Motorized Grain Mills: Time to show them off!

[steveoatley]

can't shim drill or mill

trying to hang them under a shelf

maybe less than 1/4 inch

 

[srice]

Looks like more than 1/4" offset to me - if that is a 1/2" shaft on the mill, the bottom of the shaft would be even with the center of the chuck if you were off 1/4". That is way too much to "fix" with a lovejoy coupler.

 

[Hang Glider]

@steveoatley

Looking at that photo, I'd remove the mill, measure and cut a 3/8" piece of scrap plywood (?) with a jigsaw - make a shim. Then re-attach, and attach the drill directly to the mill shaft.

my 2 cents...
best of luck!
(also, cheaper than lovejoys)

 

[steveoatley]

thats what i was afraid of....

s

 

[Stealthcruiser]

thats what i was afraid of....

s

You said you was a "visual" kinda' guy.

"Visualize" them lined up, and make it happen!

 

[heckels]

To those that cut rectangles in stainless steel. What's your best option? Angle grinder, plasma cutter or the local guy that can get it perfect?

I just used my 4" angle grinder and $2 cutoff disc from menards.

 

[steveoatley]

You said you was a "visual" kinda' guy.

"Visualize" them lined up, and make it happen!

Be the ball Billy.....................

Visualize the ball in the cup

- works great

S

 

[Marquez]

Marquez,

What Love joy adapter did you use ?

I have the same problem as millsbrew, and can not shim my mill

Thanks

Steve

Hi Steve,

So sorry I missed your question until now.

I am not sure exactly what adapter my pal used. I no longer work with him, so I can not check either. I hope you found something that works for you.

 

[Weezy]

I really got tired of holding the drill.

I wanted a compact package for easier storage, but it's heavy enough that it doesn't wobble about either.

I found that a 3" fernco rubber pipe adapter fits perfectly over the Victoria mill opening. I used a 3" to 4" adapter and just slide in a 2' piece of 4" PVC as the hopper. It holds about 8 lbs or so which is plenty for my 3 gallon batches.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I just used my 4" angle grinder and $2 cutoff disc from menards.

Thanks I was kinda leery of taking a grinder to a new stainless table. I called a local machine shop asked them to make me an aluminum shim for the crankandstein to raise it to the motor shaft height and to cut the stainless, they shot me a quote for $140.

So ordered two 1/2" x 1" x 6" alum blanks that I cut and drilled today. I'll be borrowing my neighbors grinder when the motor arrives!

I used the mill this weekend. Crankandstein 320d it's such an upgrade

 

[Dcpcooks]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1488242375.619230.jpg

I didn't know how easy aluminum was to cut and drill. I used a multi tool and a 1/2 cordless drill to cut the spacer.

 

[Dcpcooks]

I also drilled and tapped into the mill for a face plate. Went with plexiglass for 10 bucks. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1488242704.729414.jpg

 

[Dcpcooks]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1488242758.081233.jpg

This is a good find! A5 gallon bucket fits perfectly in the hopper from crankandstein. Fill a five gallon bucket with 17-18 lbs of grain and it will fill a 5 gallon bucket to the top with milled grain.

I'm thinking I can fill the hopper, flip the switch and use that time for something else.

 

[Anticlimaddox]

Anyone that went with the Aleworks 1/2hp motor and gear reducer, how is it holding up over time? Any issues? Thx!

 

[RTL]

Still a work in progress. I got a 3250 rpm 1.5hp motor for $10 so it was worth the extra work to gear it down to 200rpm. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1489099526.224121.jpg

 

[day_trippr]

Awesome.
Is there a bearing block on the final drive shaft as well?

Cheers!

 

[Harry482]

Anyone that went with the Aleworks 1/2hp motor and gear reducer, how is it holding up over time? Any issues? Thx!

Mine has been great. Highly recommend one to anyone looking to motorize with no old motors laying around.

 

[Dcpcooks]

Finally finished the build. Crankandstein with an American ale works 180 rpm motor.

It's a beast! View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1489338784.674510.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1489338805.532132.jpg

 

[RTL]

Awesome.
Is there a bearing block on the final drive shaft as well?

