Wooden tower-top casting ID

[hwy8]

What brand/model machine would have used a casting like this?

[Wayne]

I wondering if it's Dempster, They have the two piece casting that might fit in the spot on top. Looks kinda like their top casting for a metal tower.

[Windcatcher530 Dan]

I would say it fit a wooden tower and possibly was meant to use ball bearings

[windybob]

Looks like wood tower top, and yes, either balls or more likely an anti-friction washer (s). Not sure if the 'pocket' on the left has a galley for oil to the bearing area.

[hwy8]

How would it have attached to the tower? Would there be slots in the 4x4's that held the projections on the bottom of the casting? This came off the water-tower barn and even though the group is going to install a 10' Aermotor, they would like to figure out what was originally "on top". There haven't been any photos discovered yet and it would be nice to at least display a drawing, etc.

[mtblah]

The Ideal Steel windmills used a very similar set up . I believe the slot is for indexing the leveling plate that sits on top & the motor on top of that part .

[Wayne]

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This two piece bearing race is what I think goes on top of the wooden tower top plate. I also posted the metal tower cap that the race would set on for a metal tower

[windybob]

That appears to be an old Dempster tower top Wayne. You know that already. I have used those turntables when switching over many types of mills on many types of towers.

The wooden tower top lays on the ends of the 4 X 4's and bolts straight down into the wooden legs. I would guess the lugs on the underneath go between the legs to prevent the casting from trying to turn, and working the bolts loose.

[windybob]

One type of tower top casting. J-bolts to the legs, or inner brackets. Didn't crawl under and look.

tower top.jpeg