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My New Milling Station

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Attach a LoveJoy coupler to the mills shaft and a your motor provided the motor has a reduction gearbox for the proper rpm's. This would prevent any bushing side loading except the grain crushing plus correct for any minor misalignment of motor to mill shafts.
 
I would guess that the bushings they use aren't suitable for all the lateral force that a drive belt would require. You could set it up in such a way that the drive shaft itself is direct driven and have the pulley attached to an intermediate shaft of some sort. Extra complexity for sure but better than destroying your mill.

I know this is an old post but I just ordered a MM3-2.0 and will run it off a Industrial fully sealed Baldor 1/3 hp motor with a worm drive gearbox as a manufacrured unit. This will be geared up from the 28.75 RPM ro 89 onto a 6 1/2" ling 1/2" diameter jackshaft mounted with two pillow bearings. At the other end of the jackshaft a LoveJoy drive coupling that will couple directly to the MM3-2.0 mill without any bushing side loading. Low speed will also keep the bushings heat and wear to a minumum as well the flour making.
I have the motor/gearbox from a disability chair lift which was free from a realitives business. Totoal cost will be two 1/2" bore pillow bearings at $20, the mills cost with shipping at $240 and a LoveJoy coupling drive with a spider, the rest is free. I have the #40 chain and sprockets so the wood hopper material in the shop with a smooth white plastic sheeting contact cemented to the wood for the grain to slide down on. There's a reason why i'm a pack rat, it pays off.
 
Not sure what all you are talking about in your post but you can still make a build thread without being a paid member. If you aren't a paid member this site just won't host your photos, if you host them on another site you can still post them here.
 
"Extra complexity" as in "more complicated than" a direct connection to the drive shaft from the mill. The statement had nothing to do with the overall complexity of the project in question, merely the relative difference between the two methods.

Cheers! :mug:
 
"Extra complexity" as in "more complicated than" a direct connection to the drive shaft from the mill. The statement had nothing to do with the overall complexity of the project in question, merely the relative difference between the two methods.

Cheers! :mug:

I'm just picking on ya boss as the wife will hit back, ouch that's going to leave a mark.
 
I would guess that the bushings they use aren't suitable for all the lateral force that a drive belt would require.

That would be a radial force against the bushing with the shaft only pulling off to one side of the bushings by the tension of the belt the torque of the motor overcoming the resistance of the driven rollers bushing friction plus the resistance of the grains being crushed down to the reduced thickness matching that of the preset gap of the mills rollers.
 
All the gear I could save - milling station included - from the flood last month is now locked away in storage... so it will be several months before I could get any specific info for you. sorry
 
All the gear I could save - milling station included - from the flood last month is now locked away in storage... so it will be several months before I could get any specific info for you. sorry

Wow! Sorry to hear about the flood John. I hope it works out well in the end.

I came here with the intention of posting how you inpired me to build my own milling station. Shown here is the freshly glued-screwed and stained wood frame with all the moving parts removed.
MillStation1_small.jpg


I just put the casters on the bottom and started putting the first coat of spar varnish on it. I don't have a planer or a jointer so I had to use the expensive pre-finished 1x4 which I laminated together on the motor side.

It'll look pretty decent when all the milling parts are back on it.

Thanks John! You inspired me!
 
I've been copying this design verbatim, especially the hopper. I ordered the MM3 (not the 2" rollers) and added a power switch and reverse switch as well.

But man, that hopper's killing me! I'm trying to bring my sloped edges all the way to the top, and while the longer ones (the normal rectangular ones on the ends) aren't an issue, I'm having a helluva time getting the trapezoid ones to fit properly. Grr!
 
Very nice job on the milling station. Love it!

Finding cool stuff like this makes it so tempting to do it myself. But I am not anything close to a woodworker or electrician. I'm on the cusp of buying a mill in the next few days, and really like the Monster MM3-2.0, and would love to do something similar to what you did.

A couple questions:
- Does the motor run off of a standard 110 outlet?
- And where did you get the wheel, belt, and how did you figure out how to attain the proper rpm on the mill?

ThanksMuch!
 
The motor will run on 110 and there are plenty of motors out there that do. You can get the Sheaves and belt from either grainger or mcmaster carr. There are multiple calculators online.

Calculator
 
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