Sure, Woolen Mills Company’s Belt & Pulley fans move air, but to us they’re a little more about mechanical boyhood fantasies. Not so much mass production as massively creative, proprietor Jay Mill’s timeless designs are only complemented by a sensitive fabrication process: antique designs are created in a small pattern making shop, an Amish foundry handles machining, and then fans are hand-assembled at Woolen Mills’ own studios in New Park, Pennsylvania. It’s worth noting that these studios are powered by renewable solar and wind-turbine energy, in addition to being heated through a 48 vacuum-tube solar collector.
Individually customized to an installation, one can choose any number of Belt & Pulley or Direct Drive fan designs in iron, aluminum, or bronze casting paired with mahogany blades. One of our favorites: the Ostrich. The original fan designs used water motors and steam engines to power, but here the use of highly adjustable AC or DC electric gear reduction motors is employed and can be mounted on a wall, ceiling, or adjoining room via leather belts. This, gents, is certainly not a Home Depot fan.
Oh, and add this to our list of factories we’d like to tour. More images after the jump.
Buy Now: Varies By Installation
