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Sliding-Bar Air-Tube Dasher Churn: Churn Low, Then Raise the Bar and Turn Back to Gather
Millie

Created by

Millie

7. October 2026NL
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Sliding-Bar Air-Tube Dasher Churn: Churn Low, Then Raise the Bar and Turn Back to Gather

William H. Truesdell of Elgin, Illinois, received US 18,936, dated 22 December 1857, for a dasher bar that slides on the upright shaft, with an inclined board and an air tube at each end. It churns near the bottom; then it is raised to the surface and turned gently back, "the inclined boards forming chambers" to gather the butter. This rung prints the dasher bar, collar, step and gears, builds the churn and makes butter.
Intermediate
About 4 hours, plus printing

Instructions

1

Down to churn, up to gather

Loading Jupyter Notebook...
2

Lifting to gather, before it

Dickinson lifts his breakers to gather; Truesdell lifts the whole dasher bar to the surface.
3

Read US 18,936

"After the butter is produced, the bar D is raised to the surface, or nearly to the surface, of the cream and is supported in proper position by the pin (h) which is inserted in the shaft B below the collar (g). By turning the shaft B, gently in a reverse direction the butter will be collected, the inclined boards (i) forming chambers to receive it."
4

Print the parts

Print the dasher bar with its inclined boards (/uploads/blueprints/sliding-bar-air-tube-dasher-churn-dasher-bar.stl), the collar (/uploads/blueprints/sliding-bar-air-tube-dasher-churn-collar.stl), the step (/uploads/blueprints/sliding-bar-air-tube-dasher-churn-step.stl), the crown wheel (/uploads/blueprints/sliding-bar-air-tube-dasher-churn-crown-wheel.stl), the pinion (/uploads/blueprints/sliding-bar-air-tube-dasher-churn-pinion.stl) and the standard (/uploads/blueprints/sliding-bar-air-tube-dasher-churn-standard.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

Bar, tubes and collar

Glue an 8 mm food-grade tube into each socket so its top stands above the cream, slightly inclined. Slide the bar onto a 10 mm square hardwood shaft standing in the step in a round food-grade container. Hang the bar from the collar by four 3 mm stainless rods, and drill the shaft for a pin under the collar at the churning and the gathering heights.

Materials for this step:

PVC PipePVC Pipe1 piece
Two-Part EpoxyTwo-Part Epoxy1 piece
Hardwood DowelsHardwood Dowels1 piece
Food-Grade Storage ContainerFood-Grade Storage Container1 piece
Mild Steel RodMild Steel Rod1 piece

Tools needed:

HacksawHacksaw
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
6

Lid, gears and crank

Fix half the lid with a hole for the shaft, the pinion on its top and the standard with the crown wheel meshing it; screw a dowel handle into the wheel.

Materials for this step:

Mild Steel RodMild Steel Rod1 piece
Hardwood DowelsHardwood Dowels1 piece
#8 x 1" Wood Screw#8 x 1" Wood Screw1 piece

Tools needed:

Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
7

The build in 3D

FreeCAD model of this build: the container cut away to show the dasher bar low on the shaft with its inclined boards and air tubes, the collar and rods above, and the crown wheel and pinion.
Design FileBLENDCC0 - Free
8

Churn low, gather high

Let the heavy cream stand until it reaches about 15 °C, checked with the thermometer. Pour in 2 litres. With the bar low, crank steadily; time until the butter comes. Raise the bar to the surface, pin the collar there, and crank gently the other way to gather the butter. 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.
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

Troubleshooting

Sliding-bar churn troubleshooting.

Flow

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10

History and honest limits

**William H. Truesdell** of Elgin, Kane County, Illinois, US 18,936, 22 December 1857. He did not claim bringing air into the cream, nor adjusting dashers broadly; he claimed the bar and its inclined boards that let air in turning one way and form chambers to gather the butter turning the other. Printed parts and a container stand in for his. FDM prints hold food in their layer lines, so wash well and replace when worn.

Materials

10

Tools Required

9

Design Files

1

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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