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Leaning-Scoop Churn: Three Scoops Tilted 10, 5 and 0 Degrees Throw the Cream at Sharp-Topped Ribs and a Slit Cover
Buttercup

Created by

Buttercup

11. November 2026IE
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Leaning-Scoop Churn: Three Scoops Tilted 10, 5 and 0 Degrees Throw the Cream at Sharp-Topped Ribs and a Slit Cover

Daniel H. Wiswell of Buffalo, New York, received US 27,504, dated 13 March 1860, for a churn. Three concave scoops on a crank-turned upright shaft lean back by different amounts, 10, 5 and 0 degrees, and throw the cream against ribs on the wall, whose tops slant down to a sharp edge, and up against an inner cover slit on one side with one lip raised over the other. The patent gives no sizes; every size here is ours, and so is our reading of where the scoops sit.
Intermediate
About 2 days, plus printing

Instructions

1

Three scoops, three leans

Loading Jupyter Notebook...
2

An upright churn worked from the top, one month before

Willson strokes his dasher up and down. Wiswell turns his scoops round an upright shaft.
3

Read US 27,504

"The nature of my invention and improvement consists in the application of the scoops or arms marked B inserted in a shaft marked S, one at the base, the upper edge of which scoop or arm leans backward ten degrees; the second, one third distant to the left, the upper edge of which leans backward five degrees; the third, one third distant from the second and above the other at right angles."
4

Print the scoop leaning 10 degrees

Concave scoop 90 mm long and 64 across, its stem 12 mm, the scoop turned 10 degrees on the stem. PETG, 0.2 mm layers, 40 % infill, 4 walls.
Design FileSTLCC0 - Free
5

Print the scoop leaning 5 degrees

The same scoop turned 5 degrees on its stem. PETG, 0.2 mm layers, 40 % infill, 4 walls.
Design FileSTLCC0 - Free
6

Print the upright scoop

The same scoop, upright on its stem. PETG, 0.2 mm layers, 40 % infill, 4 walls.
Design FileSTLCC0 - Free
7

Print the crown wheel

Crown wheel, 36 teeth on its face, module 2, with a hub; bored 12.4 mm. PETG, 0.2 mm layers, 40 % infill, 4 walls.
Design FileSTLCC0 - Free
8

Print the pinion

Spur pinion, 12 teeth, module 2, with a hub; bored 12.4 mm. PETG, 0.2 mm layers, 40 % infill, 4 walls.
Design FileSTLCC0 - Free
9

Shaft S, spindle box F and scoops B

Cut a 35 mm hardwood dowel 348 mm long for the shaft and drill 12 mm stainless spindles 30 mm into each end, the lower one standing out 15 mm, the upper one 70 mm. Screw a hardwood block 60 x 60 x 20 mm to the bucket's floor centre as the spindle box F and bore it 12.6 mm, 15 deep. Bore three 12 mm holes into the shaft for the scoops' stems, a third of a turn apart, 56, 86 and 116 mm above the floor, and glue the scoops in, the 10-degree one lowest, the upright one highest, each leaning back against the way the shaft turns.

Materials for this step:

20-Liter Bucket20-Liter Bucket1 piece
Hardwood DowelsHardwood Dowels1 piece
Stainless Steel RodStainless Steel Rod1 piece
Hardwood BlockHardwood Block1 piece
Wood GlueWood Glue1 piece
Wood ScrewsWood Screws2 pieces
Silicone SealantSilicone Sealant1 piece
PETG FilamentPETG Filament1 piece

Tools needed:

FDM 3D PrinterFDM 3D Printer
HacksawHacksaw
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Files (Hand File)Files (Hand File)
Bench ViseBench Vise
ProtractorProtractor
Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
10

Ribs C

Cut four hardwood ribs 20 mm thick and 25 deep, 100 mm long on the inner edge and with their tops slanting down from the wall to the inner edge over 40 mm; plane both faces of the slant to a sharp edge. Screw them inside the bucket a quarter turn apart, 160 mm up from the floor, and seal each screw hole outside with silicone.

Materials for this step:

Hardwood BoardHardwood Board1 piece
Wood ScrewsWood Screws8 pieces
Silicone SealantSilicone Sealant1 piece

Tools needed:

Table SawTable Saw
SandpaperSandpaper
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
11

Inner cover A, tube D and slit E

Cut a disc of 3 mm HDPE sheet to fit inside the bucket 300 mm up, with a 40 mm hole in the centre, and fit a printed or hardwood tube D 48 mm across and 60 long in the hole round the shaft. Saw a slit E from the tube to the rim; warm the sheet beside it with the heat gun and lift one side 15 mm so it projects over the other. Screw three small hardwood cleats inside the bucket for the cover to rest on.

Materials for this step:

HDPE SheetHDPE Sheet1 piece
Hardwood BoardHardwood Board1 piece
Wood ScrewsWood Screws6 pieces
Silicone SealantSilicone Sealant1 piece

Tools needed:

JigsawJigsaw
Heat GunHeat Gun
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Files (Hand File)Files (Hand File)
Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
12

Bridge and crank

Cut a hardwood bridge 350 x 205 x 25 mm to sit on the bucket's rim and bore it 13 mm over the centre for the shaft's upper spindle; fit the pinion on the spindle above it. Screw two hardwood chairs on the bridge carrying a 12 mm stainless crank shaft with the crown wheel meshing the pinion, and fit a hardwood crank with a dowel handle on its outer end; hold it with collars.

Materials for this step:

Hardwood BoardHardwood Board2 pieces
Stainless Steel RodStainless Steel Rod1 piece
Hardwood DowelsHardwood Dowels1 piece
Wood GlueWood Glue1 piece
Wood ScrewsWood Screws8 pieces
Shaft CollarShaft Collar2 pieces
Split PinSplit Pin1 piece

Tools needed:

Table SawTable Saw
Cordless DrillCordless Drill
Drill Bit SetDrill Bit Set
Spade Bit SetSpade Bit Set
HacksawHacksaw
Bar ClampBar Clamp
Screwdriver SetScrewdriver Set
Tape MeasureTape Measure
13

The build in 3D

FreeCAD model of this build, the bucket cut through the middle: the shaft S on its spindle box, the three leaning scoops, the ribs, the slit inner cover with its tube, and the bridge with the crank, crown wheel and pinion.
Design FileBLENDCC0 - Free
14

Churn

Pour about 6 litres of heavy cream at about 15 °C, checked with the thermometer, into the bucket, set the shaft in its box, lay the cover over the shaft on its cleats, and set the bridge and gearing on the rim. Turn the crank steadily, timing it, so the scoops travel with their hollows forward. When the butter comes, lift off the bridge, cover and shaft, 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 Cream6 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)
15

Troubleshooting

Leaning-scoop churn troubleshooting.

Flow

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16

History and honest limits

**Daniel H. Wiswell** of Buffalo, New York, US 27,504, 13 March 1860, "Churn", assigned to Chas. W. Adams and Debby Pinner. He claimed the inner cover A, the scoops B, and the sharp edge and slant of the ribs' tops, combined. His text does not make plain where each scoop sits; ours are a third of a turn apart, each higher than the last, the third upright. His spindle box is lignum vitae or hemlock knot; ours is hardwood. Every size here is ours.

Materials

15

Tools Required

19

Design Files

6

CC0 Public Domain

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