Mine Shaft Headgear School Project Kit with Winder for Grade 8

A mine shaft headgear is the tall frame built over the top of a mine shaft. A rope runs from a winder, up over a wheel at the top of the frame and down into the shaft, and that is how the cage carrying miners and ore gets raised and lowered. This kit builds a working model of one.

It's made for the Grade 8 Technology PAT in Term 3, where learners design a structure with a mechanism for lifting people and ore out of a mine. Turn the crank and the cage climbs up the middle of the tower. That gives your learner a structure and a working mechanism to explain in the same build.

Parts of the model

• A tower braced with crossed members on its sides, standing on a base board
• A pulley wheel at the head of the tower, doing the job of the sheave wheel on a real headgear
• A winding axle with a crank handle at the base
• A cage that rides up and down inside the tower

Real headgears are steel or concrete towers, and the cross bracing is what stops them twisting or leaning under a heavy load. The model uses the same idea, which makes it a good starting point for the bracing and stability questions in the PAT.

What's in the pack

• Pre-cut wooden parts for the tower, bracing and base board
• Winding axle, crank and string
• Cage

Not included

Glue, tools and paint.

A tip before the glue sets

Slide the cage up and down the tower to check it runs freely and doesn't catch on the bracing. A cage that snags or a crank that binds won't lift anything on assessment day.