Pulverizer and Helve hammer off one windmill?

[Misanthrilist]

So, I've been trying to experiment with mechanicals a little bit, but I can't seem to find any way to run both a pulverizer and a Helve hammer off of a single windmill (5 sails).
I'm probably just not understanding the gear system with up/downshifts and such, as I've watched a few videos on the topic and I've seen people run (albeit very slowly) 50 helve hammers off of a single windmill, and yet I can't get even these two things running off of a full 5 blade windmill at 150~ world height.

Could someone show me a setup that would work?

I was originally thinking that a windmill with a small gear up top that goes down to a large gear at the bottom that runs both machines (with clutches). Which in my mind should work, but it did not. I could run the pulverizer, but the helve hammer, even on its own, was a no go.
I'm kind of stumped. I'd prefer not having to build one of those super ugly and nonsensical 4 windmill towers if I don't have to...

[Krougal]

Third time in as many days but, 

Screenshots of my setup in this thread: 

Helve hammer is a lot more demanding than the quern and pulverizer.

Obviously my setup could be enclosed and made more pretty, but it works.

One could use 4 hammers but then you'd probably need a 3rd windmill, and besides the forge already feels too cluttered.

 

 

[Misanthrilist]

Yes, I'm aware that the helve hammer is almost twice as demanding as the pulverizer (1.5X the Quern).

Well your setup has multiple windmill rotors, I would like to use just the one, if possible.

But even then yours is running way more machines than mine is trying to, and somehow works, while mine does not. And I really don't understand why that is.

I attached a few pics of what I was currently experimenting with. I can run the pulverizer solo, I can't run the helve hammer at all, even on its own, and obviously both at the same time is then a no go for sure.


But I don't understand why?
As I understand it the helve hammer takes 318 units of power, the pulverizer takes 170, a few gets lost in the axle transfers... but each set of sails should provide 300. so I SHOULD have 1500 power supplying approximately 500 power use. it SHOULD run absolutely fine. Hell it should be able to run at 33% wind. But it can't even run the 330~ that the helve hammer takes? 

I don't get it.

(numbers taken from this video: 

)

[Misanthrilist]

Tried it with the big gear on top centered on the axle instead, and that does in fact run both. Not sure if I actually need the big gear on top then? if not I may have just wasted a couple of hours getting the resin to make a second large gear... -.- (already disassembled the thing to start building before I thought of trying that...) if I understand gears correctly it should run the same speed/torque without the big gear, since then it'd just directly be powered by the windmill. and it's currently going small gear -> big gear -> small gear (i.e the same as directly powered?).

[Thorfinn]

Run the axle down from the central big gear at the top of your setup.

In essence, just move everything over a couple spaces and you will be fine. What you have is geared way too high. It might run with 3 sets of full sails, but I doubt it.

[Never Jhonsen]

The most basic setup you can do with both;

This screenshot doesn't show it, but they are spinning. It needs a bare minimal of 3 sail sets (60%) at 50% wind speed to start spinning. The photo above shows it with a full 5 (100%).

[Misanthrilist]

1 minute ago, Never Jhonsen said:

The most basic setup you can do with both;

This screenshot doesn't show it, but they are spinning. It needs a bare minimal of 3 sail sets (60%) at 50% wind speed to start spinning. The photo above shows it with a full 5 (100%).

Is the large gear at the top required? or can that be skipped?

[Never Jhonsen]

Just now, Misanthrilist said:

Is the large gear at the top required? or can that be skipped?

Good question

Without the top big gear, you're starting out small and going large; you will lose all speed (but gain torque), and this particular setup will not spin.

Whereas, doing the windmill small -> large, followed by your equipment large -> small, it'll still be a 1:1 gear ratio, and your items will move at the same speed as the rotor

[Misanthrilist]

Alright. thanks for the responses. I'm not sure I entirely understand the actual mechanics (I've always had trouble figuring out gears and shifting...) But as long as it works, that's fine.

[Never Jhonsen]

23 minutes ago, Never Jhonsen said:

The most basic setup you can do with both

For those in the future who may be curious (As I still had the world open, and was messing around)

This same setup can also do a Quern It will be slow for all three, with only 60% power and one sail, but again, this is the most basic working setup you can make to power all the (currently available) mechanical devices.

[Echo Weaver]

@Krougal and @Never Jhonsen, you do the game a great service by answering this question over and over again.

This is Mechanical Power 101, but lots of us don't have that much knowledge or a clue what we might not know.

Is there anything I didn't find in the Handbook or Wiki that would have pointed me in the right direction? It does seem like this is obscure enough knowledge that the game ought to give us a bit more nudge.

BTW: My power train is running the three devices like a pro now.

Edited August 5, 2025 by Echo Weaver

[Krougal]

2 minutes ago, Echo Weaver said:

@Krougal and @Never Jhonsen, you do the game a great service by answering this question over and over again.

This is Mechanical Power 101, but lots of us don't have that much knowledge or a clue what we might not know.

Is there anything I didn't find in the Handbook or Wiki that would have pointed me in the right direction? It does seem like this is obscure enough knowledge that the game ought to give us a bit more nudge.

BTW: My power train is running the three devices like a pro now.

Unfortunately no to the handbook or wiki, other than the very basics.

Even asking around the forums I honestly didn't get much help at the time.

Videos and trial and error.

 

[Calixtus]

I have a very basic set up.

I large gear at the top with 4 rotors.   I started with 1 rotor and added more as I got the mats.   

Central axle running down to another large gear and then to the quern, helve hammer and pulverizer running off this.  I added the clutch and transmissions as I obtained the mats.

As a single player it is a simple, compact and does the job although maybe not aestehtically pleasing.   I recently added a second helve hammer.