Monster Mill ideas

[dvb]

I just bought the 2-roller Monster Mill with the 1.5" rollers. No hopper. No base. I'm going to fabricate my own. I don't have any particular ideas about how I will construct it just yet, nor whether I will power it with an AC motor/belt/sheave or my trusty Rigid 1/2" hammer drill. (set to non-hammer mode, of course)

I've seen some pretty slick designs, including a few on HBT. What are some cool setups you've seen built around Monster Mills?

 

[Gus_13]

Glad to see this thread. Sub'd

 

[beergolf]

Lots of good ideas in this thread.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/motorized-grain-mills-time-show-them-off-159950/

 

[acidrain]

I'm leaning towards one that will fit and store inside the hopper.

 

[dvb]

Thanks, beergolf. Methinks I didn't search hard enough, because I completely missed that thread.

Hey, acidrain. Do you mean you would flip the hopper over so that it is basically a cover for the MM itself?

I'd like to build a milling table that I can first set up for use with a drill and then maybe incorporate a motor and sheave later on if the need arises (or if I just want to geek out).

 

[ghohn]

If you have the drill already and some hole cutters, you won't need much more to make something classy like this. The first picture is of a base when I was using it in the US. The second one is a base I made in Korea out of scrap wood and a water jug I found.

This is atop a Monster Mill 3 roller. I had a Barley Crusher with their hopper but the vibrations from the drill made the thing come loose too often. I ditched the BC and picked up a MM. Haven't looked back. What an amazing machine!

 

[MrNatural]

I just bought the 2-roller Monster Mill with the 1.5" rollers. No hopper. No base. I'm going to fabricate my own.

If you make a hopper, can you post the plans? Need to build one myself as soon as single tier is done.

 

[dvb]

I've attached a few images of what I came up with. I have not tested this yet, so it may be a terrible design. We shall soon see!

Inside the main box, there are two wedges (from a 2x2 ripped at 45°) that measure about 1.5" deep and are the same width as the rollers. One is positioned lower than the other. The idea is the grain should come out of the neck of the carboy, spread out a bit when it hits the first wedge, then spread out a bit more when it hits the second wedge, hopefully distributing itself somewhat evenly across the width of the rollers. I briefly considered tapering down from the middle to get even better distribution, but laziness and impatience won out.

The upper box is basically just there to elevate and support the hopper. I've seen some guys drill 2" holes in a stack of plywood, but I didn't want to go that route, mainly because I would feel compelled to sand the whole thing down. The main box has a 2-1/8" hole and the top has a 2-1/8" hole. The carboy neck fits just right and the space between the holes is just the right amount to maximize drop.

The thumb screws that came with the roller are designed for use with a sheet metal hopper, so I am using some longer screws that I had on hand. They secure the gap nicely and keep the housing where it needs to be.

The screws that I used to assemble the box are called Spax. These are great screws for doing quick builds because they are self-drilling, self-countersinking, and don't split the wood. Highly recommended.

I built this on its own base just to keep everything together while I took measurements and made cuts. It may stay on this base, which I would then attach to a table, or I may just attach the mill directly to a table. I'm not sure yet. The whole top part comes off easily enough, so either way will work.

I will initially power this with a Rigid hammer drill that doesn't get used for much else (although I used it today to install some anchors in concrete). The one problem I can foresee is that it has a keyless chuck. Keyless chucks slip as vibration works the jaws loose and I am concerned that, over time, this could damage the flats on the mill's shaft. Another unknown.

So, there you have it. My over-thought, completely untested mill. I will follow up after I mill a batch with it.