The Dentzel Carousel Mechanism

The mechanism for the carousel was donated by the Dentzel family, one of the great names in carousels. The mechanism and center post came from a carousel at Point Pleasant, New Jersey, built in 1909, so 2009 is its one hundredth anniversary.
The gears are made of wood. New gears were fabricated to match the original ones.



The platform is huge. The floor measures 49 feet in diameter. It needed to be rebuilt. New wood was found and purchased in Portland.





The wood on the original apron that finishes the front face of the platform was curved (bent to contour to match the curve of the platform's edge). For the rebuilt platform, wood was cut to shape to follow the curve of the platform. The front piece is standing on the flat edge that attaches to the platform in the photo, with the curved apron edge facing upward.



The center pole is made from a huge tree. The original pole is in great condition and will be used for the new structure. It looks like a mast from an old sailing ship. The finished structure will be 51 feet in height.

The plans shown below are fun to see.