Does this mill works ?

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Irena

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despite mills are expensive for me to buy i decided to build my own,after some failures i find another ancient model.does this mill works ?

3cadomndtmz0.jpg


the screw is tighten to lower stone and upper one is free to turn.and a nut to adjusting free space between two stones.
thanks.
 
As long as you don't turn the grain into flour and keep some of the husks relativly intact, I don't see why it wouldn't work. After all that design is the basic design of the Corona/Porkert mill.
 
A corona mill on eBay is as low as $30 us. Unless you can find/make the mill in your drawing for alot less or you like making things yourself I don't see the point.

VB
 
Not to mention you'll need to make grooves in the stones so that you get the grain to crack open.

I also see this as a lot of work for something that might work. Probably won't work any better than a corona style mill...

Unless you have everything you need already on hand, and really like tinkering around with things like this, I would just buy a mill that you know works well for the job. Otherwise, who knows how long it will take for you to get it adjusted fully, so that it does a good job of things.

Just curious, how do you plan to feed the grain between the stones?
 
yeah,i already have the stuff i need and the stones are from an old barbell.
i pour the grain from the hole which i'll make on upper stone's surface.(but i'm not sure if i can drill it because of it's hardness)
 
Would be interested to see the stones, if you can post pictures of them... Most mill stones have grooves cut in them from the center out, where the grain is caught and milled. If the ones you plan to use don't have these in them, it could be a lot of work to get them in there. You'll need to decide if it's more work than it's worth. Plus, I see it as taking a long time to mill enough grain for even a single 5 gallon batch (probably even a 2.5 gallon batch). Personally, I'd rather not spend an hour milling grain, cranking a handle, not being 100% sure that the crush is good.

Even though similar methods have been used throughout history, the mills were much larger. Plus they were powered either by animals (mules, etc., sometimes humans I'm sure), wind, or water. Even then, who knows how long it actually took to mill the grain for a batch.

Not saying to not make this, but I would be prepared for it to not do a good job, or take so long to go through enough grain for a batch that you abandon it. Especially when you can mill ~6# in a minute with roller mills.
 
Thanks for advice,stones are smooth and low height cylinders i think they're hand made.i post a picture if i make it.yea other than crush quality time is another issue ....i don't know how much it takes for 10lbs of grain.but for me under 30 min is acceptable !!
and yeah the stones diameter is about 30 cm.
 
You could also have an issue with getting very irregular crush on the grain. Pretty sure you'll want to put grooves into the stones too. You'll want to go slow enough so that you don't build up too much heat between the stones and cook the grain too.

10# would take me less than 2 minutes with the BC... I believe it would be about the same with drill powered corona mills.

So the stones are almost a foot in diameter... Decent size, but could still take you a long time to mill up 10#... Especially with how you'll need to feed it slowly. Keep in mind, the hole you make to feed the grain will also be an area where you won't be able to crack/mill the grain.

Could be more of a novelty item than something for actual use for batches. Cool factor is there if you get it working and such... I just see it as a lot of work for very little gain... Especially with how cheap you can get some mills. Of course, I ended up getting a Barley Crusher the first time, so that I wouldn't be wanting to get a roller type mill in a few months, and have the corona style to need to unload/sell off.

Just thinking a little about your drawing... How do you plan to keep the gap even over the entire ~12" span of the stones?
 
i don't know,maybe another two holes near the edge of upper stone and two screws.
 
I think you'll need to design it up on paper and get it checked by people that know about the mechanics of it and such. I would have said rollers to keep the gap, but unless the top stone has some kind of lip on the outside, it could prove tricky. You could try making some grooves around the circumference and place something in it to maintain the gap. I would do at least 2-3 separated grooves, so that you don't need to worry about the gap elements getting all bunched up. Maybe 4 with a decent break between them would work...

A good amount more work though, plus you'll want to check the gap and replace the spacers as they wear down. Make sure they're softer than the stones, but not make of something that could be harmful if bits make it into the mash.

I also think that the axle (the 'screw' in the drawing) should be as tight in the hole as you can get it (tight is good in so many holes :D)... You might be able to get something from a machine shop (have them make it) that will be thick enough, with threads where you need them (not the entire length) and possibly bushings/bearings for the top stone.
 
your a mechanical engineer.thanks.

Not quite... I can usually figure things like this out though... Something I got from my father... Think about it logically, see where the issues are, then figure out how to get around them or eliminate them. I've built enough things over the years to figure out what can work and what's going to be a total PITA to get worked out. Sometimes I need to recruit others to get things made/finished, but I can usually come up with a solid design.

Like the spacing issue you could have... Knowing, from other things, that using round items in short grooves will maintain a gap (some liner lock knives use this design for the pivot) helps translate to what you're looking to make... Knowing how old mill stones were cut, and functioned also helps to get yours cut (inside) so that it has at least a chance of working.

If you wanted to get really creative, you could try hooking up a motor to the top stone, so that you don't mess your arm up... Unless that's the arm you use for 'other' activities and is already twice the size of the other one. :D
 
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