Grain Mill stand - Show me what you did!

[DonT]

I need to build a stand/cart for my grain mill and I need some ideas. Right now I just have the mill screwed to a piece of plywood plopped over a bucket sitting on the floor. My old knees and back need it off the floor and on wheels.
Let's see what you got!

 

[day_trippr]

I threw my pretty basic mill cabinet together using left overs from other projects.
Slapped a couple of coats of white acrylic paint on it and called it done...

Cheers!

 

[DonT]

That's almost exactly what I was thinking about! Where did you get the cabinet?

 

[Dr_Jeff]

I threw my pretty basic mill cabinet together using left overs from other projects.
Slapped a couple of coats of white acrylic paint on it and called it done...


View attachment 753643 View attachment 753644
View attachment 753645 View attachment 753647

Cheers!

And at the same time, made the rest of us look like slackers.

 

[day_trippr]

That's almost exactly what I was thinking about! Where did you get the cabinet?

I drew up a plan and built it out of scrap plywood and pine. It truly is about as basic as it could be. There are much fancier mill cabinets built by HBT members than this - check the referenced links at the bottom of this page.

That said, I've always thought one could pick up an uber cheap kitchen cabinet from Home Depot or the like, slap some casters on the bottom and figure out a top for it, and be good to go with not a lot of work...

Cheers!

 

[bracconiere]

I threw my pretty basic mill cabinet together using left overs from other projects.
Slapped a couple of coats of white acrylic paint on it and called it done...


View attachment 753643 View attachment 753644
View attachment 753645 View attachment 753647

Cheers!

pic 3 of 4 makes me wonder if you've ever actually brewed before?

 

[day_trippr]

That's not a weird take at all...

 

[bracconiere]

That's not a weird take at all...

LOL

But as far as OP...i just put 4 screws in the bottom of my 'plywood' base so i can mill straight into my mash tun....then i add the strike water too it...

 

[DonT]

I drew up a plan and built it out of scrap plywood and pine. It truly is about as basic as it could be. There are much fancier mill cabinets built by HBT members than this - check the referenced links at the bottom of this page.

That said, I've always thought one could pick up an uber cheap kitchen cabinet from Home Depot or the like, slap some casters on the bottom and figure out a top for it, and be good to go with not a lot of work...

Cheers!

Well, I'm not cool enough to do that by hand. Nice job, looks great!
I've walked thru Homerland and Lowes, their idea of uber cheap is well over a hun...more than I wanted to spend... but yeah, those were my thoughts too.

 

[bracconiere]

here you go just hack a hole in it...

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-To...tmyHzZxkHotvPS1DHZ8aAvRHEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.amazon.com/GBL-Castors-...ocphy=9030197&hvtargid=pla-486596661500&psc=1

(but know unlike the tripping persons pic suggests, there will be dust! )

 

[garzlok]

This was my take on a grain cart. With MDF, casters, drawer slides, etc…..I turned a free grain mill into a $150 project.

 

[faithie999]

Well, I'm not cool enough to do that by hand. Nice job, looks great!
I've walked thru Homerland and Lowes, their idea of uber cheap is well over a hun...more than I wanted to spend... but yeah, those were my thoughts too.

if you have a Habitat for Humanity "ReStore" near you, check it out. the stores sell items donated by contractors that Habitat didn't use in a home build.

https://www.habitat.org/restores

 

[DonT]

if you have a Habitat for Humanity "ReStore" near you, check it out. the stores sell items donated by contractors that Habitat didn't use in a home build.

https://www.habitat.org/restores

I do... a couple of them about a half hour drive away...

 

[cbier60]

I can't give you a picture for a few days, but I converted a rolling microwave cart with a butcher block top. I think it was a Craigslist purchase that my wife let me "destroy". Check this old thread for plenty of ideas:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/motorized-grain-mills-time-to-show-them-off.159950/

 

[Bramling Cross]

But as far as OP...i just put 4 screws in the bottom of my 'plywood' base so i can mill straight into my mash tun....then i add the strike water too it...

Well, sunuva......

Sometimes you're an outright genius, bracc! I've been brewing for going on thirty years now and it never once occurred to me to mill directly into the mash tun. I am a moron. All these years I've been measuring into one bucket, pouring that into the mill, then dumping the bucket full of milled grain into the MT.

Just mill into the MT, as simple as that. One less vessel to clean.

My mind has been blown.

 

[Bramling Cross]

I turned a free grain mill into a $150 project.

I salute you! You understand the true meaning of homebrewing.

 

[bracconiere]

Well, sunuva......

