# Grain Mill... Pics



## Jye (17/5/06)

I finally got my mill finished last night ready for this weekends brewing  Heres hopping the crush will be fine but not to fine


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## Jye (17/5/06)

The hardest part was drilling the holes for the bearings so that the gap was correct. Ended up with a jig and a removable piece of aluminium, the piece of aluminium was put in place and the first hole drilled. It was then removed and the wood moved to butt up against the jig and the second hole drilled. The bearings and rollers were fitted to the wooden end and if the gap was to big a little was filled of the aluminium and a new piece drilled. It took me 4 goes before I was happy but this method allowed me to get both ends the same.


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## Stuster (17/5/06)

Wow! Great work, Jye. :super:


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## peas_and_corn (17/5/06)

Looks nice! You've certainly put together something pretty hardy


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## Borret (17/5/06)

Quite pretty...

Out of curiosity. What size are your rollers and what gap did you end up with?

Brent


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## Jye (17/5/06)

These are the same rollers

The gap size is about 0.7mm and the knurling is deep. I think if the grain is wet before then the crush should be good... either way the crush is going to be better than the powder I get from the HBS.


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## Crazy (17/5/06)

Jye said:


> These are the same rollers
> 
> The gap size is about 0.7mm and the knurling is deep. I think if the grain is wet before then the crush should be good... either way the crush is going to be better than the powder I get from the HBS.
> [post="127011"][/post]​



Jye 

Be carefull how much water you add to the grain. We had trouble with the rollers slipping one day so we added water to the grain. We had to make an extension bar to turn the rollers as the motor wasn't strong enough and the grain came out looking like rolled oats. Our extraction was realy low as a result of the husk being fully intact just flat. We did add to much though.

Derrick


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## Jye (17/5/06)

Thanks for the heads up Derrick. I was planning on adding 20ml/kg of grain as mentioned by Tony in another thread... cant seem to find it now.

Im still trying to find a time to come and grab some bottles, hope you still have some


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## Crazy (17/5/06)

Jye said:


> Thanks for the heads up Derrick. I was planning on adding 20ml/kg of grain as mentioned by Tony in another thread... cant seem to find it now.
> 
> Im still trying to find a time to come and grab some bottles, hope you still have some
> [post="127034"][/post]​



Jye

The stocks are getting low, I am down to the last 65 odd cartons. We may be doing a brew day on Friday arfternoon (Belgian Wit and an APA) so that could be a good time for a drink. I mean exchange.

Derrick


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## monkale (17/5/06)

Very nice work Jye

Is the mill hand powered or battery drill ?and were did you source the rollers . 

cheers monkale :beerbang:


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## Jye (17/5/06)

Hey monkale, my brother had the rollers made. I will eventually hook up a windscreen wiper motor but for now I will be using a cordless drill.


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## monkale (17/5/06)

Thanks Jye 


I got a mate who is a fitter Ill get him on the job for me. again nice work mate 

Cheers monkale :super:


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## browndog (17/5/06)

Outstanding Jye, never was a piece of tassie oak put to better use (if I'm guessing correctly that is) Looks like you could pulverise concrete with that thing. I will be doing some thing very similar but I'm having a crack at making it adjustable.

cheers

Browndog


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## Pumpy (17/5/06)

Jye said:


> These are the same rollers
> 
> The gap size is about 0.7mm and the knurling is deep. I think if the grain is wet before then the crush should be good... either way the crush is going to be better than the powder I get from the HBS.
> [post="127011"][/post]​




Jye, I have mine set on 0.7mm I have a very fine Knurl on the rollers , I remember Grumpy saying try to get away with as finer crush as you can without getting stuck sparges , I think I get a great textbook crush on mine but I have seen others crush and chop up the husk and still get good results. so I am unsure how much fuss is really required .

With the water just put a small wineglass of water in the grain mix it up well and give it about 15 minutes to absorb into the husk, as you are only looking to increase the moisture content of the husk, so it is more elastic , does not shatter and makes a good filter .

Pumpy


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## Pumpy (17/5/06)

PS it takes a bit of Huffy Puffy at that setting unless you are fitting a motor but I am glad of the exercise 

Pumpy


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## Jye (18/5/06)

> Outstanding Jye, never was a piece of tassie oak put to better use (if I'm guessing correctly that is) Looks like you could pulverise concrete with that thing. I will be doing some thing very similar but I'm having a crack at making it adjustable.



