Motorized Grain Mills: Time to show them off!

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You might want to consider something MUCH safer, less expensive, and less complicated...

I have no issues with the safety aspect of pulleys (I am currently working on a guard to make it even safer), and if you want to talk about less expensive, I have seen your site, while your motors and couplers look nice, they are far from inexpensive. I am quite happy with my setup.
 
Just finished my motorized mill today.

The mill is a Monster Mill 2 stainless roller which I've been using with a drill until now. A bit under $200

The motor is out of a leaking GE washing machine 1/2 HP and runs at 1050 RPM (wired it in low speed) $0

The pulley ratio is 8:1 giving me about 130 RPM. Pulleys and belts under $40.

I just picked up the cabinet at Habitat for Humanity for $15

I used a vent boot adapter to create a funnel into my bucket. $8

I wired it all up with help from Physics Forum https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/trying-to-wire-a-washing-motor-to-power-a-grain-mill.833300/

The motor is mounted to a steel plate I fabricated from a chunk I found in a steel recycle bin. Then I mounted it to the board on slotted holes for tension adjustment. The tensioner I made was also found in the recycle bin and a couple machine screws to adjust the tension.

Let me know what you think!


Nice build!
 
12991090_705476602928276_5673755429142902317_n.jpg
 
Just finished my motorized mill today.

The mill is a Monster Mill 2 stainless roller which I've been using with a drill until now. A bit under $200

The motor is out of a leaking GE washing machine 1/2 HP and runs at 1050 RPM (wired it in low speed) $0

The pulley ratio is 8:1 giving me about 130 RPM. Pulleys and belts under $40.

I just picked up the cabinet at Habitat for Humanity for $15

I used a vent boot adapter to create a funnel into my bucket. $8

I wired it all up with help from Physics Forum https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/trying-to-wire-a-washing-motor-to-power-a-grain-mill.833300/

The motor is mounted to a steel plate I fabricated from a chunk I found in a steel recycle bin. Then I mounted it to the board on slotted holes for tension adjustment. The tensioner I made was also found in the recycle bin and a couple machine screws to adjust the tension.

Let me know what you think!


Nice, I'd invest in an AX series belt it will hold up better on that small of a driver
 
It was long past due for a mill upgrade. I got tired of messing with the POS (name withheld) mill I had and decided to get something that will last me a long time. I got the Monster Mill MM-2 2.0 pro and the All American Ale Works motor. Definitely an awesome set up. I think it would grind rocks if you put them in the hopper.

Built a cabinet that had room for a scale up top and some grain storage for the grains I use most. Even sprung for a new scale.

image.jpg
 
Here is another view. I put a shelf in the cabinet so the bucket is only 1/8 inch from the top. It really keeps the dust down.

image.jpg
 
Here is another view. I put a shelf in the cabinet so the bucket is only 1/8 inch from the top. It really keeps the dust down.

I have a monster mill as well what size motor did you go with? All you had to do was put a piece of wood underneith the mill to get them level and working? I really want to motorize my mill nicer then the old drill bit way and this seems like a solid/easy package.
 
I have a monster mill as well what size motor did you go with? All you had to do was put a piece of wood underneith the mill to get them level and working? I really want to motorize my mill nicer then the old drill bit way and this seems like a solid/easy package.

I went with this motor... The 180 rpm version because of the 2 " rollers.

https://www.allamericanaleworks.com/shop/grain-mill-motor-shaft-couplers-package/

Not cheap but an awesome motor. Very easy to set up. Plenty of power.m I used the base that came with the mill and then measured how much I had to raise it to get it to the proper level.
 
I went with this motor... The 180 rpm version because of the 2 " rollers.

https://www.allamericanaleworks.com/shop/grain-mill-motor-shaft-couplers-package/

Not cheap but an awesome motor. Very easy to set up. Plenty of power.m I used the base that came with the mill and then measured how much I had to raise it to get it to the proper level.

Thank you sir, I am okay paying a little more for something that will work and last. I have been going through the builds with pullies and those just see too complicated. Some of the other builds when you need 3 adapters to make them work don't sound found either. Thanks again.
 
