Stony Brook Grist Mill, NY

The project involved disassembly, cleaning, repair, and reassembly of the mill’s primary drive systems—including the pit wheel, bevel gearing, shafting, and stone assembly. Accumulated debris, worn components and misalignment had compromised performance, thus much of the work centered on improving alignment, cleaning and lubrication.

One component of the project involved recogging the pit bevel gear. We fabricated and installed a full set of hard maple teeth and wedges, each tooth was individually shaped and fitted to accommodate irregularities in the historic casting. To protect this investment, we designed, had fabricated and installed a custom marine-grade stainless steel liner within the pit to reduce water and silt exposure from high tides.

The stone spindle's thrust bearing and neck bearing were reworked and trammed for accurate operation. This included machining a new bronze step bearing, rebuilding the neck worn bearing. We also realigning the entire vertical drive to ensure smooth power transmission, as well as horizontal drive from wallower to bevel gear. Additionally, we refined the tentering system, restored proper belt tracking, reestablished functional relationships between the millstones and drive components, and rekeyed loose gears with loose keyways.

Throughout the mill, opperational bearings were opened, cleaned, and re-lubricated; fasteners were freed, threads cleaned and reset; and mechanical systems were brought back into working alignment. Where appropriate, we introduced discreet improvements—such as dust protection, lubrication strategies, and maintenance tools—to support long-term operation without compromising historical integrity.

Because the client scheduled waterwheel restoration concurrently by a different contractor, final operational testing under water power was not possible. All systems we worked on were calibrated and verified in so much as possible through manual operation since the wheel was not operable. The mill was left in a condition ready for final tuning and continued use, however due to budget the client did not have Husk back to opperate and troubleshoot. Sadly for the client and community, the mill dam was later washed out during flooding.