Project "WOODY 3.0XPR" worlds first wooden, adjustable, 3 roller grain mill

[yeoldebrewer]

Naturally, I had to go Googling: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lignum_vitae

 

[bohdan987]

thats a nice idea, i worked with that wood couple of times. it would be perfect for the rollers but a price on ebay is high!
iam better off sleeving my rollers with steel pipe or tube.
i need to find 3pc of 4.5" OD by 9" long, at least 1/8wall thicknes. after i get it i have to get knurled.
i have been searching high and low just cant find it. all companys want me to buy a 3 tons of that pipe.
do you guys have any peaces at home that i can buy?

 

[bendavanza]

Have you checked metalsupermarkets.com

 

[EMPyre]

onlinemetals.com, they'll even cut to length, although you'll still be on your own for the knurling...

 

[yeoldebrewer]

Unfortunately, small quantities of special sizes or metal alloys usually come at outrageous prices.

The only knurling I've seen done uses a metal lathe and special tool applied with considerable heat. Maybe there's an easier way.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[bohdan987]

i think that i might try to get some penetrating apoxy on the rollers and than roll them on the sand to sreate a sand paper like surface. it will provide a hardness, "bite", wear resistance.

 

[bohdan987]

made popper, it can probiibly hold 15lb of grain easily

 

[bohdan987]

chain drive

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I don't know what sizes exhaust pipes come in, but my diesel truck has 4" stainless steel exhaust. I would have no idea where to get it though.

 

[sjlammer]

Check out Mcmaster Carr at www.mcmaster.com

they have everything.

 

[bohdan987]

i can get this http://www.jamestowndistributors.co...do?pid=1268&familyName=Smiths+Warm+CPES+Epoxy
brush on the rollers and role them in sand.
i think that this will work, alot less money.
i looked up pipes at least 50$ plus shipping, than get them knurled another 20$.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Epoxy sounds like a fine idea, but adding sand sounds like a recipe for gritty beer.

 

[bohdan987]

i will apply epoxy to the rollers and than i roll them in a sand so i have a "sand paper" texture. sand will stick to the epoxy on the rollers. after brewing and fermenting prosess i dough that i have any sand in beer when i rack it to the bottles.
if i do only epoxy on rollers, they not going to pull and crush grain!
that hopper that i made i used ONLY a table saw:rockin:,
angle on the bottom is a
45* because i would needed to make another jig for a bigger angle, iam low on scrap so i didint do it.

 

[greeneyed]

The size your rollers are there shouldn't be a problem with pulling in the grain. The bigger the diameter, the less need for knurling.

 

[klyph]

Why not cover the wood rollers with something like this:

 

[bohdan987]

Why not cover the wood rollers with something like this:

i was thinking about it, if i glue a strips of sand paper on top of the rollers its gona be a pain in my @ss to remove it when it wears out.

 

[AiredAle]

Bohdan,

Don't overthink your design. Try the bare wood, see if the grain is drawn in, see if the surface is damaged by the grain. If it is, then you can fix those problems. I think that red oak endgrain is pretty dang hard.

I think your bigger issues will be concentric rollers and evenness over the length of your rollerrs. The way you've described the rollers being 1/16" off center will give you a challenge to set an even gap. Do you have a woodworking friend with a lathe that could true the rolls for you?

 

[bohdan987]

Bohdan,

Don't overthink your design. Try the bare wood, see if the grain is drawn in, see if the surface is damaged by the grain. If it is, then you can fix those problems. I think that red oak endgrain is pretty dang hard.

I think your bigger issues will be concentric rollers and evenness over the length of your rollerrs. The way you've described the rollers being 1/16" off center will give you a challenge to set an even gap. Do you have a woodworking friend with a lathe that could true the rolls for you?

yes i think that iam overthinking it now!
no, i dont have any friends with a wood lathe
iam almoust done with a hopper, next i need to make a handle so i can crank it, than i look for a motor.

 

[Jaybird]

2 words

BAD A$$!!!

 

[ramthebuffs]

Baseball bats are fired to improve hardness and prevent chipping fwiw.....

 

[klyph]

Yeah, spin those bad boys up and hit them with a blowtorch just until they singe a little, "temper" the wood.

 

[bohdan987]

yea, i was thinking about it. thats what i did to my mash paddle that i made.
hitting them with torch will make them a little harder! natural sugars will crystalise in a wood and reinforse cell walls.

 

[bohdan987]

2 words

BAD A$$!!!

yea, thanks thats why my friends call be a B.A.:rockin:

 

[greeneyed]

Could the mill itself be used as a sort of lathe to true up the roller?

 

[mordantly]

FYI .005" is just a tad thicker then a human hair.

a hair is normally arround 2-3 thou


nice idea. im curious to see how it works, smooth-bore steel has to be over 3in od to grab the grain.

 

[bohdan987]

Could the mill itself be used as a sort of lathe to true up the roller?

yes, it can.

 

[bohdan987]

a hair is normally arround 2-3 thou


nice idea. im curious to see how it works, smooth-bore steel has to be over 3in od to grab the grain.

those rollers are 4.5" by 9" long, so its shoulden't be a problem.

 

[Brewin_CRAZY]

When this thing gets up and running you gotta take a video and post it, i wanna see this bad boy in action!!!! Very cool!

 

[bohdan987]

When this thing gets up and running you gotta take a video and post it, i wanna see this bad boy in action!!!! Very cool!

ohhh i will, i cant wait mysellf!
i am almoust done with hopper, after i make a handle so i can crank it, i buy a bag of grain and try it out.:rockin:
crap, i just realised it i need a bigger MLT so i can brew beer with bigger grain bill. wright now i got only 5g iglo round cooler.

 

[rico567]

I can weld, and do some plumbing and electrical work, but I just wish I could borrow about .0001% of OP's woodworking skills. My technique is such that I can take a perfectly good piece of wood and turn it into nice matchsticks.