[yso191]

I am finally finished with my latest project: motorizing my grain mill. 




I got the cabinet from the local ReStore (Habitat for Humanity's 2nd hand store) for ~$10, put wheels on it, had a friend build the top so that the shaft from the motor would match that of the mill, and then wired a light switch to turn it on and off.  Voila!  Works great... well I haven't put any grain through it yet, but it passes the smoke test!  BTW Thanks to AmandaK for the sourcing the motor.

[euge]

Nice!

Run some grain through that puppy!

[HoosierBrew]

Looks really sharp. Nice build !

[Frankenbrew]

Sweet set-up! I'm jealous.

[denny]

Very nice!  Is that direct drive?  If so, look out for rocks!

[Pinski]

Well done!

[mchrispen]

Love it!

Denny is right though.  I have had a stone bind (always in Briess base malt for some reason - I no longer use Briess 2-row) my mill up and it can wreak havock on those Lovejoys. Fortunately the set screw failed and let the motor run. I have mine configured so I can remove the mill easily, clean it, and reset it in place with wing nuts. I also bought an extra set of spiders - that one got a bit mangled when the mill bound. Always have your finger on the power switch!

[euge]

So a belt drive is preferable? Chain drive?

[yso191]

Nice!

Run some grain through that puppy!

Next Thursday!  The first open day I have.  Brewing an light APA to get ready for Summer.

[yso191]

Very nice!  Is that direct drive?  If so, look out for rocks!

Yeah, didn't think about that.  *fingers crossed*

[mchrispen]

Euge - I went direct drive because I have seen friends mangle fingers on belts... and I have belt driven lapidary saws and grinders. They might be safer should a mill bind up, but the set-screw setup properly on the Lovejoy couplers should fail before any damage occurs (and the spider adsorbs the shock). I also didn't want to build a belt and pulley shield - as I have a friend that uses my mill occasionally - even supervised the direct drive makes me a bit nervous. Direct drive seems safer - at least for the operator.

I only had that rock problem once with cheap 2-row base malt. I wound up filtering the remaining bag through some 1/4" hardware cloth, half filling a home bucket and giving it a good shake. Found a couple more pebbles at the bottom - the mesh didn't catch them. Haven't had the problem since switching to quality base malts.

[yso191]

What does 'properly set' mean?  I just cranked the hex key till it would turn anymore.

[mchrispen]

Just tight enough that it will grip and turn the mill under load - I wouldn't try to force it further than a tight fit by hand. The screws are softer metal and will sheer if too much torque is applied... mine are pointed and set to the edge of the key in the mill drive shaft (as opposed to the center of the flat spot). It sheered off when the mill bound - as it should - and prevented binding up the motor. Took me a second to realize what happened.

Easy enough to replace, but a good idea to seek out a set of replacements to keep on hand.

[dconover]

Motor stats please...RPM, HP and where to purchase...tks

[Stevie]

My guess is he got it from this guy.

http://www.allamericanaleworks.com