Motorized Grain Mills: Time to show them off!

[adamranders]

Yeah it's a dc gear motor for a car power seat, from American science and surplus. There is a while thread about this build
Here
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=490724

 

[jammin]

here are a few shots of my upgraded mill kit. i'm looking fwd to using for the first time this weekend. it will be nice to finally have all the dust contained.

 

[jammin]

full hopper today

 

[fusa]

here are a few shots of my upgraded mill kit. i'm looking fwd to using for the first time this weekend. it will be nice to finally have all the dust contained.

What is the box between the mill and motor? I am trying to figure out a way to add room to my mill stand for scales, that might help a lot. Also where did you get the power switch from?

 

[jammin]

The gear reducer?

 

[fusa]

The gear reducer?

Yeah, after a little more research I think I am looking for a 1:1 right angle gear box, not a gear reducer. My motor is already slow enough. Any recommendations on one that isn't very expensive?

Also where did you get the power switch?

 

[jammin]

got the switch from grainger. talk to one of their specialists to help find the right one for your motor. those guys are amazing. they can help you get the correct jaw couplers as well.


surplus center is a good place to look for a right angle gear box. looks like the cheapest one they have right now is $130 though. it's a bomb proof unit though - 20hp rating!
http://www.surpluscenter.com/Power-...100-002B-RIGHT-ANGLE-GEAR-DRIVE-13-1514-B.axd

This 5:1 right angle reducer might be a good fit? a lilttle extra torque couldnt hurt anyway
http://www.surpluscenter.com/Brands...AR-REDUCER-1-15-HP-LEFT-OUTPUT-13-133-5-L.axd

 

[Robg773]

+1 on surplus center

 

[Hang Glider]

type this into Amazon - different shaft sizes some 1:1, some 2:1...

Adantex AnglGear

a 1:1 with a 3/8" shaft goes for $104..

I've got a 90 rpm DC motor connected to mine, so I'm looking at a 2:1 to speed things up a bit.

@fusa - your switch might be at McMaster-Carr under: Manual Reversing Motor Switches

 

[Robg773]

Just google drum switch. I used a 2x441 made by dayton. Look at the switch wiring, ensure it will work for your setup( these drum switches have 2 different wiring schemes. I used the fwd 123 456 and rev 124 356), with the model number buy switch from cheapest seller. I got mines from ebay $50 i believe. Challenge is wiring for rev. I can post my rev wiring if it would help.

 

[jammin]

^grainger can send a wiring diagram PDF for the switch they help you pick out. Was helpful for me

 

[fusa]

Thanks for the tips.

 

[rossi46]

Almost done with mine. It is a monster mill with 2 inch heat treated rollers driven by a all american ale works power grinder.

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[rossi46]

Well I guess I don't know how to post a picture correctly, I rotated them before I attached but it didn't work.

 

[SupervisingChildren]

Well I guess I don't know how to post a picture correctly, I rotated them before I attached but it didn't work.

It's all good, our heads can turn sideways. I really like the look of your setup. The hopper and everything underneath is pretty slick!

 

[day_trippr]

I looked at the specs and that is one effin' beast of a gear-motor! :rockin:

Sure hope your mill has a healthy flat on the drive shaft...

Cheers! (...and you never get a stone in your grain bag )

 

[rossi46]

Yeah its a beast. It has flats but I may drill a small hole in the shaft. I'm pretty happy with the setup so far.

 

[jammin]

nice build. shouldn't have any trouble powering a 2 roller mill at all with that motor. the capacitor start will be a huge boost.

i think your bin will need supervision while milling though since its so shallow and wide. i think you'd be better off with more depth below the mill - looks like it will be an easy fix.

 

[alphaomega]

I've made some improvements to my motorized mill. Even though it functioned really well before, it was kinda hard to setup for usage and storage.

Bought a storage box that fit the needs I had pretty well. 'Siv' (the cat) is in the picture for scale. (Now, you don't know how big she is, but she's pretty small).

Open sesame. This is what you see as you open the box.

During storage, the box also holds the stuff needed for milling (funnel hopper, screwdriver, brush for cleaning, power cord, one of those blade feeler thingamajigs and some spare screws).

Turn it around, add the hopper and the power cord and you're good to go.
Please don't laugh at the miserable woodworking. Yes, it is very ugly, but it works fine and that is good enough for me.

