way, and fix it to a pin in the staff. Tie cord H round the pulley's small hub in opposite directions to the two ends of the lever's arc.

Materials for this step:

Hardwood DowelsHardwood Dowels1 piece
ParacordParacord1 piece
Wood GlueWood Glue1 piece

Tools needed:

Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
7

The patent drawing

US 14,458 drawing sheet, public domain (expired patent).
Step 7 - Image 1
8

Churn

Let the heavy cream stand until it reaches about 15 °C, checked with the thermometer. Pour in 3 litres. Swing the lever steadily to and fro; time until the butter comes. Pour off the buttermilk, add cold water, churn a little and pour off again until it runs clear; work in a pinch of salt and weigh the butter.

Materials for this step:

Heavy CreamHeavy Cream3000 ml
Coarse Sea SaltCoarse Sea Salt1 piece
WaterWater1 piece

Tools needed:

Leave-In Probe ThermometerLeave-In Probe Thermometer
StopwatchStopwatch
Digital Kitchen ScaleDigital Kitchen Scale
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl (Large)Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl (Large)
9

Troubleshooting

Cord-wound drive troubleshooting.

Flow

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10

History and honest limits

**Lucius Leavenworth** of Trumansburg, Tompkins County, New York, US 14,458, 18 March 1856. The lever's wrist pin could take "a connecting rod from a rocking chain or other power." He claimed the cords attached to the pulley and wound on the staff to give a rotary motion. A bucket, pine and printed parts stand in for his. FDM prints hold food in their layer lines, so wash well and replace when worn.

Materials

11

Tools Required

9

CC0 Public Domain

This blueprint is released under CC0. You are free to copy, modify, distribute, and use this work for any purpose, without asking permission.

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