Is tassie oak hardwood? I just went to bunnings and picked up hardwood without knowing what it was called. As for pulverising concrete I have to show the grain whos boss  

I thought about making it adjustable but everything I read said just keep reducing the gap until you get a stuck sparge and then take it back a notch... and by the sounds of it I will be spot on, thanks Pumpy.

PS - I will add some pics of the crush this Sunday.


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## Tony (18/5/06)

very nice Jye.

easier to make it out of timber that metal hey.

Its very easy to make it adjustable. I find 0.9mm on mine with a fair knerl is perfect. if i go below 0.8 i start to get stuck mashes but i have a very deep grain bed with 10 to 12 KG of grain in a 50 liter keg its 3/4 full with a thick mash.

i use baby food jars to measure water for the grain.

little jat of abour 100ml for 5 KG and a large one of about 180mls to 10 KG so 20 ml's / KG is right.

Only one way to know if the crack is too fine........... mash with it.

Do you have rice hulls on hand just in case?

cheers and will post some pics of my adjustment screws when im home

nice work mate


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## Jye (18/5/06)

Tony said:


> Do you have rice hulls on hand just in case?
> 
> cheers and will post some pics of my adjustment screws when im home
> 
> ...



Unfortunately no rice hulls  

The frame is based on your mill and if I went adjustable I was going to steal your screw idea too  I guess I will have to mash and see if the gap is to close.


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## Ross (18/5/06)

Jye said:


> Unfortunately no rice hulls
> 
> [post="127245"][/post]​



Plenty of ricehulls here mate.

Mill looks awesome - well done :super: 

cheers Ross


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## Ducatiboy stu (18/5/06)

Wetting the grain is definatly the way to go. But dont add to much water. I have the same rollers etc, and found that if I didnt wet the grain, it would not sparg properly.

I usually let it sit for about 15-20 mins before crushing and get lots of flour and lots of intact husks.....


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## Tony (18/5/06)

Hey stu

here is some trivia for ya.

those rollers were made from an old 316 stainless shaft that runs in the rollers in a huge 20 foot high starch press.

one end had worn and it was sitting in the dirt out the back of the workshop.

I found it, it measured 2" dia so i cut it to lenghts in the laythe.

Still have enough pieces to make a couple more mills but dont have the time.

I want to build one with 6" dia rolers that are only 6" long and need no knearling.

one day..........

cheers


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## Jye (19/5/06)

> I want to build one with 6" dia rolers that are only 6" long and need no knearling.



A bit like this :beerbang:


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## Bizarre (19/5/06)

Jye said:


> > I want to build one with 6" dia rolers that are only 6" long and need no knearling.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Jye - I envy people like you! I am about as handy as a man with no arms, and if I ever tried to build something like ur mill, it would end in either me injuring myself or my freshly built pride and joy falling apart after one use! LOL - think I'll just stick to looking at the pictures in admiration - its a lot safer and lest costly


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## Jye (19/5/06)

Thanks Bizarre... but thats not mine  

Link


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## Tony (19/5/06)

Yeah Jye

exactly like that.

Will have sprokets on the non drive side and a chain so both rollers are direct driven.

Ahhhhhh one day.

But im all inspired now...... i might go hunting. I know where there is some really big SS shaft lying around.

will need a crain to lift it though.

hehehe

cheers


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## mika (20/5/06)

Has anyone used plain ol' mild steel for the rollers ?
The photo of the mega-mill this page shows it being made of (what looks like) mild steel structural sections.
Just wondered if anyone had tried it and how they combat rust and that kind of thing ?


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## dicko (20/5/06)

mika_lika said:


> Has anyone used plain ol' mild steel for the rollers ?
> The photo of the mega-mill this page shows it being made of (what looks like) mild steel structural sections.
> Just wondered if anyone had tried it and how they combat rust and that kind of thing ?
> [post="127813"][/post]​



Most mills you buy for home brewing have mild steel rollers.
They are just fine.
Crankenstein offer a stainless steel option on their range of mills and i think the Marga mill has s/steel rollers.
If stainless is not available or too expensive then I would just use mild steel.
Cheers


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## warrenlw63 (20/5/06)

Marga rollers are just zinc plated.

Found out the hard way (pulled mine to bits).

