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**outside92129** · 02-17-2012, 04:48 AM

ebay has a good looking 1/2hp motor going for $19 + $9 for shipping. Item number 180821254709. Here's the link (16 feb 2012, it'll expire in a week or so)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-HP-110-V-1725-RPM-1-2-SHAFT-REVERSIBLE-/180821254709?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a19c9 6235

atomicjoe23 · 02-17-2012, 04:58 AM

Thanks for the link to that motor. . .

. . .Yuri's grain mill thread was pretty good; I will start a thread on mine (the mill actually won't be mine though. . .it's for some friends) once I finalize the design.

I will be going for rollers ~2" in diameter.

**ChuckO** · 02-17-2012, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atomicjoe23

I was planning on 1.5" rollers 10.5" long out of SS. . .I was going to try smooth rollers initially just because knurling is one extra step in the machining process that if unecessary I would prefer not to do, plus it's quite a bit of effort to get all the little metal shavings out of the knurls after machining to make sure there are none left to make there way into the crushed grain.

I was planning on both rollers being driven rollers (1.25:1 gear ratio between the gears) as well instead of a driven roller and an idler roller.

Knurling the rollers shouldn't create any metal chips, as most methods of knurling simply upset the material, not remove any. Every time you use a mill there is some small erosion of the surface of the rollers to get into the grain, but even larger chips would stay in the grain bed and not make it into the boil kettle.

It seems to me that having the rollers run at different speed would result in more shredding of the husks instead of simply crushing them. I'd do quite a bit more research before making both rollers driven.

atomicjoe23 · 02-18-2012, 04:46 PM

The theoretical and the actual are two different things though. . .the knurling rollers displace the metal, but as the metal is displaced it is squished up so that the sharp edges of the knurlers will cut little bits of metal that are very small and stay in the knurl for quite a while, even running the parts through the solvent washer takes a couple of times through to get rid of it all. . .you can tell when you run your hands over or use a freshly knurled piece. . .the other way metal chips get in the knurl is that you normally take a very light skim pass after you finish knurling so that the part is uniform in diameter and the knurls aren't so sharp as to cut you/be painful in use.

The idea to have both rollers driven came from the JSP Malt Mill which has two driven rollers. . .if it were to turn out to be a bad idea it's as simple as removing one gear, taking all of 30 seconds. . .much less work than trying to add a gear later on down the road, but I will look into it further.

Thanks for the tips and keep them coming!

**BBL_Brewer** · 02-18-2012, 05:07 PM

Before you buy a motor, check the local scrap yard first. I got mine for < $3. It's a 1/4 horse, 1725 RPM. With my sheaves, it runs at just under 300 RPM.

atomicjoe23 · 02-18-2012, 10:10 PM

I've got 2 fractional HP motors sitting in my garage which I would use if this were for me, but it's for a local brewer so they are gonna get a new motor. . .no scrap yard motors for a paying customer unless they wanna buy their own scrap yard motor, but thanks for the tip.

atomicjoe23 · 02-18-2012, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChuckO

It seems to me that having the rollers run at different speed would result in more shredding of the husks instead of simply crushing them. I'd do quite a bit more research before making both rollers driven.

I could see the husks getting shredded with knurled rollers, but is that something you would really need to worry about with smooth rollers. . .they should just crush the grain/crack the husks between the rollers if they are smooth wouldn't they?

**BBL_Brewer** · 02-18-2012, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atomicjoe23

I've got 2 fractional HP motors sitting in my garage which I would use if this were for me, but it's for a local brewer so they are gonna get a new motor. . .no scrap yard motors for a paying customer unless they wanna buy their own scrap yard motor, but thanks for the tip.

Gotcha.

RDWHAHB · 02-19-2012, 12:10 AM

What is the goal in having the rollers run at different speeds?

**rmullins** · 02-21-2012, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SankePankey

At least 60+ in-Lb torque at whatever your speed, but 175 RPM is a sweet spot.

Mine is a 1725 RPM 1/3 HP that gives me 100 in-Lb torque at 172 RPM with aid of a 10:1 ratio gearbox (reducer). This is an easy motor to find on ebay.

So, I'd not go any less than 1/4 HP, to directly answer your question.

I'm currently using a 1725 RPM 1/2HP motor with a pulley system. I've had enough of the pulley system (can never seem to get the belt to stay tight enough to grip well, so I end up having to pour the grains slowly into the hopper).

Would this gearbox reducer work? I've got a 1/2" shaft on the motor, and a 1/2" shaft on the Monster Mill. I'm not sure what I would need in terms of couplings to get it all to hook up.

http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?item=13-133-10-R&catname=powerTrans