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Three-Stroke Swing Churn: An Undulating Slot Gives the Dasher Three Strokes Each Swing
Martin

Created by

Martin

7. October 2026NO
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Three-Stroke Swing Churn: An Undulating Slot Gives the Dasher Three Strokes Each Swing

Charles H. Dana of West Lebanon, New Hampshire, received US 17,781, dated 14 July 1857, for an "Improved Three-Stroke Churn": a swing frame carrying the cream vessel, with the dasher's cross bar running on friction rollers in an undulating slot fixed to the frame work, "giving three distinct motions to the dasher" at each swing. This rung prints the slot plates, roller bar and rollers, builds the frames and makes butter.
Advanced
About 6 hours, plus printing

Instructions

1

Three strokes from one swing

Loading Jupyter Notebook...
2

Two strokes per swing, before it

The Davises get two strokes from a notched wheel; Dana three from an undulating slot.
3

Read US 17,781

"The lid being pressed down, motion is given to the swing frame E, by means of the handle I, and as the frame swings the cross bar with the friction rollers plays in the slots D, and F, giving three distinct motions to the dasher, thereby causing a greater amount of agitation to the milk at each swing or oscillation of the cream vessel than is performed by any other machine of the same kind."
4

Print the parts

Print two slot plates (/uploads/blueprints/three-stroke-swing-churn-slot-plate.stl), the roller bar (/uploads/blueprints/three-stroke-swing-churn-roller-bar.stl) and two rollers (/uploads/blueprints/three-stroke-swing-churn-roller.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

A-frame and swing

Build a pine A-frame about 520 mm high, two legs each side, and hang a swing frame of two pine uprights and a floor board from a 10 mm rod at the top, with a pine handle out from its floor. Bolt a slot plate inside each pair of legs so its slot's centre is 300 mm below the pivot.

Materials for this step:

Pine BoardPine Board1 piece
Mild Steel RodMild Steel Rod1 piece
Machine ScrewsMachine Screws1 piece
Hex NutHex Nut1 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
Adjustable SpannerAdjustable Spanner
6

Vessel and dasher

Stand a food-grade container on the swing's floor. Push a 10 mm dowel dasher rod through slots in the swing's uprights into the roller bar's socket, the rollers on its stub axles in the slot plates, and fix a perforated pine dasher on its foot inside the container.

Materials for this step:

Food-Grade Storage ContainerFood-Grade Storage Container1 piece
Hardwood DowelsHardwood Dowels1 piece
Pine BoardPine Board1 piece
Wood GlueWood Glue1 piece

Tools needed:

Hole Saw KitHole Saw Kit
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
7

The build in 3D

FreeCAD model of this build: the A-frame, the swing with its vessel and dasher, and the roller bar running in the two undulating slot plates.
Design FileBLENDCC0 - Free
8

Swing and churn

Let the heavy cream stand until it reaches about 15 °C, checked with the thermometer. Pour in 1.5 litres and fit the lid. Swing the frame steadily by the handle; the dasher strokes three times each way. 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.
Step 8 - Image 1

Materials for this step:

Heavy CreamHeavy Cream1500 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

Three-stroke swing churn troubleshooting.

Flow

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10

History and honest limits

**Charles H. Dana** of West Lebanon, Grafton County, New Hampshire, US 17,781, 14 July 1857. He did not claim an oscillating churn, nor more than one stroke per swing as such; he claimed the irregular curved pieces forming the undulating slot with the slotted swing frame and roller cross bar. Our slot's waves and sizes are ours; his drawing gives none. FDM prints hold food in their layer lines, so wash well and replace when worn.

Materials

12

Tools Required

10

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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