The bench was an elongated piece of timber fitted with a metal bucket, called the dau or die. This die had a small hole in the centre where the cartridge needle was inserted. When water dropped on it, the needle turned in the hole and prevented the cartridge from coming out of the bench.
The miller used the lifter, a piece that connected the bench with the top floor, to move the bench up or down and to raise or lower the grinding stone so he could grind coarser or finer grain.