The mill works in response to the pressure of the wind on its sails. Each sail is made up of hinged flaps, called shutters. The miller is able to change the angle of these shutters to regulate the speed of the mill. With the brake released and the shutters closed, the sails will turn. The sails are connected to the grinding stones through gears and shafts.

Sacks of grain are hoisted to the granary floor (2^nd Floor) using a chain hoist which is driven by the sails. The grain is emptied into a hopper, and it works its way down a chute to the stone floor (1^st Floor). Here it is fed through the centre of the top stone (runner stone) and onto the bottom stone (bed stone). It then works it’s ways to the outer edge of the stones being ground in the process. The ground corn then falls down another chute to the ground floor where it is bagged.

To enable the mill to operate, the sails must always face the oncoming wind. This is done automatically by the fan tail. The fan tail is the smaller sail arrangement attached to the back of the cap.  As the wind changes direction, the fan tail will rotate. This rotates the cap until the sails are once again facing the wind. The cap itself rests on a greased metal curb which is fitted to the top of the brick tower walls. Greasing the mill daily helps to keep the mill running smoothly