Next improvement will be to add something to hold a bag, as I don't want to mill straight into the box. I'm pretty happy overall though, as it solves storage, and usage pretty neatly.

 

[Want2BS8ed]

Mobility... mounted my Monster Mill on a cart:
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M

 

[helterscelter]

Mobility... mounted my Monster Mill on a cart:
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M

Damn that makes me jealous. Looks great!

 

[AnOldUR]

Mobility... mounted my Monster Mill on a cart:

Mobility is not creating a Monster.

 

[Want2BS8ed]

Mobility is not creating a Monster.

Nice. Like the mount, very clean and that switch is cool.

At 40#'s for the motor and 26#'s for the gear reduction though, that puppy needed some wheels!

I had trouble working out the wiring for reverse, but as someone pointed out - with that much HP, who's ever going to need reverse!!

M

 

[AnOldUR]

Yep. I got my compact gearmotor back when they were cheap surplus.

My entire set-up weighs less than your motor alone.

 

[helterscelter]

Mobility is not creating a Monster.

what kind of motor is that? your frame is made from aluminum?

 

[241]

I love all of these mills. I really want one of my own, but my LHBS is also a brewery and has an amazing commercial quality mill in the back customers can use for free. Is it worth putting one of these together versus just using theirs?

 

[iijakii]

I love all of these mills. I really want one of my own, but my LHBS is also a brewery and has an amazing commercial quality mill in the back customers can use for free. Is it worth putting one of these together versus just using theirs?

If you are planning on buying base malt by the sack, yes, the savings adds up for sure. Otherwise not really, unless you're unhappy with their crush.

 

[241]

If you are planning on buying base malt by the sack, yes, the savings adds up for sure. Otherwise not really, unless you're unhappy with their crush.

Thanks. maybe I'll run the numbers and see. After brewing for 5 years base malt does seem to be the biggest expense.

 

[chessking]

Nothing exceeds like excess. Especially in home brewing.

 

[241]

Nothing exceeds like excess. Especially in home brewing.

This I know, and my wife would agree that the single tier HERMS setup in the garage is beyond excessive. But hey

 

[AnOldUR]

what kind of motor is that? your frame is made from aluminum?

Motor came from Surplus Center. It's 177 RPM and 40 in-lb. There use to be a lot of these types of gearmotors around really cheap, but the supply has dried up. Paid like $30 or $40 for it.

Yeah, the frame is aluminum, 1/2" x 6". Main reason I went with that size is that I had a length that had been laying around the shop for years.

Cheap build. Even the universal joint was homemade.

. . . and that switch is cool.

Project box from Radio Shack. Needed a place to house the capacitor. Switches sourced from Amazon.

 

[day_trippr]

Surplus Center had just shy of 200 of those motors, but once they started showing up on HBT they were gone within a couple of months.

They are perfect for two-roller mills...



Cheers!

 

[rossi46]

nice build. shouldn't have any trouble powering a 2 roller mill at all with that motor. the capacitor start will be a huge boost.

i think your bin will need supervision while milling though since its so shallow and wide. i think you'd be better off with more depth below the mill - looks like it will be an easy fix.

So I just ran 23.5 lbs through the mill. No problem with container over filling. I let it fill without touching it. For larger grain bills I might have to give it a shake.

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[rossi46]

Went from 72% on the barley crusher to 85% on the monster mill.

 

[Loyd]

I motorized my Cereal Killer grain mill with a modified cordless drill that the batteries had gone bad in. Just attach the cord to any 12v power source and crush away. It will crush about 9lbs a min. I am getting good efficiency with the gap set at .040 and no trouble with stuck sparges.

Here is a video of it running. https://youtu.be/H3_panSVFLY

 

[Lumpyyyyy]

Does anybody have some information regarding requirements for the motor? I'm interested in designing one on my own but can't find anything that shows required torque and ideal RPM.

 

[day_trippr]

Requirements depends on the mill - the number of rollers, roller diameters and roller length are going to dictate how much power is required to get things started with a full bin of grain.

But, fwiw, my two-roller 1.25" BC mill gets along with a 177 rpm 40 inch-pound gear motor...

Cheers!

 

[njs170]

 

[CaptainDucman]

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[jammin]

Crush'n 26#'s today for an IPA.

And a couple shots of the crush -