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LOWER MILLSTONE
Lower and upper millstones are of the same diameter. The lower stone is not movable, and is usually placed on the floor, perfectly parallel and adhering to it. The lower stone consists of several pieces of stone of grainy, rough structure, quarried in the village of Vodovađa in Konavle, and arranged in a regular, circular pattern.
The upper surface of the lower millstone is slightly protruded, its central part being also somewhat higher than the rim. This way, centrifugal force pushes the flour toward the edge of the millstone, while the gentle skew of the funnel accelerates the flushing of the flour into a tub so it doesn’t pile up on the contact surface of the lower and upper millstones. A small funnel is also carved on its circumference.
The grain was thus grinded, falling onto the box (tub or into a wood container), and the flour was then collected by a large spoon made of mulberry wood.
A vertical shaft, made of pieces heartwood from an oak, fastened by iron hoops, passes through the hole in the lower millstone and through the floor of the millhouse. The vertical position and stability of the wooden shaft is assured by a wooden stopple surrounding the shaft and closing the opening in the lower millstone, without interfering with its rotation, and preventing at the same time the seed from falling into the space of the tackle.