Warren -


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## mika (20/5/06)

If I were to go MS I think I would just try and achieve a fairly fine finish and forget the plating. Zinc plaing is only ~12um thick, but I wouldn't feel comfartable about it wearing off and ending up in with the grain. Maybe I'm being too paranoid ?

Still, no-one's answered about the body, is the crankandstein an m/s body as well ?
Has anyone had their grain mill rust ?


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## Bizarre (20/5/06)

Jye said:


> Thanks Bizarre... but thats not mine
> 
> Link
> [post="127580"][/post]​




I know - sorry I clicked on the wrong one I just realised, umm rather embarassing seeing I am meant to be a computer professional! Hehe  

I though yours looked good with the wood and hopper etc - I got a mate thats pretty handy with tools - I wonder if I can con him into making a grain mill!


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## mika (20/5/06)

Get him to make 2 


Like this;
In Primary: Fly's Ankles (Well I couldnt call it Beez Neez could I?!)


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## Jye (20/5/06)

Gave it a quick try today at the HBS with 50g and it destroyed the husk  nothing was spared.

I think I will make it adjustable like Tony's and try again <_<


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## Bizarre (20/5/06)

mika_lika said:


> Get him to make 2
> 
> 
> Like this;
> ...




Hehe - just my stupid sense of humour Mika. Its the kind of thing my Mrs rolls her eyes at - but it amuses me


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## mika (20/5/06)

Jye said:


> I think I will make it adjustable like Tony's and try again <_<
> [post="127854"][/post]​



Speaking of Tony's mill... did I miss the pics ? :blink:


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## razz (20/5/06)

Jye said:


> Gave it a quick try today at the HBS with 50g and it destroyed the husk  nothing was spared.
> 
> I think I will make it adjustable like Tony's and try again <_<
> [post="127854"][/post]​


G'day Jye. I finished my mill last week (no hopper) I guess that means it's not quite finished :blink: Haven't tried to crush anything yet, but reading your post I'm glad I made mine adjustable


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## mika (20/5/06)

So post it razz, we want to see em all


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## Jye (20/5/06)

> but reading your post I'm glad I made mine adjustable biggrin.gif



Happy to help <_<


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## browndog (20/5/06)

My rollers are being made from mild steel but they will be nickel plated to prevent rust, hopefully I'll have them in my hands sometime next week  


cheers

Browndog


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## ausdb (20/5/06)

Bizarre said:


> Jye - I envy people like you! I am about as handy as a man with no arms, and if I ever tried to build something like ur mill, it would end in either me injuring myself or my freshly built pride and joy falling apart after one use! LOL - think I'll just stick to looking at the pictures in admiration - its a lot safer and lest costly
> [post="127570"][/post]​



Try this for an easier idea

http://www.heydenrych.info/
Then go to the page titled motorised malt mill, it uses three washing machine motors 1 working and two dead ones. The rotors out of the dead motors become the two rollers and the end plates of the motors are the bearing supports, it's quite ingenious.

I have the 1 working motor and are just waiting for the next hard rubbish collection to find the two dead ones.


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## lou (20/5/06)

Hi Ya all 

re my grain mill - I have a barley crusher and notice that after leaving in a dusty corner for a year it had a bit of rust on it - this was only where dust have landed on it and io weould imagine becasue of the humidity up here in brissy - if it had got more use( I was building my AG setup ) there is no way this would have happened - 

lesson - keep the dust off you grain mill preferably by using regularly

lou


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## Tony (20/5/06)

here are some pics of mine.

they have been posted heaps before but here is another go for new commers 

they are from the early construction stages through the to the hand operated stage that didnt last long  

It now has a 0.37kw single phase 2 speed motor on it and runs at either 140 RPM or about 200 RPM.

the rollers are 316 stainless, 2 inch diameter and 8" long.

The hopper holds about 15 KG of grain ( i usually mash with 12 to 14 kg at a time. See why the hand operated phase was short ) and will run this through in under 2 min.

the crack took me a few stuck sparges and a couple 50% efficiency brews of experimentation to get right but i settled on the well known 0.9mm for a fair sparge rate and 75 to 80% efficiency.

One thing i have found is that different grains need to be cracked finner or courser. one example was the weyermann movarian pils malt.... It seemed to have a really hard inner bit that would go strait to powder at 0.9mm and the sparge would stick.

JW pils malt seems to be able to havdle a finer crack too with a bit of water in the mix.

