Carving has intrigued me for a while.  I started carving the first paddle early in quarantine as a way to learn the techniques.  It took several months, and several successful paddles, to gain the courage to create the working model. This is my first attempt at hand carving. All the little animals I made for largess were cut on the scroll saw. The last couple paddles are much smoother and more consistent than the first few.   

I wouldn't remake this until I had the skill to carve identical paddles. The hub would be much easier to assemble if the tabs were a more consistent size and shape. The original probably had two dozen paddles, and they stacked against each other to provide additional strength.  

The most complicated part of this project was attaching the running stone to the shaft. The stone rests on an x-shaped bearing. The bearing must support the full weight of the stone, yet allow for adjustments for different grain sizes, and be removable when the stone needs dressing (carving lines in the grinding surface). The bearing could be attached with shims, wedges, pegs, nails, or even be carved directly into the shaft.  I used a strip of linen to achieve the tight fit. I would continue to research bearing attachments, and experiment more, especially if I used an actual (heavy) stone.

The bedstone must stay in place.  Woodbutter along the shaft reduced friction enough to keep it stable.  For a working mill, the weight of the stone sitting directly on the floor of the mill would provide stability.