Sometimes on sailing ships or in primitive mills, torque is supplied by several people walking around a big wheel, each pushing an attached lever. Or the lever might be pulled by a donkey. What do you call this kind of wheel? You sometimes see them in movies like pirates of the Caribbean.
asked Jun 16, 2016 at 8:12
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1Windlass, capstan, or winch, depending on which feature you're focusing on.– Hot LicksJun 16, 2016 at 16:23
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@HotLicks Could you expand this into an answer, in particular pointing out the distinction between the terms, and which features go with which?– R.M.Jun 16, 2016 at 18:33
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I'm not really up on marine terminology enough to give an authoritative answer. A capstan is a vertical-axis thingie (as pictured by ratchet freak). A windlass is usually horizontal-axis. A winch is a bit more generic. There are issues as to whether the rope is collected on the device or simply wrapped around it a few turns (as pictured) -- a winch most certainly collects the rope, a capstan hardly ever.– Hot LicksJun 17, 2016 at 11:43
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2 Answers
a broad revolving cylinder with a vertical axis used for winding a rope or cable, powered by a motor or pushed round by levers.
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A winch. Sometimes a grinder which is really short for a grinder winch. More modern ships tend to use either mechanical or standing grinder winches known as coffee grinders.
