Hoppo's Rustic Motorized Grain Mill Cabinet and Grain Storage Bin

[TrainSafe]

I think you'll be fine with the prefinished wood. Its not getting wet, and not hot so there isn't going to be any transfer to the grain.

 

[TBaGZ]

Sorry, went over to my inlaws for dinner and to watch the Tigers/Yankees game, so no more progress today. Go Tigers!

I hope your sack gets caught in the mill.

Obviously kidding... Everything looks great as usual.

 

[MaxOut]

Maybe consider having a HVAC guy make a liner out of galvanized metal you could just drop inside your wood hopper. Would be a piece of cake for any HVAC metal shop and would be cheap. That way you have the cool wood look from the outside and a smooth non stick metal surface on the inside. Just a thought. Looking Good!

 

[Hoppopotomus]

I think you'll be fine with the prefinished wood. Its not getting wet, and not hot so there isn't going to be any transfer to the grain.

That's what I was thinking too. I'm sure there will be a few arguments against using it, but for now that's my plan. Thanks man!

 

[Hoppopotomus]

I hope your sack gets caught in the mill.

Obviously kidding... Everything looks great as usual.

Ouch! Obviously you're a Yankees fan I presume? I'm just glad that the umps are calling nice clean games! Kidding.....the Yankees have been shafted more than once this series so far.

Thanks for the compliment.

 

[Hoppopotomus]

Maybe consider having a HVAC guy make a liner out of galvanized metal you could just drop inside your wood hopper. Would be a piece of cake for any HVAC metal shop and would be cheap. That way you have the cool wood look from the outside and a smooth non stick metal surface on the inside. Just a thought. Looking Good!

Something to consider. My wife thinks that the laminate wood flooring idea is going to "look stupid" with rustic knotty pine on the exterior and clear maple on the interior. I'm sorta just looking to use up materials that I have laying around without spending any more money on this particular project. If it looks like crap when i get it done.....I'll certainly consider your idea of a metal liner. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Hoppopotomus]

Alright, 90% complete with the grain hopper for the mill. I ended up lining the interior with the laminate hardwood flooring and finishing up the knotty pine on the exterior. Still need to install outside pine 3/4" x 3/4" corner trim to clean up the edges. I have another ripped log that is the perfect size to install across the front lip of the hopper....just need to knife it and cut to size. What do you guys think......log across the front or no log? Once I get that done, I'm going to build another box behind the hopper to serve as a shroud for the pulley system. The hopper blocks it from the front, but I might as well box out the back, trim it out and put a couple of rows of tumbled travertine on the top to coordinate the piece. Feedback about the log please.

 

[TBaGZ]

Looks good.... No log

 

[Gridlocked]

Kent,
Something I was just thinking about that you may or may not ever have to deal with. Every once in a while, my mill (Monster Mill 2.0) messes up and won't crush. Grain gets stuck between the housing and the roller, jamming one of them. I have to pour the grain out of the hopper back into the pail that I use to measure out the quantity, flip the mill over and run it forward and backward to clear the roller again. If it was fixed, I'd be screwed.

so, I E-mailed monster mill today and got an awesome response. Looks like I need to make some adjustments to my mill to stop the problem from happening.

 

[Hoppopotomus]

I made the hopper, so that I can detach it easily if needed. Granted I would spill a bit of grain if that were to happen, but not that big of a deal I suppose. With the appropriate gapping and having a motor/pulley system that generates an approriate amount of torque at the correct rpms, hopefully I won't have any major jamming issues. I won't know 'til I start milling.

What do you think....install a log across the front lip of the hopper or leave as is? So far, I've only gotten one vote for NAY. (Thanks for the feedback TBaGZ!)

 

[Gridlocked]

tough call with the front lip - log or no...
I think you could go either way - to tell you the truth. The other horizontal surfaces do have the log, but they're all relatively on the same part of the piece.

If you do, sneak it under the lip that you have so it's relatively subtle.

 

[twistr25]

I'll have to agree with the nay, may look a little out of place floating in the air. If it was a larger section, perhaps, but since it is relatively small compared to the rest of the cabinet I don't think it will look as good. But I'm incredibly jealous of all of it. Can't wait to get a house again.

 

[Hoppopotomus]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Here's what I am going to do. I'll knife the log, cut it to size, tack it on, and post a pic. If the concensus is that it looks stupid, I'll ditch it. I'm working a 14 hr. day today, so I won't get anything accomplished tonight. I'll try to get it done tomorrow along with mounting the motor and running the electrical. My new pulley is set to arrive tomorrow a.m., so hopefully I can progress with the mechanical side of the build. I also am building a shroud box behind the hopper as well, which hopefully I can work on tomorrow and over the weekend.

 

[tattooman]

Wow!
Dude the bar looks great! your puttin a lot of work and time in to it, can't wait to see the finished product! :rockin:
Dennis

 

[rekoob]

Dude, awesome! I love the look. Not sure about the log but will wait for the pic to get a visual, good idea. again, great job!