The pulleys (aka sheaves) are a bit spendy.
I was reluctant at first. One of the best mods I've done...mine is bit ghetto compared to some, but it's been working great for many years. Probably been 7 or 8 since I motorized it.
The direct drive electric motors when I was looking seemed to be far more expensive than the washing machine motor I'm using. I believe I purchased my parts through grainier because it was the only place I could find the sheaves.
 
FYI,

Just saw that Williams Brewing Supply has motorized kits now available!! Not too bad a price from the look of it.

TD

I'd have a real concern with that motor. It is only 90w which is about 1/8 hp. Seems a bit small. I notice in the video that the motor is started before the grain is added. I wonder if it would start with a hopper full of grain.
 
I'd have a real concern with that motor. It is only 90w which is about 1/8 hp. Seems a bit small. I notice in the video that the motor is started before the grain is added. I wonder if it would start with a hopper full of grain.

I don't care for the individual "exposed" wires. I would rather see them bundled in a multi-conductor cable.
 
If you watch the video for the 3 roller version of the motor, they stop it with a full hopper then re-start it. It fires up without a hitch.

*sigh* This may be the answer I was looking for as far as motorizing my mill.
 
If you watch the video for the 3 roller version of the motor, they stop it with a full hopper then re-start it. It fires up without a hitch.

*sigh* This may be the answer I was looking for as far as motorizing my mill.

So it does. I'll admit that I didn't watch the entire video the first time. I still have my doubts about using a 1/8hp motor. It seems to work, although it sounds like it is straining, and the packaging is pretty slick (the wires could be dressed better) and the price is attractive for what you are getting. It'll be interesting to watch this system as people actually start using them.
 
I'd have a real concern with that motor. It is only 90w which is about 1/8 hp. Seems a bit small. I notice in the video that the motor is started before the grain is added. I wonder if it would start with a hopper full of grain.

I think it would depend upon the length of the rollers.
Heh! I learned the lesson the hard way! I have a small motor in my basement that was unable to grind ANY malt, with the motor running before adding to hopper or not.
I have one of the very first homebrewer malt mills, the Schmidling Malt Mill. It has fixed two roller design, one is driven the other is freely rotating. I removed the plastic guides so that all parts of the roller come into contact with the malt kernels (faster crushing). I have been getting extraction 75-82% depending upon my mash schedule, and one decoction recipe I hit 84.4% according to my software. Never wet the grains, never double crush. I always buy my wheat malt milled however since I cannot adjust the gap.
I wonder if with some of the new mills with the really short rollers if 1/8HP would be enough. The rollers on my mill I think are 8-10". Well regardless, for some, the Williams option is viable and plug and play unlike what I went through.

TD
 
My two cents. I have a mm3 2.0 with 2in dia rollers. The one in the video uses 1.5in dia rollers. Doesn't seem like it's powerful enough to to run the mm3 2.0. Additionally there was no way the hex screw that comes with the couplers can be tightened down hard enough on either the motor or mill shafts. I couldn't get a solid grip so I used grade 8bolts from Home Depot to do the trick. Video shows the use of hex screws. Maybe that mill doesn't take much torque to turn. Doesn't look like it would work for the mm3 2.0 mill.
 
I tried all American all works as well they were my first choice when I built my rig. Long story short the company buys motors from China, they are just "middle man". I received a defective motor from the manufacturer, which is in China. All American ale works accused me of damaging the motor and wouldn't refund me even after I shipped the motor back to them on my own expense. Luckily I paid using PayPal. I eventually was refunded for everything after proving my case. I can provide proof if needed. Not trying to bash them at all. Just had a bad experience.

Now if you decide to go with them in the event your motor ever fails what are your options? Your rig is setup to use their motor so either go back to all American ale works and buy another motor or buy a generic motor local and revise your setup.

Having the bad luck with all American ale works led to this question for me and I decided to use a motor from an online surplus store so I wouldn't be tied to strictly all American ale works and with the bad experience I didn't want to go back to them. So it worked out for me.