Cheers!

Yes I have one right in front of the pulley then a shaft coupler to the mill's drive shaft. I got them on eBay for about $20 for a pair. Just search 1/2" pillow block and you won't be let down. Eventually I will finish the cabinet around it but right now my basement takes precedence. I like the plexiglass on the sides I might switch to that before I finalize everything.

 

[Anticlimaddox]

Dcpcooks - that looks fantastic man. No issues with the motor weight on the stainless table, and is that 2x2 top? Also you pretty happy with the power grinder motor so far? Leaning towards that over the separate motor and reducer.

Cheers.
// brian

Finally finished the build. Crankandstein with an American ale works 180 rpm motor.

It's a beast! View attachment 392395View attachment 392396

 

[Yesfan]

Finally finished the build. Crankandstein with an American ale works 180 rpm motor.

It's a beast! View attachment 392395View attachment 392396

Where did you get that hopper? Looks awesome! Very rural looking.


Nice build btw............

 

[Dcpcooks]

Thanks YesFan! The hopper is two pieces. The bottom half is the one from crankandstein. The top is a 5 gallon pale from the hardware store. I was going to build a hopper out of steel or aluminum but I kinda like this one as is. It holds a five gallon bucket full of grain so its fill once, mill then swap out the next bucket and repeat. It's roughly 17-20 lbs at once.

I really liked the MM3 hopper but I liked the self locking adjustable gap feature of the Crankandstein better.

 

[Dcpcooks]

Dcpcooks - that looks fantastic man. No issues with the motor weight on the stainless table, and is that 2x2 top? Also you pretty happy with the power grinder motor so far? Leaning towards that over the separate motor and reducer.



Cheers.

// brian

Yes it is a 2'x2' stainless prep table I got it at a local food service supply shop for $80. It's sturdy enough for the buildout.

I've milled a few sacks so far and it's plenty strong. I fill the hopper with 17-20 lbs of grain then turn on the motor. Not even a hint of a stall. It chewed through 20 lbs of white wheat in a few min without issue. I'm very happy with the mill and the motor.

 

[Yesfan]

Thanks YesFan! The hopper is two pieces. The bottom half is the one from crankandstein. The top is a 5 gallon pale from the hardware store. I was going to build a hopper out of steel or aluminum but I kinda like this one as is. It holds a five gallon bucket full of grain so its fill once, mill then swap out the next bucket and repeat. It's roughly 17-20 lbs at once.

I really liked the MM3 hopper but I liked the self locking adjustable gap feature of the Crankandstein better.

Looks good man. I may go that route. The self adjusting locking gap.......... If I understand it, you don't need a feeler gauge as there are presets at every 0.05 increments?



How are you liking the Anvil scale? Does it have a dedicated on/off or does it auto shut off? I have an UltraShip scale. It's not bad, but I hate how it auto shuts off too soon. Was wondering if the Anvil is worth an upgrade.

Sorry for the off topic guys.

 

[tat2Pompadore]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1489537866.965922.jpg

I bought this from Amazon. It works great. The reviews were all good. I looked at the Anvil scale. But, this one was able to handle more weight.

 

[Dcpcooks]

Looks good man. I may go that route. The self adjusting locking gap.......... If I understand it, you don't need a feeler gauge as there are presets at every 0.05 increments?







How are you liking the Anvil scale? Does it have a dedicated on/off or does it auto shut off? I have an UltraShip scale. It's not bad, but I hate how it auto shuts off too soon. Was wondering if the Anvil is worth an upgrade.



Sorry for the off topic guys.

Yes it's every .05 for every click on the second rollers. .35 or .40 works great for my needs and you don't need to pull off the side cover to adjust the roller.

I like the scale it has both an on/off and an auto shut off setting. and I've never noticed it shutting of to quickly.

Cheers

 

[golfindia]

Kid car motor, plumbing parts, and scrap aluminum from an old set of vertical blinds.

 

[heckels]

mine has been great. Highly recommend one to anyone looking to motorize with no old motors laying around.

+1.

 

[TimmyWit]

Just got done putting this together. All American Ale Works motor paired with a Monster Mill MM2 Pro.

