Just finished my motorized mill today.
The mill is a Monster Mill 2 stainless roller which I've been using with a drill until now. A bit under $200
The motor is out of a leaking GE washing machine 1/2 HP and runs at 1050 RPM (wired it in low speed) $0
The pulley ratio is 8:1 giving me about 130 RPM. Pulleys and belts under $40.
I just picked up the cabinet at Habitat for Humanity for $15
I used a vent boot adapter to create a funnel into my bucket. $8
I wired it all up with help from Physics Forum https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/trying-to-wire-a-washing-motor-to-power-a-grain-mill.833300/
The motor is mounted to a steel plate I fabricated from a chunk I found in a steel recycle bin. Then I mounted it to the board on slotted holes for tension adjustment. The tensioner I made was also found in the recycle bin and a couple machine screws to adjust the tension.
Let me know what you think!
Just finished my motorized mill today.
The mill is a Monster Mill 2 stainless roller which I've been using with a drill until now. A bit under $200
The motor is out of a leaking GE washing machine 1/2 HP and runs at 1050 RPM (wired it in low speed) $0
The pulley ratio is 8:1 giving me about 130 RPM. Pulleys and belts under $40.
I just picked up the cabinet at Habitat for Humanity for $15
I used a vent boot adapter to create a funnel into my bucket. $8
I wired it all up with help from Physics Forum https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/trying-to-wire-a-washing-motor-to-power-a-grain-mill.833300/
The motor is mounted to a steel plate I fabricated from a chunk I found in a steel recycle bin. Then I mounted it to the board on slotted holes for tension adjustment. The tensioner I made was also found in the recycle bin and a couple machine screws to adjust the tension.
Let me know what you think!
Here is another view. I put a shelf in the cabinet so the bucket is only 1/8 inch from the top. It really keeps the dust down.
I have a monster mill as well what size motor did you go with? All you had to do was put a piece of wood underneith the mill to get them level and working? I really want to motorize my mill nicer then the old drill bit way and this seems like a solid/easy package.
I went with this motor... The 180 rpm version because of the 2 " rollers.
https://www.allamericanaleworks.com/shop/grain-mill-motor-shaft-couplers-package/
Not cheap but an awesome motor. Very easy to set up. Plenty of power.m I used the base that came with the mill and then measured how much I had to raise it to get it to the proper level.
I went with this motor... The 180 rpm version because of the 2 " rollers.
https://www.allamericanaleworks.com/shop/grain-mill-motor-shaft-couplers-package/
Not cheap but an awesome motor. Very easy to set up. Plenty of power.m I used the base that came with the mill and then measured how much I had to raise it to get it to the proper level.
FYI,
Just saw that Williams Brewing Supply has motorized kits now available!! Not too bad a price from the look of it.
TD
FYI,
Just saw that Williams Brewing Supply has motorized kits now available!! Not too bad a price from the look of it.
TD
I'd have a real concern with that motor. It is only 90w which is about 1/8 hp. Seems a bit small. I notice in the video that the motor is started before the grain is added. I wonder if it would start with a hopper full of grain.
If you watch the video for the 3 roller version of the motor, they stop it with a full hopper then re-start it. It fires up without a hitch.
*sigh* This may be the answer I was looking for as far as motorizing my mill.
I'd have a real concern with that motor. It is only 90w which is about 1/8 hp. Seems a bit small. I notice in the video that the motor is started before the grain is added. I wonder if it would start with a hopper full of grain.
All american ale works motor works like a champ and isn't much more $.
I can confirm that AAAW was very responsive to any & all questions I had re set up w/ my MM 3 roller mill.
It has been operating flawlessly for 3 years w/ an average of 2 brews per month. additionally two local breweries come by to mill their grains on occasion when their mills are down.
Found an old ice chest on a garage sale, turned it into my mill station using a Delco electric motor my grandfather had works great.
View attachment 365110
View attachment 365111
View attachment 365112
Not 100% setup yet but it works. Its a 1 HP Single-Phase 1725 RPM explosion proof motor with a 10:1 speed reducer so Im getting around 172 RPM on the mill.
Edit: If anyone can tell me how to fix the image rotation that would be great. I uploaded it with the correct alignment.
Where did you source the explosion proof motor? I'm curious how many folks have actually had a motor explode on them in this application doing small homebrew batches on DIY systems.
TD
Where did you source the explosion proof motor? I'm curious how many folks have actually had a motor explode on them in this application doing small homebrew batches on DIY systems.
TD
Motors don't (typically) explode. But that's not what that is describing. What that means in an electric motor is that they have protected it from allowing sparks from the brushes, etc. to escape and cause an explosion from flammable substances (in this case, grain dust). Although I've never heard of a grain dust explosion explosion at the home brewer level...
Enter your email address to join: