Motor for Grain Mill

[Bobby_M]

It's probably easier to just gear it down with a pair of sheaves and belt.

 

[Catt22]

It's probably easier to just gear it down with a pair of sheaves and belt.

I don't see how that could be easier than simply using the speed controller. It would probably be a push on the cost too. Am I missing something?

 

[cruelkix]

I already bought the thing. We'll see how it works. $20 for a motor drive for my mill. If it works I cant argue with that. If it doesnt work I'll have ot see about gearing it down. I'll lose some torque but I think this 12 amp motor has plenty to spare.

 

[Homercidal]

The most cost effective way to go is with a Harbor Freight 1/2" corded drill motor. Not the most elegant solution, but it is low cost and will do the job well without the need for belts and sheaves.

I went with a gear motor, but I got it for almost nothing.

I bought one of those but it started smoking within moments of using it with my crusher. I put it away in case I needed it for around the garage. No sense in burning up the motor on a single batch of beer.

They probably have larger drills, but the one I purchased was one of the largest hand drills and was supposed to be geared lower too.

I should just have the guy on second shift cut a pair of gears on the Wire EDM machine and mount them onto the crusher. Practically free and I can choose the ratio I want.

 

[conpewter]

Just got this on ebay

Used for hospital beds, 115VAC 71 RPM reversible and 60 lb-ft of torque. Not really fast but plenty of torque for my needs. Now I just need to get a better mill to hook this up to.

 

[Catt22]

I bought one of those but it started smoking within moments of using it with my crusher. I put it away in case I needed it for around the garage. No sense in burning up the motor on a single batch of beer.

They probably have larger drills, but the one I purchased was one of the largest hand drills and was supposed to be geared lower too.

I should just have the guy on second shift cut a pair of gears on the Wire EDM machine and mount them onto the crusher. Practically free and I can choose the ratio I want.

Was the drill a 1/2" model? I first tried using my 3/8" drill and had the same problem with overloading. I then bought the HF 1/2" drill motor and it ran the mill with ease even starting with a full hopper was no problem.

 

[jcb317]

I just got this 1/2" drill the other week on sale for $32 at Harbor Freight. Its model # 93632.

I cant speak for its longterm durability yet, but I've used it once so far and ran 31lbs of grain through it in 1 shot with no issues.

Providing it holds up it worked pretty well. Its got a good amount of torque, and you can enable the trigger-lock and adjust the speed with a dial. I've got the drill mounted to a table along with my mill and have the drill plugged into a switched outlet, so i can fill the mill up, flip the switch on and off to start or stop the drill/mill.

 

[53sparks]

If you don't mind belting, a residential garage door opener(i bought mine used from a garage door guy for 5 bucks) motor spins at about 1000rpms,they have 1/3 and 1/2 hp i have a 1/2 hp rigged up to my monster mill 2 roller with a 1 1/2" pulley on the motor and a 10 or 12 inch on the mill works great never sounds like it is bogging down!

 

[wilserbrewer]

The most cost effective way to go is with a Harbor Freight 1/2" corded drill ....

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47991


32 bucks on sale at HF...used it tonight...I think it could grind a ton of grain w/out missing a beat. 10 amps! I swear this thing could grind all night! There is a dial on top to vary the speeed...this thing works great!

IMHO stop w/ the belts pulleys and other sheaves, this thing will grind all week out of the box.

 

[Catt22]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47991


32 bucks on sale at HF...used it tonight...I think it could grind a ton of grain w/out missing a beat. 10 amps! I swear this thing could grind all night! There is a dial on top to vary the speeed...this thing works great!

IMHO stop w/ the belts pulleys and other sheaves, this thing will grind all week out of the box.

It's safer than the pulley & sheave arrangements, more compact and probably about the same cost or maybe even less all told. You can also drill stuff with it! IMO, the 1/2 drill or a gearmotor are the best options for motorizing mills.

 

[DevilsCreekBrewing]

I found a blower motor from a furnace at the local Restore, which is a Habitat for Humanity store that sells used/ damaged new building materials. Cost me $3. There was a pulley and belt at the local surplus store, cost another $4.

 

[Catt22]

I was originally going to use a similar motor with a belt and sheaves, but then I got extremely lucky and found a brand new Bodine gear motor for $5. That Bodine motor is listed new at $385. With a factory mounting bracket, a capacitor and shipping it would have been close to $450 brand new. Yikes! Add the cost of the mill and the table I built for it and it would be approaching $600. I'm thinking I might need to insure the damn thing!

Anyway, there's nothing wrong with the belt and sheave method, but it would be prudent to install guards over them. You are probably smart enough and cautious enough to avoid getting tangled up in your mill, but others might not be as careful. The resulting injuries could be pretty gnarly.

 

[Sawdustguy]

I did it on the cheap. I found a wire cart like this on Ebay for $25. I routed a rectangular hole in the middle of the top for the Mill. When in use I remove some of the slide out baskets. When not using the mill, I reinsert the baskets so I can store hoses, thermometers, pH meter etc.

I also found on Ebay, a Bodine 135 RPM @ 57 in oz Torque, DC Gearmotor for $15 and a PWM controller for $20. I had a Lovejoy coupler but it wasn't the right size so I had a neighbor lathe me a coupler.

All told is cost me about $190 with the mill.

 

[Catt22]

I did it on the cheap. I found a wire cart like this on Ebay for $25. I routed a rectangular hole in the middle of the top for the Mill. When in use I remove some of the slide out baskets. When not using the mill, I reinsert the baskets so I can store hoses, thermometers, pH meter etc.

I also found on Ebay, a Bodine 135 RPM @ 57 in oz Torque, DC Gearmotor for $15 and a PWM controller for $20. I had a Lovejoy coupler but it wasn't the right size so I had a neighbor lathe me a coupler.

All told is cost me about $190 with the mill.

Why did you get the PWM controller? You shouldn't need one if the motor is only running at 135 RPM. That's relatively slow which IMO is good as it produces much less dust. Mine only runs at 115 RPM. The slower speed isn't an issue for me as it still only takes less than ten minutes to mill grain for a five or six gallon batch. I think the throughput is about 1-1/2 lbs/min for my mill. I have about $200 total invested in the mill, motor and stand and I think it will last longer than I will.