accidentally wasted my time
I wrote up what i did here. Hopefully this helps.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=523385
Well probably not. The problem i ran into is the set screw that comes with the couplers, i couldn't get it tightened on to the shaft if the mill enough such that it wouldn't slip. Basically using the set screw when i had everything assembled, when i turned on the mill the coupler just spun around the shaft. I used a silver bolt from hime depot in place of the set screw and i had to tighten it so much the head snapped off the bolt. I replaced that with a grade 8 bolt from home depot and tighted it down and now it doesn't move at all. I guess i could have shaved down the shaft on the mill but i didn't want to risk messing something up. Just replace the set screws in the couplers with a bolt and u'll be fine. Tons of torque coming outta that motor.
Here's a link to the For Sale thread when I sold it here last year. There are a lot of specifics in the first post and a few questions answered later on.
Here's mine. MM 3 roller w/ gear reduction direct drive motor. View attachment 339969View attachment 339970
Here's mine. MM 3 roller w/ gear reduction direct drive motor. View attachment 339969View attachment 339970
those Aleworks direct drive motors are nice BUT at 400 watts that only 1/2 hp. If you use an 2 roller mill you should be fine. For an MM3-2.0 you really need a full 1 hp motor - too bad they don't offer one. I would have snagged it. I have a reducer but haven't gotten off my lazy ass to install it - still running on 2 pulleys which works just fine but sometimes the belt slips. Especially when hitting it with wheat....
Aleworks does insist they work with the 3 roller MM. I have one of those mills so contacted the owner and he said people use his motor with the 3 roller mill. (Unless he or I totally misunderstood the other). Would like to know real world use from somebody. /jd
I use a Dayton 1/2hp & a 15:1 RA gear reducer. I get 117rpm's that can start 40lbs of grain from a dead stop. I hear 117rpm is in a very beneficial gear range. Slow RPM is supposed to be conducive to husk integrity. Good husk integrity leads to good efficiency, especially with constant recirculation systems. Hassle free sparges are another benefit and cut down on the need for rice hulls when using roasted, flaked or Rye malts. Reducing rice hulls can make more room fermentable grains (in the mash run) by improving efficiency. All of the above can allow your system to increase batch size and SG of a beer
I use a Dayton 1/2hp & a 15:1 RA gear reducer. I get 117rpm's that can start 40lbs of grain from a dead stop. I hear 117rpm is in a very beneficial gear range. Slow RPM is supposed to be conducive to husk integrity. Good husk integrity leads to good efficiency, especially with constant recirculation systems. Hassle free sparges are another benefit and cut down on the need for rice hulls when using roasted, flaked or Rye malts. Reducing rice hulls can make more room fermentable grains (in the mash run) by improving efficiency. All of the above can allow your system to increase batch size and SG of a beer
Aleworks does insist they work with the 3 roller MM. I have one of those mills so contacted the owner and he said people use his motor with the 3 roller mill. (Unless he or I totally misunderstood the other). Would like to know real world use from somebody. /jd
I have a 1/2 HP garage door opener that runs at a similar speed, and have yet to have any issues, except when a piece of metal got in it from a fresh batch of grain.
I thought I was being pretty cheap when I took a garage door opener and hooked it up after having used a wood lathe motor (cheap) for a couple grinds (pain to set up). But I dumped a bunch of grain in it and went to fire up the HLT. When I came back I smelled smoke - I had melted down the nylon (or plastic) gears and it was trying to start a fire by rubbing itself pretty hard. Made smoke, anyway. So I abandoned that idea. Still have the motor, but don't trust the plastic gears. Here's pics:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showpost.php?p=6759626&postcount=132
I don't really want to start a new thread just for this quick question. This is my first time using a mill. I have it set to .040" how does it look?
I was kinda disappointed. I've looked forward to milling my own grain for so long and it was over with in less than a few minutes for both batches.
Girlfriend looked at me and smiled, now you know how I feel. Lol
In regards to speed, I actually thought I was going slow, but still with 10-11 lbs, it seemed to chop it up pretty fast. I had the drill handle about a 1/4 of the way in. I think it may have took me a lil less than 45 seconds to a minute to do the whole hopper full. This being my first time to use the mill, I don't really have anything to judge by on what I should be doing.
So that being said, when using a 1/2" chuck drill. (Amp and all that unknown, but it's the Harbor Freight one that many people choose to use here.) How long should a typical grind take me for 10-11lbs or so?
The next batch I do in a cpl weeks, I'll record the numbers and post back to this thread for feedback.
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