Your typical kitchen food-mixer has a base with a high part (probably rather hollow), and a low part (the mixing bowl sits on the low part).
There is an electric motor above the high part of the base, with its drive shaft or axis going horizontally from its location above the base.
Then, a modest distance from the motor, and above the mixing bowl, there is some gearing to convert the horizontal rotation of the axle into vertical rotation. Various tools are attached to the vertical shaft, which mix in various ways the foodstuffs added to the mixing bowl.
I suggest a smaller base, suitable for holding the mixing bowl, with something like pillars (3 will probably work OK) around the bowl (spaced far enough apart that the bowl can be removed from the base area).
The pillars support the electric motor, mounted with its drive shaft vertical. Some gearing may still be needed to give the mixing tools various fancy motions, but there won't be any need to convert horizontal rotation into vertical rotation.
Appropriate leverage (such as by a rack-and-pinion gear-set and a hand-wheel) can vertically raise and lower the motor-plus-mixing- tools assembly, kind of like a drill press. This allows easy tool- changes and bowl-removal.-- Vernon, Jun 05 2015 Typical kitchen food mixer http://www.kitchena...ances/stand-mixers/I assume this is what you are improving upon [scad mientist, Jun 05 2015] Major Mixer History http://www.hobartco...boutustimeline.htmlPunch in hobart and mixer into an image search for more. [popbottle, Jun 09 2015] Bacon_20Lathe [hippo, Jun 09 2015] Power tools in the kitchen [+]-- pocmloc, Jun 05 2015 Shirley CNC is the way to go?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 06 2015 We insist there also be a Cheese Lathe.
[+]-- 8th of 7, Jun 07 2015 It's only a short step further to gasoline-fuelled internal combustion powered kitchen appliances ...-- 8th of 7, Jun 08 2015 Those are already used in some military field- kitchens and also in disaster-relief kitchens.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 08 2015 Could you also use it as a blender/food processor, a meat grinder and a pasta machine if you switched out the parts?-- Kumawktopus, Jun 09 2015 Ok, gas-turbine powered?-- pocmloc, Jun 09 2015 I checked - my Braun Hand Mixer has a higher power rating than my Bosch electric drill[8th] - see link-- hippo, Jun 09 2015 [Kumawktopus], I'm sure it could be designed so the special gearing section was removable, and replace-able with an alternate straight motor-shaft-to-spindle device. You could then attach other things (that don't need special stirring motions) to that spindle, like the blender blades you mentioned.
I note that in restaurants, milk-shake mixers have vertical shafts and high-speed stirrers, but they are fixed in place (the cups are brought toward the stirrers from beneath).-- Vernon, Jun 09 2015 random, halfbakery