The teeth on the large drive wheel (the Brakewheel) turn a metal shaft (the Quant).
When Jill is milling her Sweeps and Brakewheel rotate at 16 rpm.
As the Quant has eight times fewer teeth than the Brakewheel, it rotates eight times faster, turning the upper millstone at two revolutions each second.
The gap between the millstones at the eye is the width of the grain.
At the edge the gap is the thickness of a tissue.
Because the millstones taper together, the grain is initially sliced and then ground into meal.
A brush on the outside edge of the top millstone directs the meal down an opening, which takes it to the Spout Floor.
Click on the steps to learn how the miller controls the milling process.
Click on the steps to learn how the miller controls the milling process.