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Pendulum Churn: A Treadle Swings the Hung Churn, Arms From the Base Plunge the Dasher and a Twisted Strip Turns It
Buttercup

Created by

Buttercup

11. November 2026IE
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Pendulum Churn: A Treadle Swings the Hung Churn, Arms From the Base Plunge the Dasher and a Twisted Strip Turns It

W. B. Gordinier of Coudersport, Pennsylvania, received US 28,170, dated 8 May 1860, for a pendulum churn. The churn stands in a frame that hangs like a swing and is set swinging with a treadle and a cord over a pulley. Arms from the base hold the dash rod's cross head, so as the swing moves the dasher plunges up and down, while a twisted strip on the rod, working through a slotted bar, turns it back and forth. The patent gives no sizes; every size here is ours.
Advanced
About 3 days

Instructions

1

Why the dasher plunges as the churn swings

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2

A spiral that turns a push into a spin, one week before

Ashley slides a nut on a spiral to spin his beater. Gordinier slides his twisted strip through a slot.
3

Read US 28,170

"From this description it will be seen that the mechanism for operating the churn gives to the parts a combined vibrating, reciprocating, and alternate rotary motion, which are obtained by simply moving the treadle L."
4

Base A, standards B and cross bar B'

From pine lumber 60 x 50 mm make a base 1600 x 660 mm with four cross pieces, one under the pivot. Stand two standards 60 x 60 mm at the middle of the long sides, 1350 mm tall, joined at the top by a cross bar B'. Bore them 25 mm across 1300 mm above the floor for a 24 mm stainless pivot shaft, with the pulley J loose on its middle.

Materials for this step:

Pine LumberPine Lumber4 pieces
Wood ScrewsWood Screws40 pieces
Wood GlueWood Glue1 piece
Stainless Steel RodStainless Steel Rod1 piece
PulleyPulley1 piece
Shaft CollarShaft Collar2 pieces

Tools needed:

Table SawTable Saw
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Spade Bit SetSpade Bit Set
Bar ClampBar Clamp
Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
Tape MeasureTape Measure
5

Swing frame C, cross bar H and churn box E

Hang two hardwood hangers 90 x 30 x 60 mm on the pivot shaft, 400 mm apart, and fix two 20 mm hardwood dowels upright under each, 60 mm apart centre to centre, reaching 1150 mm down to a hardwood bottom board 440 x 440 x 25 mm. Across the arms 400 mm below the pivot fix a hardwood bar H with a slot 28 x 7 mm in its middle. Screw a 20-litre bucket to the board and cut a 28 mm hole in its lid's centre.

Materials for this step:

Hardwood BoardHardwood Board2 pieces
Hardwood DowelsHardwood Dowels4 pieces
Wood GlueWood Glue1 piece
Wood ScrewsWood Screws16 pieces
20-Liter Bucket20-Liter Bucket1 piece

Tools needed:

Table SawTable Saw
JigsawJigsaw
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Spade Bit SetSpade Bit Set
Bar ClampBar Clamp
Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
6

Cross head D, dash rod D', strip G and arms F

Cut a hardwood cross head 28 x 40 mm, 504 long, notched at each end to run between a pair of arm rods, with a hardwood roller 36 mm across on a pin at each end. Bore its middle 21 mm. Cut a 20 mm stainless dash rod, cut a groove round it and hold it in the cross head with two key collars in the groove, so it turns; fix a hardwood dasher, two crossed boards 220 x 60 x 16 mm with four 20 mm holes, 410 mm below the cross head. Twist a stainless strip 25 x 3 mm, 300 long, a quarter turn every 90 mm in the vise, fix it to the rod's top and pass it up through bar H's slot. Cut two mild steel flat bar arms F with holes 640 mm apart; bolt one end of each to a bracket on the base under the pivot, 60 mm up, and the other to the cross head's end.

Materials for this step:

Hardwood BoardHardwood Board1 piece
Hardwood DowelsHardwood Dowels1 piece
Stainless Steel RodStainless Steel Rod1 piece
Shaft CollarShaft Collar2 pieces
Stainless Steel SheetStainless Steel Sheet1 piece
Mild Steel Flat BarMild Steel Flat Bar2 pieces
Carriage BoltCarriage Bolt4 pieces
Nylon Insert Lock NutNylon Insert Lock Nut4 pieces
Wood GlueWood Glue1 piece

Tools needed:

Table SawTable Saw
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Spade Bit SetSpade Bit Set
HacksawHacksaw
Tin SnipsTin Snips
Bench ViseBench Vise
Files (Hand File)Files (Hand File)
Adjustable SpannerAdjustable Spanner
7

Treadle L and cord K

Hinge a hardwood treadle 600 x 240 x 25 mm to a block on the base beyond the churn. Tie a cord to each end of the cross head, bring both up to the pulley J, take them over it together and down to the treadle's far end.

Materials for this step:

Hardwood BoardHardwood Board1 piece
Cabinet Butt HingeCabinet Butt Hinge2 pieces
Wood ScrewsWood Screws8 pieces
CordCord1 piece

Tools needed:

Table SawTable Saw
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
8

The build in 3D

FreeCAD model of this build, swung 12 degrees: the base and standards, the swing frame with its bottom board and the bucket cut open, the cross head between the arm rods, the arms F from the base, the dash rod and dasher, the twisted strip through bar H, the pulley J on the pivot shaft, the cord and the treadle.
Design FileBLENDCC0 - Free
9

Churn

Pour about 10 litres of heavy cream at about 15 °C, checked with the thermometer, into the bucket and put on its lid. Work the treadle with your foot in time with the swing, timing it, so the churn swings up to about 20 degrees each way. When the butter comes, stop the swing, unbolt the arms F from the cross head and lift the dash rod out, take out the butter, pour the buttermilk into a bowl, wash the butter in cold water until it runs clear, salt and weigh it.

Materials for this step:

Heavy CreamHeavy Cream10 l
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)
10

Troubleshooting

Pendulum churn troubleshooting.

Flow

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11

History and honest limits

**W. B. Gordinier** of Coudersport, Potter County, Pennsylvania, US 28,170, 8 May 1860, "Churn" (the drawing spells the name Gordnier). He claimed the swinging frame carrying the churn, with the arms F, spiral plate G, cord K, pulley J and treadle L. He does not explain how the arms make the dasher rise and fall; the working above is ours. Every size is ours.

Materials

18

Tools Required

17

Design Files

1

CC0 Public Domain

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