What Can You Use for Mini Windmills on a Model?

Modern windmills use a very simple design.

Techniques for harnessing the wind and ways to grind grains with stones have been known for millennia. At some point, possibly in Persia, the two ideas came together in the form of the first windmill and spread around the world. Windmills have developed over the centuries to perform all kinds of mechanical work, such as pumping water, powering factories and generating electricity. In modern times, wind farms that can power cities extend over miles of land. Windmill designs have also become simpler, making it easy to include miniature windmills in a model.

History

The earliest known windmills appeared in Persia, and some historians think the concept was then taken back to northern Europe by returning Crusaders. However, the designs are different enough that windmills may have been developed independently in Europe, according to Windmill World. Whatever way it happened, windmills were developed by the Dutch and the British to include a number of advancements that allowed windmills to be used in industry and to do things such as drive pumps that pull water from wells to fill storage tanks and provide a constant water supply. Modern windmills are a critical component in efforts to create renewable energy that doesn't rely on fossil fuels. One idea for a model would be a comparison of wind versus oil energy.

How Windmills Work

The basic windmill concept is simple. A framework or support column holds up a large wheel or turbine blades that look like a fan or airplane propeller. The angled blades catch passing winds and deflect some of the wind's energy, which pushes the blades around, turning a central shaft. The shaft can be connected via gears or belts to machinery on the ground or in a nearby structure. Alternatively, the shaft can be connected directly to a generator that produces electricity, which is then transmitted where needed by cables. A model could depict the workings of a windmill with old watch gears and copper wiring.

Heritage

European-style windmills were brought to America by colonists and eventually spread with the European settlers throughout the country. Adapted to farm use, they became fixtures in the Midwest and are still seen as part of our classic image of the Old West. Today, there are groups devoted to preserving old-style windmills, such as two that are located in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. For modern utility usage, however, pole-mounted turbines are used that can be seen covering miles of land in places such as Texas and in California in Palm Springs and in Tehachapi Pass. A model could depict any of these scenes from colonial times to modern day.

Model-Making Ideas

If you are making a model that requires one or more mini windmills, you have several options, depending on scale and type of windmill. For a modern design, use a plain balsa wood dowel, top it with a craft foam cylinder that you can carve into the shape of a turbine and add a two- or three-bladed plastic model airplane propeller. For a traditional design, carve a foam cylinder's sides into a hexagonal shape, use sandpaper to round the top, and cut a four-bladed turbine out of more craft foam or card stock. For a farm-style windmill, build a tower using toothpicks or thin wooden dowels, make a vane out of a thin sheet of balsa wood, and cut an eight- to 10-bladed fan out of balsa or craft foam.

References

• Windmill World: Windmills of California
• American Windmills: Farm Style Windmills for Pumping Water, Aerating, or Just for Fun as a Garden Toy
• Watt's Up With That?: The Reality of Wind Turbines in California
• Aermotor Windmill: How a Windmill Works
• Build It Solar: Wind Power Projects
• YouTube: Crazy Windmills
• Windmill World: History of Windmills
• Telosnet: Part 2 - 20th Century Developments