DIY Grain Mill - what rollers?

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Brewer_Steve

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What qualities do you look for in rollers for a grain mill ??
I'd like to build my own little mill powered by my electric drill, but I'm not sure what I should consider using for rollers. What diameter should they be?

While I was at the store the other day, I saw rolling pins on sale for $5 each, and I thought that 2 of those might make for some cheap rollers.
 
I really like the quality and price of the Monster Mills. I built my mill with those as the rollers and have put hundreds and hundreds of pounds of grain through it with 0 problems. The rollers are long and thick...just how I like them.
 
This is also next on my project list. I'll be watching this thread too. I wondered if anyone has tried large diameter pvc or would that not hold up.
 
Rollin pins would work if they were made of steel. Wooden rolling pins would become pitted in seconds.

The rollers I used in mine were hardened steel, but only hardened because that was what was laying around in the scrap bin. Only the outside was hardened, but it made knurling the surface difficult on my equipment.

PVC would not work either IMO. Perhaps an old aluminum baseball bat?? I'm not sure hoe thick they are, but you'd need something pretty hard to survive the pressure.

Some people have used a pasta mill successfully. I think a google search would reveal some more information.
 
I have heard of people using concrete poured into tubes with your shaft in place. Problem was they had to be very large diameter to squish without the grain sliding and making the concrete slick, rendering it useless. If one were to find a way to texture the inside of your mold you could make it work, or make larger diameter rollers (think like a pitching machine) which are actually supposed to be a better way to smash. The larger the roller diameter the better the crush as it really smashes it rather than shredding it like knurled rollers do. I own a Crankandstein (now Monster Mill) and I love it, but one day I will make a large one. Machining anything accurately on the normal DIY scale is going to be difficult to the layman. The rollors you can order have that already accomplished, plus the mills come with bearing that will extend the life of your mill past anything you could possibly build. I bought my mill and build the hopper and everything else and am very happy, but keep looking and post if you build something. I love DIY and I machined for a little while so my mind works very complicated sometimes, lol.
 
Marble rolling pins are likely to be very difficult to use and potentially very expensive.

I've had great success with aluminum round bar. 2" is the minimum diameter to consider.
 
Marble rolling pins are likely to be very difficult to use and potentially very expensive.

I've had great success with aluminum round bar. 2" is the minimum diameter to consider.

Do you still knurl the aluminum or cut a diamond pattern 16 TPI in the round bar using a cutter?
 
dont waste your time with aluminum. it deforms to easily. sure its easy to knurl, but it wont last.

rolling pins....i always thought they free spun? how would you drive them? i could be wrong, i dont make many pies!!!

ive made my own mill, and i am a machinist. ive thought of selling some, but unless the scale was huge i dont think i could make them cheap enough for the average person. however if you want something custom made....:ban:
 
I just built one and the rollers were 1.5" diameter steel with a 12 DP knurl. I can't imagine a non-knurled roller feeding the grain well unless it was a very large diameter.

Tom
 
It's best if the two rollers are not the same diameter. Drive roller should be the larger. Bigger is better as well.

I used two rollers that were used by conveyor belts. Picked them up at a surplus store.

I've also used traction tape on a pair of rollers. I didn't see any adverse effects. Not saying that is the best way but... The grain was crushed, I had very little "flour" and the husks looked in good condition.
 
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