Current source of gear motor for mill?

[kevin509]

There is a lot of great motorized mill posts and info but most of the motor sources are old links and the motors are no longer available. I've spent countless hours on ebay only to find right RPM but wrong torque, right torque but RPM way off or voltages that aren't standard. Most frustrating is the cost...way more than the mill itself.

I have a Rebel Mill and drills are noisy and I actually use my drills for other stuff so don't want to ruin them. I would like a gear motor so I can skip the safety risk of pulleys. 120V AC for simplicity. 100-200 RPM and adequate torque (30 in/lb minimum).

Anyone get a similar motor recently that is less than $100?

 

[rico567]

You're a big spender; I'm looking for under $50. My problem is that I not only want all the things you're after, but also a right angle drive, because my particular setup (a Corona mill) would work much better with that configuration. The closest thing I've found are salvaged wiper motors (including reduction gears, obviously) from semis. These have a lot of the right stuff, the biggest drawback being that they run on 12VDC. I've got a big power supply that would have no trouble powering one of these, I just don't want something overly complicated. I've got a feeling I'll just keep milling with my old Craftsman 1/2" drill.....

 

[kevin509]

Yeah I'd be happier around $50. Tried the $44 Harbor Freight 1/2" drill and it was dead out of the box so wasn't gonna try another. It's a crap shoot with their tools.

 

[Old_mil_guy]

You might have luck at surpluscenter.com

 

[day_trippr]

You might have luck at surpluscenter.com

We pretty much cleaned out the good gear motors early last fall. Right now they don't have anything appropriate to drive a mill, whether in-line or right-angle.

There are other "surplus centers" out there, but this one's got nothin'...

Cheers!

 

[Bsquared]

Before I found mine at a surplus shop for $25, I was searching craigslist for 1725 RPM, I found quite a few motors for under 100. All so I figured out that most garbage disposal motors are 1725RPM motors, I just did not want to figure out how to mount the disposal motor. If you can find an industrial salvage shop in your area, Id bet you could find one there.

I guess I am assuming you are planing on running a 1725RPM motor with a 1-1/2" and 10" reduction pulley system described in the BYO.

EDIT-maybe a little over kill, but this one would work.
http://spokane.craigslist.org/tls/3021177736.html

 

[kevin509]

Thanks but I intend on avoiding pulleys with a direct drive motor. Don't want to make a pulley guard and big mill stand and without one it's a nasty accident waiting to happen. First hand experience, no pun intended...saw a guy have two fingers torn off by a pulley.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Yeah I'd be happier around $50. Tried the $44 Harbor Freight 1/2" drill and it was dead out of the box so wasn't gonna try another. It's a crap shoot with their tools.

This is the first dead HF drill I've heard reported...I'd roll the dice again

 

[Homercidal]

Take the drill back to HF and try another. I doubt you will find something readily useable for less than $50. Make sure you are getting the right model. Some of them are more heavy duty then others.

 

[FTG-05]

68 rpm, 60 in-lbs, CW rotation: http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?item=5-1682&catname=electric

743 rpm, only 44 in-lbs, CW rotation: http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?item=5-1647&catname=electric

About all they got now. Gearmotors are pretty popular with the grain milling/survival type crowd as well, so you're competing against them. Every time a good gm goes up on SC, it usually sparks a buy frenzy.

Good luck.

 

[iBrewR]

68 RPM 115 VAC GEARMOTOR
Used, Molon inline gearmotor model EM5R-70-2. This motor requires a start relay (not furnished) and a 36-43 mfd. start capacitor (furnished). Fan at back end is exposed and should have a protective shroud for safety.

What's the deal on the start relay? Isn't that just like an on/off switch or is there more to it?

 

[outside92129]

$10 motor + $50 reduction gear would do the trick for you. Motors can be found for cheap, and do a search on HBT fore the gearing.

 

[jhoyda]

What's the deal on the start relay? Isn't that just like an on/off switch or is there more to it?

More to it.

Starter relays have beefier contacts to take the high inrush current that can exist when starting a motor. Some actually have a horsepower rating, i.e. 1/2, 1/4 HP. A common switch would probably work for a little while. It would eventually fail in a shower of sparks, burning plastic and ozone.

 

[kevin509]

Well I may give the Harbor Freight drill another shot and exchange it for a new one this weekend.

Yeah there are a ton of cheap C frame 1725 RPM motors out there but haven't found a cheap gear reduction for one yet.

 

[kevin509]

HF replaced drill and this one works. I can see that setting speed too low will quickly burn up brushes so got it tweaked to approx 200 RPM. Lots of comments in reviews about chuck screw twisting off when using in reverse so not going down that road. Might pull chuck off and see if there is enough shaft to use lovejoy coupler instead of chuck.

 

[mikescooling]

My pullys cost about $50 from Grainger. I know you said the safty thing, but how long is this on for? 10min max. Put out some safty cones and some crime tape, then mill that 50lb bag and un-plug the sucker. Yes, even a 1/3 hp motor can rip fingers off, but it's brew day, their is going to be some danger, that's half the fun.

 

[day_trippr]

[...]Put out some safty cones and some crime tape, then mill that 50lb bag and un-plug the sucker.

And post pics!

Yes, even a 1/3 hp motor can rip fingers off, but it's brew day, their is going to be some danger, that's half the fun.

Ummmm......No.

Cheers!

 

[kevin509]

Might be funny but you'd be surprised what can happen. It pisses me off to see parents letting their small kids around mills, cleaning and sterilizing agents and there are tons of pictures of little kids next to boil kettles full and boiling on brew day.