Motor for barley crusher

[ITV]

Thanks, this makes sense. I see why these little motors could pretty easily fail

What doesn't make sense it that the Blogger claimed that the 7A power supply wouldn't turn the motor but the 20A power supply did.
That statement discredits the blogger for me regardless of what other reviewers say.

 

[bracconiere]

little late to the party, but i think what you want is something like this "a speed dial lock drill" what i got from harbor freight wroks great for $40.....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2551881812...HZtqFcTp2WoCLGRDxjN71mbbvGvvVgJYaAj9IEALw_wcB

just get it rolling and dial the speed lock thingy to what speed you want....pour the grain in with it mounted somehow.....

(but i'm just throwing some search words out for you, you'd want a low speed one. just look for the dial on the trigger....)

 

[bracconiere]

i think this would work?

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Meterk-H...rPz08WCL8ycsQpIU870aAmLFEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Brewer_Dad]

I have a cordless drill that has regulated torque. I thought about an engine or a stand but I brew 5gal batches and the time it takes to mill that amount of grain is pretty much insignificant.

 

[Gozie Boy]

Many like to over complicate simple processes, but if that's what they really want I'll never say not to go for it. But in my 10-12 gallons batches (up to c.42# grain), my Milwaukee cordless is a simple solution, works like a champ and has never even breathed hard. Given that the bucket fills up relatively quickly, I don't need/want to be away from the milling process. The actual milling is a rather small piece of the brew day, so I don't see much benefit.

 

[Homergah]

I've been using a very old, cheap 18v Ryobi drill. I can't walk away from it, but it only takes a few minutes to mill. Walking away from a mill in progress is cause for dismissal at many breweries. Mills can and do get hung up. Grain will occasionally have a pebble or two in it.
I didn't read the article that was attached about the motor for the mill. Maybe the guy got his words wrong. Did he run 20 VOLTS to a 12v motor? That would make much more sense. And probably would work fine for the limited short run of a mill. Saying that he ran 20A to a 1.6A motor makes no sense whatsoever. You don't run Amps TO a motor. The motor draws the amperage it needs depending on load.

If you really want to motorize on the cheap, keep an eye out for someone throwing away an old electric ride-on toy car. These things usually strip out the gears before the motor dies. That, or the batteries are toast and they cost too much to replace. You would need some way to power it. You can use the old "go pedal" from the car for a speed controller.

 

[PCABrewing]

I get it, but not sure what the benifit of very slow crushing is. It takes me a couple minutes to crush 20#, am I doing it wrong?

I think if I spin my mill too fast it has a tendency to make more flour.
I believe that is because some kernels that the rollers don't get a good grip on tend to me Ground rather than Crushed because the roller spins against them rather than pulling them in and crushing.
Better mills probably don't do that.

 

[ihavenonickname]

I went to the habitat store looking for bigger motor and they had several 1/6 - 3/4 HP motors, machine shop style for cheap. This would look really cool but I would have to find a couple of pulleys to drop the speed down 1:10, pulleys seem kind of expensive.

But I also found a rad little hand drill with a speed control dial and trigger lock. I’ll be able to set the speed nice and low, flip it on and let it do the work hand free. I just need a few straps and lock it down to the base.

So just as suggested by @bracconiere above this is a great cheap solution for a dedicated, hand free mill cabinet.
thanks for everyone’s help.

 

[Dland]

I think if I spin my mill too fast it has a tendency to make more flour.
I believe that is because some kernels that the rollers don't get a good grip on tend to me Ground rather than Crushed because the roller spins against them rather than pulling them in and crushing.
Better mills probably don't do that.

I had a BC mill, actually still have, but am now using a 3 roller mill, since BC kind of wore out, soft rollers, same old story. Anyway, the drill I use is vairable speed, high torque, I probably spin it at around 1/4 of drill's max RPM. No appreaciable flour, good crush w intact hulls, with BC too. Though I do admit 3 roller mill does a better job. Gap setting is important, of course.

 

[IslandLizard]

For inspiration:

That's using an older model, Harbor Freight "Heavy Duty Low Speed" drill, 110V, 7.5 Amps. Max speed is 550 rpm.

I run it at about half power ~120-150 rpm under load on my Monster Mill 2 (MM2) with 1.5" rollers, to get a "linear speed" of ~12" per second, the optimal speed for milling grain.


They now have a newer model with similar specs, it's red spade-handle kinda drill now.

 

[bracconiere]

I went to the habitat store looking for bigger motor and they had several 1/6 - 3/4 HP motors, machine shop style for cheap. This would look really cool but I would have to find a couple of pulleys to drop the speed down 1:10, pulleys seem kind of expensive.

But I also found a rad little hand drill with a speed control dial and trigger lock. I’ll be able to set the speed nice and low, flip it on and let it do the work hand free. I just need a few straps and lock it down to the base.

