Abstract: A rolling mill having a rotary bowl supported on a casing of a step-down ve transmission has two parallel gear trains leading from a common input shaft to a spur output gear wheel arranged horizontally beneath the bowl. A vertical drive shaft is splined at opposite ends and transmits the gear wheel drive, without relative rotation to the bowl. The bowl is provided with horizontal and vertical bearings which are separate from the bearings of the output gear wheel. The drive shaft, by canting slightly, is able to transmit drive without lateral thrusts from the bowl to the gear wheel. As a result, wear of the gear wheel teeth produced by small misalignments of the axis of the bowl and gear wheel during operation of the mill is avoided and the life of the mill is prolonged. Provision is made for vertical removal of the shaft and the splined diameter at the lower end is less than that at the upper end to facilitate this. Involute teeth are used for the splines.