Sometimes you're an outright genius, bracc! I've been brewing for going on thirty years now and it never once occurred to me to mill directly into the mash tun. I am a moron. All these years I've been measuring into one bucket, pouring that into the mill, then dumping the bucket full of milled grain into the MT.

Just mill into the MT, as simple as that. Once less vessel to clean.

My mind has been blown.

uh, huh ....

 

[Tom R]

LOL

But as far as OP...i just put 4 screws in the bottom of my 'plywood' base so i can mill straight into my mash tun....then i add the strike water too it...

I've had mixed results milling directly into my mash tun.
I think it's a seasonal thing, in winter there is so much steam from the tun, which condenses on the cold mill, and the dust from milling gets stuck all over the mill and the bottom of the base it is mounted on.

Makes for a mess to clean up, and I then I have to dry the mill so the rollers don't corrode. So until summer I'll probably just go back to milling into a bucket.

 

[bracconiere]

I've had mixed results milling directly into my mash tun.
I think it's a seasonal thing, in winter there is so much steam from the tun, which condenses on the cold mill, and the dust from milling gets stuck all over the mill and the bottom of the base it is mounted on.

Makes for a mess to clean up, and I then I have to dry the mill so the rollers don't corrode. So until summer I'll probably just go back to milling into a bucket.

LOL i actually mill into my MT when it's dry and add the strike water to it.....lol, this just became comedy....now you got me thinking about milling into 162f water in the mash tun, and it building up and knocking the mill off the top!

 

[Tom R]

Ah, so you're heating the strike water in your HLT?
Why didn't I think of that? Just gotta allow for the temp drop when pumped over to the MLT...

 

[bracconiere]

Ah, so you're heating the strike water in your HLT?

LOL, actually i heat it in my boil kettle...then scoop it into the MT with a pot....and then i use the boil kettle to heat the sparge water, then use that to sanitize my fermenter.....and scoop it out of the fermenter to sparge....

 

[Tom R]

Jeezus, just add in a triple decoction and you'll have a ten-hour brew day!

 

[bracconiere]

Jeezus, just add in a triple decoction and you'll have a ten-hour brew day!

dude, that's what boil time naps are for!!

either during the mash or boil, gotta get a break during brew day!


and i only do a double decotion mash.....

and back on topic...i still think my idea of plastic storage shelves, and some cheap casters would be cheap and cool...

 

[govner1]

I need to build a stand/cart for my grain mill and I need some ideas. Right now I just have the mill screwed to a piece of plywood plopped over a bucket sitting on the floor. My old knees and back need it off the floor and on wheels.
Let's see what you got!

Here’s what I did with my MM 3 roller using an All American Ale Works motor. I used 3” casters and some duct work to feed the crushed grain into a bucket. There are two sockets in the outlet giving you a spot to plug in a Shop Vac to help reduce dust and for cleanup.
It served me well for six plus years. I gifted it to a brew buddy after I was given a custom commercial fluted roller system.

 

[superiorsat]

dude, that's what boil time naps are for!!

Don't even get me going on boil time naps! Harbor freight has some pretty cheap carts, then I think I got a sheet of MDF from the depot to attach the mill to.

 

[Ruint]

I have the hopper extension, just didn't have it on in the picture.

 

[Wag Bag]

I went with a craftsman cabinet - MM3, dedicated motor and I added an elevated spot for my scale.

 

[ITV]

I repurposed a used buffet cart I got off of Craigslist for $40, it has dovetail joints.

 

[DonT]

View attachment 754401

I went with a craftsman cabinet - MM3, dedicated motor and I added an elevated spot for my scale.

That's pretty sweet!

 

[Hammy71]

Monster 2 Roller Mill, Harbor Freight 1/2" drill, and a cheap shelf from the Local Ace Hardware. She ain't pretty but she's been going strong for a long time.

 

[kydan47]

Champion juicer motor from flea mkt $6, pushcart from HF, homemade funnel, 25" extension cord hooked to light switch to roll outside to avoid brewing contamination, and a jsp mill from early 90's

 

[ITV]

I finally got around to repaint my grain mill stand.

 

[odie]

 

[OleBrewing]

No stand but fabricated chute with left over duct work. Nice not having to stop to add more grain. Sits on a 6 gallon bucket.

 

[Steven Sinclair]

Tried to make it as dust-free as possible. Works pretty darned good!

 

[KyBeer]

I've always added the grain the the mash water to avoid lumps. Milling the grain to the Mash Tun then adding the HL sounds great.
If you have added the grain to the water how did it work?
Always looking for a way to save labor.