How a Curved Flume Could Keep Logs Moving
A log floating in a flume is already partly supported by buoyancy: it displaces water, and the surrounding water pushes upward. To move it downstream, the current must also exert a forward force. Water flowing around the log creates drag, much as wind pushes a sail, and that force can carry the log along the channel.
In Schauberger’s curved flumes, the channel’s bends encouraged water to circulate as it traveled forward. The resulting spiral motion helped direct the current around the logs, so the moving water—not a force that made the wood lighter—did the transporting.
Why Shallow Water Was the Challenge
A floating log can still touch the bottom when the water gets shallow. That contact adds friction and can make the log stall, especially if it catches on an uneven spot or another log. The current has to keep pushing strongly enough to overcome that resistance.
The swirl is best understood as a moving belt only in a limited sense: the water carries the log because it flows past and pushes it. The log remains heavy, and the channel still needs enough water to float it and enough current to keep it moving. The striking point is that a circulating stream can transport bulky wood through a channel without lifting it—the water supplies the support and the forward shove together.