 

[Hoppopotomus]

Wow!
Dude the bar looks great! your puttin a lot of work and time in to it, can't wait to see the finished product! :rockin:
Dennis

Thanks Dennis. I sent you an email, but just wanted to know if the offer still stands on me burrowing your set of Greenlee Punches. Once I wrap up this mill, I'm going to start my keg conversions and they would sure come in handy. Thanks man!

 

[Gridlocked]

let me know if you have questions or want info on the keg conversions. I have about 4 holes in my MLT that I wish I would have done differently...

 

[Hoppopotomus]

let me know if you have questions or want info on the keg conversions. I have about 4 holes in my MLT that I wish I would have done differently...

As alway....thanks man! I'm sure I will have plenty of questions when the time comes. AND....thanks tattooman for dropping off the Greenlee punches at my office. Your too kind! Now back to the mill.

 

[Hoppopotomus]

Got a couple of hours today to work on the pulley cover/shroud behind my hopper. I had some old particle board laying around, so rather than purchasing more plywood, I used that for the box. Then, as always, covered it with knotty pine and trimmed out the top with pieces of pine in my scrap box. I need to hit the HD, because I'm sick of digging through scraps to find trim pieces. I plan on running 2 courses of 4"x4" tumbled travertine on the top of the box to coordinate with the rest of the cabinet. Here's what I have so far. Still need to clean up corners with mouldings, but can't find any laying around. UPS just arrived with my new pulley for the motor, so now I can start laying that out and working on the mechanicals.

 

[Hoppopotomus]

I tacked up the log to see how it looks. It looked terrible on the front face, but I kinda like Ted's idea of tucking it underneath the front trim piece, so it's more subtle. Before I take the time knifing and sanding the log, here are a few pics to get some feedback. It's just a rough fitting, so if I go with using the log, I will knife it for a more precise fit, but for now I'm not going to waste time on it if I'm potentially not going to use it. Feedback please!

P.S. Once knifed and cleaned up, it will look exactly like the lower logs and won't stick out like a sore thumb. It still has some mossy bark and oxidation on it in the pics.

 

[socalboomer]

Looks too 'lippy' to me... Cleaner without it.

 

[twistr25]

I like it a lot better on the under side of the lip, and even being pulled away from the storage bin that much gives it a lot more symmetrical look. So I change my vote to a YES :rockin:

 

[Gridlocked]

I like it. I think it ties in the organic-ishness of the whole thing. All the squre-edges on the top didn't quite work for me. All of the other horizontal and similar edges of the piece have the cedar, I think that a subtle tuck under ties the hopper in with the rest of it. Just my "sittin-in-my-office-wishing-I-was-working-on-brewing-stuff-at-home" .02

 

[Hoppopotomus]

If I keep the log, I'll round off the front trim piece and make it flow with the log. I just threw together the motor pulley system and plugged it in.....and it works! I used a heavy duty hinge between two pieces of plywood. Fastened the bottom piece to the base and then screwed the motor down to the top piece. It was just a rough fit. I will drill holes and use bolts, washers, lock washers, and nuts to secure the motor to the top plate. I though that the weight of the motor would be enough to tension the belt, but I think I need to add a tensioner to prevent slack or slippage of the belt. I'll used either a heavy duty spring or a long bolt to create tension in the belt. Otherwise, everything tracked straight and the mill spins nice! :rockin:

 

[Hoppopotomus]

PS....the inside of the cabinet is not complete. I am putting a partition between the motor pulley system and the grain catching side of the cabinet, so that my motor is protected from grain dust.

 

[TrainSafe]

I vote to keep the log

 

[Hoppopotomus]

I'll get the log cleaned up and attached. I will then knife the trim piece above to give it some contour to flow with the log. Hopefully I can get all of the wood work finished over the weekend, so that I can do a few coats of poly and install the stone. Almost there!

 

[TrainSafe]

Great. Hurry up and finish your setup so that you can start taking orders to build equipment for the rest I of us.

 

[Gridlocked]

Great. Hurry up and finish your setup so that you can start taking orders to build equipment for the rest I of us.

YES! This!

 

[Hoppopotomus]

I'm hurrying man! Unfortunately I do not see brewing equipment building in my immediate future. I have a hard enough time trying to get my own sh*t done! Maybe if I actually finished one project before moving onto 3 more my efficiency would improve and it could someday be a viable business opportunity.....NOT! I'll just keep opening up therapy practices and leave the equipment building to the pros.

Just had a new patient cancel, so I had a few minutes to hit the HD a mile down the road from my office to pick up a few odds and ends to hopefully get the bulk of this project completed over the weekend. I'll keep posting pics. as I progress. I think that I am going to get everything wired tonight when I get out of work and finish sanding the hopper/shroud component. Tomorrow I hopefully can get a couple of coats of poly on the pieces, and may find time late Sunday to install the cement board and stone on the tops.