I wet my grain as previously described, let sit for 15 min them chick it in the hopper.
I give the mill a run for a few seconds and stop it. If the husks are smashed and i have mainly flour i back the mill off a touch and repeat till its right.

If the grains arnt brocken up enough i will tighten it up a bit till its right.

thats why the adjustability is great.

cheers

PS. sorry about all the pics but i just thought people might be interested


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## Chilled (20/5/06)

mika_lika said:


> Still, no-one's answered about the body, is the crankandstein an m/s body as well ?
> [post="127839"][/post]​



mika,
The crankandstein comes with aluminium blocks (approx. 1cm thick) with brass bearings set in them to hold the S/S rollers.





Chilled


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## Pumpy (20/5/06)

Tony is your grain mill on steroids  Pumpy


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## mika (20/5/06)

Cheers for the pics Tony. Does the adjuster just push on the bearing ? From what I can see there is nothing that actually "pulls" the second roller away from the first... is there ??

So the crankandstein's have an ally body ? No wonder they cost a small fortune


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## deadly (20/5/06)

drop into TWOC and check them out there,me I got a Marga


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## mika (21/5/06)

I would, but still not keen on paying that much for them. Thinking the Tony/Jye option is they, and it certainly won't involve any aluminium and maybe now, not a lot of staino either.
Like the idea of the Mega_Mill (tm) just because you do away with the knurling. I got acess to a lathe, but no kind of knurling tool.


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## poppa joe (21/5/06)

I bought a HUSQVARNA Barley mill today $20.00
At local markets in Nowra..
Cheers PJ


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## Jye (23/5/06)

Inspired by Tony's mill and the bad crush I got on the weekend  I made the mill adjustable last night. It works on the same principal as Tony's but I moved the nut from the outside to the inside using the same type of nuts Ikea furniture is put together with.


First up the bearing hole was increased to allow it to move in and out a few mil.


Drill the hole for the bolt to sit in and holes for the nuts... sure 1 would have been enough but there was 4 in the packet and its always better to over engineer  







edit - pics out of order


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## Doogiechap (23/5/06)

Jye the nut idea is fantastic !
I am partway through a similarly designed mill and this adjustment method will certainly be adopted !
Thanks for sharing your ideas with the resst of us  
Doug


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## BrotherNutz (23/5/06)

I used the same method as that on my malt mill. It has worked flawlessly for years now.
I never bothered with using any sort of 'nut' inside the wood. I figured that 5 inches of Jarrah would key the bolt in just fine!

http://members.iinet.net.au/~u9013943/beer.htm

Pete


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## Bizarre (23/5/06)

Jye said:


> Inspired by Tony's mill and the bad crush I got on the weekend  I made the mill adjustable last night. It works on the same principal as Tony's but I moved the nut from the outside to the inside using the same type of nuts Ikea furniture is put together with.
> View attachment 7333
> 
> First up the bearing hole was increased to allow it to move in and out a few mil.
> ...



Had to make sure I clicked on the correct thing this time - hehe - clever Idea Jye - I hope it works for ya this time.


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## spog (27/5/06)

going ag and am loving the pics of various grain mills,contacted a local metal supply store today and was quoted $198.00 a metre for 50 millimetre s/s rod ( my brother in law has a lathe to do all the nessecary turning) but still it shocked me. the brother in law then suggested brass, he has some brass which will do the job, as he said knurling s/s can be difficult/time consuming. so fellas give me your opinion/expirience/advice on the brass option. ..cheers...spog...


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## Jye (27/5/06)

You can make rollers out of mild steel, I have no idea how much it is but would be worth looking into. I have limited experience with brass but it is a soft metal and may deform with the pressure... but then again Sosman has successfully used wooden rollers.


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## Jye (27/5/06)

The first crush at 1mm still turned out to fine with no intact husks, backing it off to 1.1mm gave me the crush below with I think is pretty good  Next time I will try hydrating the husk.




edit - I'm brew an IPA today which is using more grain than a normal batch so I wasnt expecting much change in efficiency if any... but ended up with 85% into the kettle, 10% more than normal  Im totally stoked with the mill. But I did do one more sparge today, whether or not that has anything to do with it, will have to wait until the next batch to see.


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## browndog (27/5/06)

Spog, you should be able to get 2 feet of 50mm mild steel round stock for about $20


cheers

Browndog


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## Tony (27/5/06)

I priced 2 inch 316 stainless solid bar a while ago and i dont think it was that much.