Just my two cents. Hope it helps.
 
Bummer. Mine has been working great for a little less than a year and a few hundred pounds of malt. If mine craps out in the next couple of years, I would probably go with a 10:1 gearbox and a 1 hp harbor freight motor.
 
Just so everybody will know "the rest of the story"....
We (AAAW) sold a motor to the fellow brewer who posted above(Robg773). Against our recommendation, the brewer wired the motor incorrectly in an attempt to wire the motor for reverse operation. The brewer made an attempt to troubleshoot the problem by disassembling the motor. The motor was then reassembled incorrectly. When the brewer then wired the motor as had been originally recommended (for single direction operation), the motor turned, but chewed itself up, because of the incorrect assembly. This is why we do not offer a warranty. There is no way of warranting a product against purchasers who do not follow our recommendation, which is to consult with a licensed electrician when connecting their motor to a power source. All of the information in this post is verifiable with emails from the customer, and from the motor specialist company who performed the autopsy on the motor (http://brandonclark.com).
We have sold over 300 motors to fellow brewers, and the sale to Robg773 is the ONLY one with which we have had a problem - either with the motor, or with the customer.
More than a dozen commercial breweries throughout North America have been using our motor to process hundreds of pounds of grain every week for over three years, with no problems.
Now you know "the rest of the story".
 
I can confirm that AAAW was very responsive to any & all questions I had re set up w/ my MM 3 roller mill.
It has been operating flawlessly for 3 years w/ an average of 2 brews per month. additionally two local breweries come by to mill their grains on occasion when their mills are down.
 
I can confirm that AAAW was very responsive to any & all questions I had re set up w/ my MM 3 roller mill.
It has been operating flawlessly for 3 years w/ an average of 2 brews per month. additionally two local breweries come by to mill their grains on occasion when their mills are down.

I to have found AAAW to be very responsive. I had a few questions and emailed them. I was contacted very quickly each time. Now that I have used my set up for a few brews, I am super happy with my set up.
 
Not 100% setup yet but it works. Its a 1 HP Single-Phase 1725 RPM explosion proof motor with a 10:1 speed reducer so Im getting around 172 RPM on the mill.

Edit: If anyone can tell me how to fix the image rotation that would be great. I uploaded it with the correct alignment.

IMG_1899.jpg
 
Not 100% setup yet but it works. Its a 1 HP Single-Phase 1725 RPM explosion proof motor with a 10:1 speed reducer so Im getting around 172 RPM on the mill.

Edit: If anyone can tell me how to fix the image rotation that would be great. I uploaded it with the correct alignment.

I've experienced the same issue with the image rotation. The only way I was able to correct it was to crop the image from top and bottom of the picture and it then uploaded correctly. I'm sure there is another easier way, but that was the only way I was able to correct it.
 
Where did you source the explosion proof motor? I'm curious how many folks have actually had a motor explode on them in this application doing small homebrew batches on DIY systems.

TD
 
Where did you source the explosion proof motor? I'm curious how many folks have actually had a motor explode on them in this application doing small homebrew batches on DIY systems.

TD

Motors don't (typically) explode. But that's not what that is describing. What that means in an electric motor is that they have protected it from allowing sparks from the brushes, etc. to escape and cause an explosion from flammable substances (in this case, grain dust). Although I've never heard of a grain dust explosion explosion at the home brewer level...
 
Motors don't (typically) explode. But that's not what that is describing. What that means in an electric motor is that they have protected it from allowing sparks from the brushes, etc. to escape and cause an explosion from flammable substances (in this case, grain dust). Although I've never heard of a grain dust explosion explosion at the home brewer level...

The only way you could cause any type of "explosion" on a home brew level would be if the motor was confined in small enclosure where Grain particles/dust could accumulate and cause something like this, for example, locating the motor in small cabinet where the grain catch is and having a door closed on the cabinet as you mill....but those chances are small.

There have been serious grain dust explosions on an industrial size, but, they are in the business of milling grains constantly all day processing tons of it. Without any ventilation / filtering in those grain mills, that is asking for trouble.
 
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