TacoGuthrie

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I have been loaned one of these Grain mills by an aquaintance.

I can't figure our how to use a power drill to drive the rollers.

At first I used a hexagonal drill bit to fit into one of the nuts but that is just stripping it. No drill bit, metric or imperial fits right.

Then he gave me what he said was the only attachment he had. It's a solid piece of steel that I can't figure out how to attach my drill onto to get it turning.

Here are some pics of the attachment:





I don't understand how people get a drill onto that thing. He doesn't know anything as he bought the thing a while ago and never used it.

the_Roqk

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Looks to me like it's slotted for a key and milled on the end to fit a flywheel or drive gear.

How does it fit into the mill itself? How about a pic of the mill from several angles.

TacoGuthrie

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the other end (the one i'm holding in the first pic) simply screws into the side of one of the rollers.

i'll take some more pics and upload them....

the_Roqk

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Cool, I was going to post this in my first reply:

Why don't you find out what type of threads you have that screws into the roller. Just guessing that you could do this and go to the nearest Hardware store and get a bolt to fit the roller. Cut the head off and Viola you have something your drill can fit onto.

TacoGuthrie

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that is a great idea. man, i just don't have the head for that kind of thinking i guess.

I took these photos and upped them so i'll post them here anyway in case there are other ideas:

Here it is with the hex bolt in place.


both bolts off


drill attachment in

the_Roqk

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Watch out! Not sure if that's left hand thread or right hand. Depending on whichever also depends on which direction your roller will spin. Hopefully it will spin without backing out of the roller. Good luck!

BrewBeemer

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What is the manufacture of that mill? I like the idea of ball bearings vs bushings, it looks like a high quality unit or was it scratch built?

That's a right hand thread, the step after the rhread is for alignment so that the drive will spin trur and not wobble plus the step after to butt up against the mill. A nut would be too short of a drive for a chuck, it would just dig into the nut, wobble and come loose all the time. Chap and fast would be to cut the threads off a bolt if it is SAE thread and use a rod coupling for a longer grip in the chuck. For this I would face off the end of the rod coupling in the lathe to be sure it will spin true. The other plan would be to braze in key stock then use chuck in the lathe behind the thread, center pilot drill for a live tailstock then tun it down until round. I would still add three flats for your drive motor chuck that with a mill theny you would be set with it spinning true no wobbling.
Backing up to the threaded stub with a rod coupling, if that is a odd ball thread take the rod coupling in the lathe and drill for a slide fir over the threaed stub and rosette weld from the outside end of the rod coupling.
Or, totall scratch build an adapter on the lathe, that shoulder is for alignment
this I would not want to lose.

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