For the first few crushes my 3/8" cordless drill did a great job on my Barley Crusher. But when I started to condition my grains the cordless drill just couldn't do it any more. I had a 1/2" drill that had the power but it wasn't a variable speed so I had to go full speed or nothing. I was considering buying a new drill but I figured this would be a good time to just motorize my mill and be done with it.
I didn't want to build a piece of furniture that would take up a bunch of valuable space in my brew area. I wanted something as small as possible that could be stored away when not in use. So, the end result is this one board two bucket design. Here a list of the parts and a few pics of the mill. NOTE: The motor actually rotates the opposite direction of the arrow someone drew on the motor.
$30 - 1/2 HP motor from Craig's List
$40 - 1 12" OD 1/2" shaft pulley, 1 3" OD 1/2" shaft pulley, 1 1/2" to 3/8" sheave, 1 50" fan belt from Graingers
$2.49 - Stainless steel switch plate cover
$0 - Light switch (found in garage)
$0 - Light switch box (found in garage)
$0 - Power cord from a server (donated from work)
$0 - Wood, screws, handle (found in garage)
$72.49 Total cost (not including the mill)
I didn't want to build a piece of furniture that would take up a bunch of valuable space in my brew area. I wanted something as small as possible that could be stored away when not in use. So, the end result is this one board two bucket design. Here a list of the parts and a few pics of the mill. NOTE: The motor actually rotates the opposite direction of the arrow someone drew on the motor.
$30 - 1/2 HP motor from Craig's List
$40 - 1 12" OD 1/2" shaft pulley, 1 3" OD 1/2" shaft pulley, 1 1/2" to 3/8" sheave, 1 50" fan belt from Graingers
$2.49 - Stainless steel switch plate cover
$0 - Light switch (found in garage)
$0 - Light switch box (found in garage)
$0 - Power cord from a server (donated from work)
$0 - Wood, screws, handle (found in garage)
$72.49 Total cost (not including the mill)