Motor for Grain Mill

[agentbud]

I was looking around the shop for a motor I could use with my grain mill and found an old shop fan. Motor works ok but the rest is busted up. I'm guessing a fan motor is probably too fast for a grain mill but I can't find any info on the motor to make that determination. The sticker says FE-50 Motor, Model YYHS-50, 120v 60Hz, 1.6 amp but it does not list RPMs. It has a switch to adjust the speed low, medium, high. It looks like the one in the pic below. Anyone know anything about his motor (ie RPMs, torque, etc) and if it would work on a mill?

 

[day_trippr]

That cooling fan motor will run around 1250 rpm, burn around 10 watts - and achieve very little torque.
I don't think that class of motor would prove useful powering a grain mill of reasonable throughput...

Cheers!

 

[hotbeer]

Get a variable speed drill motor from the big box building supply stores. They aren't too expensive and can serve to do multiple things besides mill grain. Look for one that has a chuck that will open to the size of the shaft on your mill. Or make or get someone to make a adapter that will step it down to the size the chuck can handle.

 

[agentbud]

What do y'all think about this motor:

https://www.amazon.com/Bringsmart-JGY-370-Turbine-Electric-Self-locking/dp/B08M9HSW47/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3MFLQWCZTN66S&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.poZYWJ_U8tKxlvSUYc6VfdkMgaYJFAOvRaAqzFpjjZWJt8tbAgqSFiVW3vHSI6m3LeYV3iS3ZJhclbs1QE88i8ymqdFHnZbxp_zF_LjgwFXUwn4TBCZXT9cEdwdcnFMHbMei8Wq15BxiAwrIvSHXOXeoCi3GeZkQRAPu9-h6XBdIjK_Q7QX2oIo5vaiBcXmwjBUkZF_cyekByQi5hcmA7gW6NocCwk-oxx8kDYdi6v-_YrYG5GEfzORXMH1h77MY5QQplniW0N3LHupcKFmFTFzdKcd88q24yPZWKyN5YqA.cwpYD78ICPxMy_4LFo9-VN2v83aI37loTa9P2r-wS1Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=jgy-370&qid=1711895993&sprefix=jgy-370,aps,98&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Its small and cheap. Says it is high torque and does 160RPM but I don't know if it is powerful enough to run a grain mill. Any thoughts?

 

[ClaudiusB]

What do y'all think about this motor:

https://www.amazon.com/Bringsmart-JGY-370-Turbine-Electric-Self-locking/dp/B08M9HSW47/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3MFLQWCZTN66S&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.poZYWJ_U8tKxlvSUYc6VfdkMgaYJFAOvRaAqzFpjjZWJt8tbAgqSFiVW3vHSI6m3LeYV3iS3ZJhclbs1QE88i8ymqdFHnZbxp_zF_LjgwFXUwn4TBCZXT9cEdwdcnFMHbMei8Wq15BxiAwrIvSHXOXeoCi3GeZkQRAPu9-h6XBdIjK_Q7QX2oIo5vaiBcXmwjBUkZF_cyekByQi5hcmA7gW6NocCwk-oxx8kDYdi6v-_YrYG5GEfzORXMH1h77MY5QQplniW0N3LHupcKFmFTFzdKcd88q24yPZWKyN5YqA.cwpYD78ICPxMy_4LFo9-VN2v83aI37loTa9P2r-wS1Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=jgy-370&qid=1711895993&sprefix=jgy-370,aps,98&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Its small and cheap. Says it is high torque and does 160RPM but I don't know if it is powerful enough to run a grain mill. Any thoughts?

The torque of that motor is only 1.5 kg/cm = 1.3 pound-inch
You need a motor with more torque to run a mill. I use that motor to drive a lead screw with a suction device attached in my grain bin.

 

[agentbud]

what would be the minimum torque required to run a standard homebrew grain mill?

 

[sibelman]

You might have a look at this thread.

 

[MaxStout]

Fan motors are typically shaded pole motors, with little torque. Just enough to turn the blades. The minute you apply a load it will stall.

Find a synchronous motor, maybe 1/3 HP or bigger. Or an elec drill.

 

[sibelman]

1/3 HP

A geared down motor can be quite tiny and get the job done.

 

[MaxStout]

First motorized mill I used a 1/4 HP, 1725 RPM motor on a 2 roller Monster Mill, about 12:1 pulleys with fanbelt. Worked OK unless I tried to crush wheat or rye.

Later moved up to a bigger motor with the same pulleys. No more problems.

You might get by with a small motor, maybe not.

 

[Gadjobrinus]

First motorized mill I used a 1/4 HP, 1725 RPM motor on a 2 roller Monster Mill, about 12:1 pulleys with fanbelt. Worked OK unless I tried to crush wheat or rye.

Later moved up to a bigger motor with the same pulleys. No more problems.

You might get by with a small motor, maybe not.

I'd thought the MM was on bushings, not bearings. That must be wrong. I've never used a pulley system, but our LHBS does and they also use a 2-roller MM with pulleys. (Mine was direct connection, through lovejoys).

