ART
BEAUTY & WELLNESS
CRAFT
CULTURE & HISTORY
ENTERTAINMENT
ENVIRONMENT
FOOD & DRINKS
REVERSE ENGINEERING
SCIENCES
SPORTS
TECHNOLOGY
WEARABLES
Pendulum Swing Dash Churn: Rock the Hanging Tank, the Dasher Works Itself
Ithiel S. Richardson, Boston, Massachusetts · Public domain (expired patent)
Martin

Created by

Martin

6. October 2026NO
0
0
0
0
0

Pendulum Swing Dash Churn: Rock the Hanging Tank, the Dasher Works Itself

Richardson made the swing of the churn drive the dasher. Ithiel S. Richardson of Boston, Massachusetts, received US 8,146, dated 10 June 1851, for what he called the "Oscillating Perpendicular Dash-Churn": a tank hung in a swing between standards four feet long, joined at the top and spread three and a half feet at the bottom; a connecting rod from the swing rocks a bent lever on a rock shaft that works the dash stick up and down. The dash stick is hollow over a staff on a perforated false bottom, with a valved plug to let air in, so no vacuum slows the dasher; afterward the false bottom lifts out as a strainer, "bringing with it the butter." This rung works out the swing's pace, then prints the dasher, false bottom and valve plug, builds the frame and swing, and makes butter.
Advanced
About 6 hours, plus printing

Instructions

1

The swing's pace

Loading Jupyter Notebook...
2

A swinging churn that works its dashers before it

The embedded blueprint swings a platform whose toothed pieces work two dashers. Richardson hangs the tank in a pendulum frame and works one dasher through a bent lever.
3

Read US 8,146

"The hand holding the rod L communicates a backward and forward motion to the swing, which motion the swing communicates from one of its upright parts, through the connecting rod K to the arm J of the bent lever G H J, which bent lever, from its arm G, gives the motion to the dash stick F."
4

Print the parts

Print the perforated dasher with its socket (/uploads/blueprints/pendulum-swing-dash-churn-dasher.stl), the perforated false bottom with its staff socket (/uploads/blueprints/pendulum-swing-dash-churn-false-bottom.stl) and the valve plug (/uploads/blueprints/pendulum-swing-dash-churn-valve-plug.stl). Print in PLA at 0.2 mm layers, 30 % infill, 4 walls; wash before first use.

Materials for this step:

PLA FilamentPLA Filament1 piece

Tools needed:

FDM 3D PrinterFDM 3D Printer
5

Frame and swing

Build two A-frames of pine about 800 mm tall and join their tops with a 12 mm steel rod. Hang a swing from it: two pine uprights and a plywood board at their feet. Stand a straight-sided food-grade container on the board as the tank, strapped to the uprights.

Materials for this step:

Pine BoardPine Board1 piece
Mild Steel RodMild Steel Rod1 piece
Plywood SheetPlywood Sheet1 piece
Food-Grade Storage ContainerFood-Grade Storage Container1 piece
#8 x 1" Wood Screw#8 x 1" Wood Screw1 piece
Leather StripLeather Strip1 piece

Tools needed:

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

Dasher, lever and rod

Bore a length of 18 mm food-grade tube as the hollow dash stick and fit the valve plug through its side near the top, with a small leather flap inside so air enters but cannot leave that way. Glue the dasher on its foot. Set the false bottom in the tank with a 12 mm dowel staff rising inside the dash stick, and hold it with a wedge. Pivot a pine bent lever on a rock shaft across the frame's top, couple its long arm to the dash stick and its short arm by a pine rod to one swing upright.

Materials for this step:

PVC PipePVC Pipe1 piece
Leather StripLeather Strip1 piece
Hardwood DowelsHardwood Dowels1 piece
Pine BoardPine Board1 piece
Machine ScrewsMachine Screws1 piece
Hex NutHex Nut1 piece
Two-Part EpoxyTwo-Part Epoxy1 piece

Tools needed:

HacksawHacksaw
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
Adjustable SpannerAdjustable Spanner
7

The build in 3D

FreeCAD model of this build, not of the patent: the A-frames and rod, the swing with the tank cut away to show the perforated false bottom, the staff, the hollow dash stick and dasher, and the lever above.
Design FileBLENDCC0 - Free
Download Model
8

Swing and make butter

Let the heavy cream stand until it reaches about 15 °C, checked with the thermometer. Pour in 2 litres and put on the lid. Swing the tank steadily to and fro at its own pace; the dasher rises and falls. Time until the butter comes. Lift the false bottom out by its staff, bringing the butter with it, and let the buttermilk drain back. Rinse and salt the butter in a bowl, and weigh it.
Step 8 - Image 1

Materials for this step:

Heavy CreamHeavy Cream2000 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

A dasher that sticks, a swing that won't keep going

Pendulum swing dash churn troubleshooting.

Flow

Loading...
10

History and honest limits

**Ithiel S. Richardson** of Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, received US 8,146, dated 10 June 1851 (the drawing sheet's lettering reads "J. S."; the specification gives Ithiel). His standards were 2½ by 1½ inches square and four feet long; the swing's board was 12 by 16 inches; the stroke could be shortened by moving the couplings. He claimed the combination of the rock shaft, levers, connecting rod and swing for producing the perpendicular movement of the dasher. **Honest limits.** A smaller frame, a food-grade container and printed parts stand in for his. FDM prints hold food in their layer lines, so wash well and replace when worn. Your times and weights are the result.

Materials

15

Tools Required

12

Design Files

1

Related Blueprints

These blueprints share knowledge with this one — techniques, materials, or principles that connect them in the learning graph.

Double-Swing Churn: Swing the Platform, the Toothed Pieces Work Both Dashers

Double-Swing Churn: Swing the Platform, the Toothed Pieces Work Both Dashers

by WoodyNO

Woodworking

1
0
0
0
0
0
Pendulum Clock

Pendulum Clock

by MartinNO

Engineering

40
0
0
0
0
0
Valved Hollow-Staff Plunger Churn: A Valve at the Top, Air Forced Out at the Foot

Valved Hollow-Staff Plunger Churn: A Valve at the Top, Air Forced Out at the Foot

by TheChefDK

FOOD & DRINKS

0
0
0
0
0
0

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.

Support the Maker by purchasing products through their Blueprint where they earn a Maker Commission set by Vendors, or create a new iteration of this Blueprint and include it as a connection in your own Blueprint to share revenue.

Discussion

(0)

Log in to join the discussion

Loading comments...