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Opposed-Blade Cone Butter Worker: Blades Lift and Press the Butter in a Cone, Buttermilk Drains Below
YourGrandma

Created by

YourGrandma

7. October 2026IS
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Opposed-Blade Cone Butter Worker: Blades Lift and Press the Butter in a Cone, Buttermilk Drains Below

Justin M. Smith of Lyme, Connecticut, received US 19,103, dated 12 January 1858, for a butter-worker: an inverted conical case hung on pivots in a frame, a turning shaft with lower blades inclined upward and upper blades curved downward, and a perforated plate in the bottom, so the butter is rolled and pressed and the buttermilk runs out. This rung prints the bottom plate and the two blade sets, builds the worker and works butter.
Intermediate
About 4 hours, plus printing

Instructions

1

Lifted and pressed down

Loading Jupyter Notebook...
2

A cone that drains at its point, before it

Williams rolls a stick round a cone by hand; Smith turns opposed blades inside one.
3

Read US 19,103

"By subjecting the butter to the rolling and compressing action as described, its grain or molecules will not be broken, for it is not subjected to a direct pressure, the working of the butter resembling that given or produced by hand."
4

Print the parts

Print the bottom plate (/uploads/blueprints/opposed-blade-cone-butter-worker-bottom-plate.stl), the lower blades (/uploads/blueprints/opposed-blade-cone-butter-worker-lower-blades.stl) and the upper blades (/uploads/blueprints/opposed-blade-cone-butter-worker-upper-blades.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

Case and frame

Use a tapered food-grade bucket as the case, cut a hole in its bottom and seal the bottom plate over it with food-safe silicone. Hang the bucket in a pine frame on two bolts through its sides, as his pivots, so it can be tipped to empty.

Materials for this step:

20-Liter Bucket20-Liter Bucket1 piece
Silicone SealantSilicone Sealant1 piece
Pine BoardPine Board1 piece
Carriage BoltCarriage Bolt1 piece
Flat WasherFlat Washer1 piece
Hex NutHex Nut1 piece

Tools needed:

Hole Saw KitHole Saw Kit
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Hand SawHand Saw
Adjustable SpannerAdjustable Spanner
6

Shaft and blades

Stand a 10 mm square hardwood shaft in the plate's step, cut a groove up one side of its foot for the buttermilk, push on the lower blades and, above them, the upper blades, and fit a crank on top through a pine bar across the bucket's mouth.

Materials for this step:

Hardwood DowelsHardwood Dowels1 piece
Pine BoardPine Board1 piece
Wood GlueWood Glue1 piece

Tools needed:

Hand SawHand Saw
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
7

The patent drawing

US 19,103 drawing sheet, public domain (expired patent).
Step 7 - Image 1
8

Work the butter

Let the heavy cream stand until it reaches about 15 °C, checked with the thermometer. Churn 1.5 litres in any churn and drain the butter. Set a bowl under the worker, put the butter in and turn the crank steadily; the buttermilk runs out through the plate. Add a pinch of salt and turn on to work it in. Tip the case to empty it and weigh the butter.

Materials for this step:

Heavy CreamHeavy Cream1500 ml
Coarse Sea SaltCoarse Sea Salt1 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

Opposed-blade worker troubleshooting.

Flow

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10

History and honest limits

**Justin M. Smith** of Lyme, New London County, Connecticut, US 19,103, 12 January 1858. He wrote that the blades mix the salt through evenly and carry off hardened buttermilk; those are his claims. He did not claim a rotating shaft with arms in a case broadly; he claimed the shaft with its arms in the suspended inverted conical case with the perforated plate. A bucket and printed parts stand in for his wooden case. FDM prints hold food in their layer lines, so wash well and replace when worn.

Materials

11

Tools Required

10

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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