 

[RocketBrewer]

Very Nice, love the cabinet.

 

[TimmyWit]

Very Nice, love the cabinet.

Thank you, I snatched up the cabinet from Target. It was pretty cheap and I wanted to keep the footprint relatively small so I thought the dimensions were just right.

 

[beergolf]

Just got done putting this together. All American Ale Works motor paired with a Monster Mill MM2 Pro.

I have the same set up. The MM2 Pro and the All American Ale Works motor. It is an awesome set up. I swear this thing would grind rock if you fill the hamper ith gravel. Nice crush. Just fill the hopper and flip the switch.

 

[TimmyWit]

I have the same set up. The MM2 Pro and the All American Ale Works motor. It is an awesome set up. I swear this thing would grind rock if you fill the hamper ith gravel. Nice crush. Just fill the hopper and flip the switch.

Oh yea, your build looks great. I saw it on here when I started to consider adding the motor. I had already ordered the MM2 but after seeing all the positive reviews on the AAAW motor, I pulled the trigger and then contacted Monster before they shipped the mill and had them add the keyed shaft. I haven't had a brew day with it yet but I had to toss a few lbs of grain at it after it was assembled and I think I'll be very happy with this setup.

 

[RoadKing]

A buddy and I put this together a few weeks ago. MM3 Pro and the AAW 180 RPM motor.
Hopper holds about 35 Lbs. We typically do 30-40 gallon batches so we only have to fill it twice. It's AWESOME.

 

[Morrey]

I have a buddy in the veneer business. Top is cherry veneer and side panels are displays that his customers view Ash, Mahogany, Teak, Walnut, Oak....etc. I tooled a blank of walnut stock raising the height of the MM3 to match the AAAW 180 rpm motor precisely. Drum DP/DT offers Reverse/Off/Forward. I set this up with a pigtail so I can use any length extension cord I may need. I tested with a full hopper of 2 row and the mill chewed thru it with no effort at all.

 

[Morrey]

I have the same set up. The MM2 Pro and the All American Ale Works motor. It is an awesome set up. I swear this thing would grind rock if you fill the hamper ith gravel. Nice crush. Just fill the hopper and flip the switch.

I do want to recognize beergolf as a source of information and feedback as I began my motorized mill project. He was extremely helpful and patient while walking me thru the tough spots! Thanks!!

 

[cyberbackpacker]

Realized I have never posted mine.

It is s Kegco 3-roller mill. The cart was getting tossed from work (a 40+ year old A/V cart). I constructed the top platform out of 3/4" plywood and 1"x2" pine for the "skirting"; this was done to better support the weight of the motor/mill. The switch box has a 3/8" piece of mdf underneath to make up the gap. I also used a piece of 3/32 luan under the mill to get perfect shaft alignment between the mill and gear reducer.

The motor was a new 1/2hp, single phase explosion proof motor mated to a 10:1 gear reducer. Switch and fittings are also explosion proof. Some will say overkill or not needed on the homebrew level, but I got everything for prices similar or cheaper than non-explosion proof.

With the gear reducer setup the torque on this is ridiculous.

 

[RevKev]

Does it count if I'm in the process of finishing my cabinet? Going to spray it high gloss black tonight once the putty dries and I give her a quick sand

View attachment 1493943967531.jpg

View attachment 1493943980157.jpg

View attachment 1493943987347.jpg

View attachment 1493944029277.jpg

 

[Anticlimaddox]

Well I finally finished my mill. Totally stole the spacer idea from hbt user dcpcooks - had a local fab shop make me some aluminum spacers to raise my Crankenstein 3D up to meet the motor. Wasn't bad, they just charged $50 for the two and had enough material left over to make a short set for under the table to stabilize the mill a bit better than just washers.

Pretty happy with how it turned out.

 

[aeviaanah]

A friend and I just finished our grain mill. Here are the specs

-Kegco 3 roller 11lb Hopper
-19lb Aluminum hopper extension for a 30lb capacity
-All aluminum frame
-1/4HP Motor 1725RPM
-30:1 Gearbox
-235in lbs output torque at 58RPM
-FWD/Reverse drum switch