So just as suggested by @bracconiere above this is a great cheap solution for a dedicated, hand free mill cabinet.
thanks for everyone’s help.

View attachment 749490

have you tried it with grain in the hopper? i'm not sure if that's going to have the torque at low speed?

 

[ihavenonickname]

have you tried it with grain in the hopper? i'm not sure if that's going to have the torque at low speed?

Yeah it got through a pound in about a minute, so pretty slow. I didn’t try starting it with grain already in there tho.

 

[bracconiere]

Yeah it got through a pound in about a minute, so pretty slow. I didn’t try starting it with grain already in there tho.

Right on! you'll love a motorized mill! even holding a drill got tedious for me!

 

[IslandLizard]

Yeah it got through a pound in about a minute, so pretty slow. I didn’t try starting it with grain already in there tho.

You can probably mill it twice, once on the wider gap, then on a narrower one. Especially for small kernel grain such as wheat, rye, oat malt, etc. that would crush those at the proper fineness for good efficiency.

Yeah, that drill may be struggling, just as long as it doesn't stop midway, it's all good.

 

[bracconiere]

I didn’t try starting it with grain already in there tho.

i didn't catch that, i always rev up mine before i fill the hopper.....

 

[cbier60]

That cold start is what gets 'em. If you have problems with startup and can manage it, start the motor/drill before adding grains. Unfortunately, that is not always convenient or possible.

 

[bracconiere]

That cold start is what gets 'em. If you have problems with startup and can manage it, start the motor/drill before adding grains. Unfortunately, that is not always convenient or possible.

mine and @ihavenonickname 's drills have a speed locking trigger....just start them up, lock em on, twist to desired speed...fill up the hopper...


it used to be a common feature, but dying out these days aparently....

 

[Brewdog80]

Harbor freight has several corded drills that are way less than $50, don't have to worry about a battery and just way cheaper.

 

[bracconiere]

@ihavenonickname have you given the mill an inaugural run yet?

 

[ihavenonickname]

So I gave the drill a go (this time at a tighter gap)and at low speeds it jammed up. It works at high speeds but faster than I want…
Im looking into the motor and pulley thing but sourcing the pulleys is a pain.
what do you think of using a speed dial like this with a 1/3 HP 1750rpm motor and a direct drive coupler? If you dial down the speed would it still have enough torque?
https://www.harborfreight.com/router-speed-control-43060.html

 

[bracconiere]

i think this would do it, look for mud mixers, with the dial on the trigger....

https://www.amazon.com/VonHaus-Hand...ocphy=9030231&hvtargid=pla-568150049408&psc=1

1/2" should have the power....what i use....

and i see the pulleys at ACE in the back of the store, if you do go that route....but a $50 drill would be cheaper!

 

[ihavenonickname]

Thanks yeah that really does look like the right tool for true job. 10 amps and a speed dial and lock. Did you grind down the drive shaft on the barley crusher so the drill teeth had something better (3 points to grab on to?

 

[TestTickle]

That motor seems on the weak side but it all depends on the mill that you plan on driving. The max RPM's seems on the low side as well (135 RPM).

For comparison my mill motor is 180 RPM at 14.5 ft-lbs.

This Link motor works with the Barley Crusher based on a member of the beer club. Unfortunately it does not give the torque or RPM values.

I have this exact motor and it works great. I can't recall what brand of mill I have (the wife bought it as a gift and said it was the Barley Crusher) but the coupler included with this motor would not fit the mill shaft. I ended up finding one that worked on Amazon and it's been a rock star.

 

[bracconiere]

i actually use a JSP malt mill, but with the cheap chicago HF drill with the speed lock trigger, i haven't had a problem with it slipping on the smooth shaft...


(i did notice that, that drill is "In Stock Soon", so...who knows)

here a mud mixxer 100-700, with a dial speed setting?

https://www.toolots.com/electric-po...YWA47tz6i4YAjgMUQZwuR0suCMJ2wQewaAnbeEALw_wcB

 

[Spivey24]

Dewalt 20v brushless drill works great for my monster 3 roller and I don’t have to worry about a cord. I use a mini dewalt clamp to hold the trigger on. Drill is $100 and you get a nice drill too. I guess it depends if you want a permanent setup or just something you can stash away.

 

[day_trippr]

I can vouch for the DeWalt 20v wrt torque - it's a monster that can test your wrists - and use mine on my reversed and semi-retired Barley Crusher whenever I need some wheat or oat malt in the grist...

Cheers!

 

[Spivey24]

I can vouch for the DeWalt 20v wrt torque - it's a monster that can test your wrists - and use mine on my reversed and semi-retired Barley Crusher whenever I need some wheat or oat malt in the grist...

Cheers!

yea the first time I tried it, I attempted to hold it. I smashed my finger and flipped the whole crusher upside down, barley and all, in one motion. Lol. Now I make sure it’s pegged to the crusher mounting board and no worries.