New rollers for the Barmere's Winch

The winch is a noteworthy feature mounted on the bow of the Barmere. It is similar to those commonly found on Mersey Flats. It has two rollers; one is an eight-sided heavy roller for use on the anchor chain, the other is a light round roller for general rope warping purposes e.g. loading sacks. Both are made of wood.

The original heavy roller had been made in one piece probably from elm or sycamore. To save on cost, the core of the new roller was built up from three inch square fence post material; and surrounded by an outer covering of oak planks. To form the core block, nine lengths of red cedar post were joined together by dowels; the corners being trimmed to make the eight sided shape. An oak panel was then doweled on to the outer face of each side to provide the finished surface. To protect the wood from damage when hoisting the anchor chain, lengths of steel rod were inserted at the exposed edges. The shape of the steel rods was based on the winch as seen on the Spry, the Severn Trow which is exhibited at Blists Hill Museum, Telford. When the anchor chain is in storage, its weight is lifted off the roller and suspended on hooks from a rail above the roller. The ends of the wooden roller are shaped to fit into slots in heavy steel rings. At one end is the gear ring which drives the roller; at the other is the pawl ring which stops the anchor from slipping back into the water. The roller was too heavy to mount on the lathe for turning; so separate end pieces were turned in the lathe and shaped to fit in the slots. The end pieces were attached to the roller by dowels. The original roller had been made in one piece of course; the new roller will therefore be slightly weaker at its ends where it fits into the steel rings. The finished roller is a bit of a flash budget job really; fine to look at; but not so capable of taking the strain of raising an anchor out of the water. A coat of modern polyurethane varnish gives the roller a smart finish. Real work with a chain would in any case spoil its appearance.

The original small roller was made in one piece of oak with a square hole down the middle. It is driven by a square shaft which was inserted down the centre hole. It was a bit of a puzzle to work out how this hole had been made. However, there was something of a clue in the black burn marks on the inside surface of the hole. A visit to the 1996 show at Spike Island threw light on the mystery. The wood turner there was able to describe how the roller would have been made. A circular hole is first bored by machine through the centre of the roller. The square centre rod is next heated up to a red heat; then pushed through the roller. As soon as the rod is in place, the roller is quenched in cold water to cool it rapidly and stop the wood burning. Manufacture of the new roller was shaping up as an exciting challenge. However, a visit to the woodyard quickly removed any thoughts of a red hot rod penetrating a smoking roller. The woodman explained that oak is now only available in thickness up to two inches. Otherwise the wood tends to warp and split in storage. So two pieces of oak were procured and glued together to make up the four inch thick block for the roller. Of course it was then easy to cut a slot out of each piece before gluing the two together. When joined together, the two slots formed a square hole. Modern wood glue is at least as strong as the wood itself. Hence the new roller can be claimed to be stronger than the old, since the centre of the roller has not been weakened by burning.

George Bruce

Index for this issue     Index of all Canal Cuttings issues      Home Page

Site design and content © 2002 - 2005 Sankey Canal Restoration Society
Site design by Phil D.Long