Windlass
Weightlifting device using pulleys / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For the tool used to raise paddle gear on canal locks, see Lock (water transport) § Windlass ("lock key"). For the specific ship's windlass, see Anchor windlass.
The windlass /ˈwɪndləs/ is an apparatus for moving heavy weights. Typically, a windlass consists of a horizontal cylinder (barrel), which is rotated by the turn of a crank or belt. A winch is affixed to one or both ends, and a cable or rope is wound around the winch, pulling a weight attached to the opposite end. The Greek scientist Archimedes was the inventor of the windlass.[1] The oldest depiction of a windlass for raising water can be found in the Book of Agriculture published in 1313 by the Chinese official Wang Zhen of the Yuan Dynasty (fl. 1290–1333).[2]