 

[OleBrewing]

at one time i removed the motor out of one of those hot wheel cars. already attached to gear reduction. it never came to fruition and i still just use a drill.

 

[redrocker652002]

My dad has an old motor he used to run a small table saw I think. I wonder if that would work? Hmmmm. I still do it the old fashioned way with the crank and by hand. Gives me the feeling I am doing some exercise before I sit down and hammer out a few. LOL.

 

[ClaudiusB]

what would be the minimum torque required to run a standard homebrew grain mill?

Most brewers recommend around 40 pound-inch which is not a bad value. I manage to do with a lot less.

 

[MaxStout]

I'd thought the MM was on bushings, not bearings. That must be wrong. I've never used a pulley system, but our LHBS does and they also use a 2-roller MM with pulleys. (Mine was direct connection, through lovejoys).

Yes, the MMs use bronze sleeve bearings. My only complaint about them, as some cheaper models (e.g., Cereal Killer) use ball bearings.

So far I haven't noticed any lateral play in those sleeve bearings, but it will happen eventually.

 

[day_trippr]

what would be the minimum torque required to run a standard homebrew grain mill?

I agree with the aforementioned 40 inch pound minimum torque - assuming a two-roller mill. I have a gear motor good for 45 inch pounds in the forward direction (40 inch pounds in reverse) and it works just fine, but I would not go much lower.

For three rollers I'd jump that to 60 inch pounds minimum...

Cheers!

 

[agentbud]

You might have a look at this thread.

the motor used in that thread (XD-60GA775) is rated at 6.37 kg/cfm. Doesn't that convert to only about 5.5 pounds/inch? The poster in that thread said it worked fine but that is nowhere near the 40 inch pounds recommended above. Torque is not my specialty so I could be discombobulating things.

 

[DuncB]

I was looking around the shop for a motor I could use with my grain mill and found an old shop fan. Motor works ok but the rest is busted up. I'm guessing a fan motor is probably too fast for a grain mill but I can't find any info on the motor to make that determination. The sticker says FE-50 Motor, Model YYHS-50, 120v 60Hz, 1.6 amp but it does not list RPMs. It has a switch to adjust the speed low, medium, high. It looks like the one in the pic below. Anyone know anything about his motor (ie RPMs, torque, etc) and if it would work on a mill?

View attachment 844795

Put some blades on it and it will be good for blowing the dust away after you've milled and cool you down whilst hand cranking!

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, looking at a vendor spec for the XD-60GA775 I find a confusing torque rating of up to 3.5 nm. At 24V and 150 rpm it claims 6.37 k-fcm but indeed that'd be only ~5.6 inch pounds. Hard to believe that can spin a mill, I wonder if there's a spec issue...

Cheers!

 

[sibelman]

150 rpm

Mine is only 50rpm - what's the rush? This surely means more torque, right? Seems undaunted by grain. Might choke on rocks.

 

[Bobby_M]

Unless you're brewing weekly or even daily, it seems the best option is a high torque paddle mixer drill from Harbor Freight.
https://www.harborfreight.com/75-am...drillmixer-56179.html?_br_psugg_q=drill+mixer

It already comes with a chuck to attach to the mill shaft and it's got a cord on it. You can either put a worm drive hose clamp around the trigger and adjust speed that way or if you're mounting to the mill base, drill a few holes in the base getting closer and closer to the handle and stick a dowel into the hole to hold the trigger.

Extra bonus... if you have the need for a high torque drill for DIY projects, you'll know where to find it. Try that with a dedicated mill motor.

 

[agentbud]

To clarify - I already have a drill that works fine. But I built a new mill stand out of a spare cabinet and was looking for a more "permanent" motor solution that is small and won't breaking the bank. I like the solution here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/cheap-diy-option-for-a-motorized-grain-mill.679056/ so I may go that route.

 

[sibelman]

Best of luck with your motorization project, @agentbud

fwiw, the solution in the thread you linked to is a wee bit more complex than the one I adopted from @shoengine, where the motor and gears are in one small, tidy and inexpensive package: just under $100 for motor, power supply, shaft coupler, and shipping. Could be a bit less with a more basic power supply.

 

[CobraVin]

I used a heavy duty mortar mixer from Harbor freight I had left over from tiling my house. the nice thing is it has a lockable trigger and a dial for the speed, and it was easy to mount. The rubber hose connecting the motor didn't last, had to buy a flexible shaft coupler for $10

 

[CobraVin]

the noise is not just the mill I have a shop vac running for the dust

 

[Cameronl]

My dad has an old motor he used to run a small table saw I think.

Table saw motors general run around 3400 rpm. You'll need about a two foot sheave on the mill to get it down to a reasonable speed. I use an old general purpose motor I got off an old band saw that runs at the more typical speed of about 1725 rpm with a 10:1 gear reduction plus a 4" pulley on the mill.

 

[jerrylotto]

I used a washing machine motor, there's a 1-in pulley on it to an 8-in pulley on the mill.