Will look them up on monday and price again if i remember.

Jye...... very nice mate.

but your not a real brewer unless youve got a march pump and a motor on your mill 

hehe

cheers


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## Jye (28/5/06)

Tony said:


> Jye...... very nice mate.
> 
> but your not a real brewer unless youve got a march pump and a motor on your mill
> 
> ...



March pumps are for girls h34r: Ive got a real pump.

The motor is coming, just need a 300mm wheel


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## sosman (28/5/06)

Tony said:


> but your not a real brewer unless youve got a march pump and a motor on your mill
> [post="129707"][/post]​


I reckon its not a real mill if a motor won't stall on it.


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## Tony (28/5/06)

Nice pump mate, looks nice and compact  

My mill tends to stall the motor too, i have to grab the pully and give her a helping hand to keep her going sometimes.

havnt lost any fingers.......... yet.

what sort of flow rated do you get from the pump jye?

cheers


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## Jye (28/5/06)

Tony said:


> Nice pump mate, looks nice and compact
> 
> what sort of flow rated do you get from the pump jye?
> 
> ...



It fits in my pocket  

I was getting about 6L/min hooked up to a cordless drill, but with the windscreen wiper motor it has dropped to about 3L/min and 1.5-2L/min on the lower speed.


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## Chad (29/9/07)

Well, it only took me 17 months after getting the rollers made  , but I have finally put mine together. Jye's mill housing works pretty well, so I just went with that design.



I took a different approach to the hopper design. My concept was to keep it really simple. What I came up with was a slot together design B) . Note the hopper has some extensions on the bottom to fit with the mill.
Here are the individual pieces.


And here is what it looks like slotted together.


The hopper then sits on the mill.


If anyone is interested in a copy of the hopper plans, let me know and I will tidy them up and post them.


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## Vlad the Pale Aler (29/9/07)

Well done Chad, that hopper design is a classic. ( I'm a joiner by the way )


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## Ross (29/9/07)

Excellent Chad :super: what a brilliantly concieved idea. Please post the plans, a lot of guys are going to want to copy you, I guarantee it.

Cheers Ross


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## matti (29/9/07)

Well done.
Me too.
Did you end up gluing it together or is it a pack away job?


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## Jye (30/9/07)

Nice work... Im looking forward to seeing the crush.


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## Screwtop (30/9/07)

Back up on Soapbox: "Brewers, we in the midst of men of talent" Down off soapbox, everyone applauds.


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## Andyd (30/9/07)

Chad said:


> If anyone is interested in a copy of the hopper plans, let me know and I will tidy them up and post them.



I'll second the call for you to post the plans Chad!

Great work!

Andy


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## Chad (30/9/07)

matti said:


> Did you end up gluing it together or is it a pack away job?


No glue required. As long as the slots are just the right width, it holds together just fine.
I will put the plans online in the next few days.


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## sstacey (5/10/07)

Hi Chad,
I'd like to see the plans too. Please post them online when you have a chance.
Many thanks


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## Steve Lacey (6/11/07)

SPS said:


> Hi Chad,
> I'd like to see the plans too. Please post them online when you have a chance.



Let me add my voice (and Eric's as well). That look to be a most elegant and space saving design. Chad, did you use a router to cut the slots? And if so, do you think it would be possible to get away with using a jig saw?

I'd also like to know what volume or weight of grain your design holds and any thoughts on how much bigger you think it could go.

Steve


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## Chad (6/11/07)

My apologies, I totally forgot I was going to post this.

A table saw was used to cut it up, although a router should be able to do a reasonable job, and a jigsaw too, but make sure you set up a guide and you should get a straight cut.

I've forgotten to take note of how much it holds, but I think it is roughly 5kg. 

View attachment Hopper_Detailing_01.pdf


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## Simon W (6/11/07)

Nice work Chad.

Finished a mill a couple of weeks back too. Took about 18-24 months? Can't remember! :lol:
It's adjustable with one turn of the M4 bolts(RH side) sliding the roller 0.7mm. Currently set to 1.4mm gap.
Still needs to be mounted to a plate to sit it on the bucket. Will probably just use ply for that.

The hopper was made with a small amount of rough scrap sheet Ali that I had lying around, so the size/shape was dictated by that.
It's also a bit rough because I've never done any sheetmetal work before and I don't have a Brake to do the bends, but by the end I was getting very neat bends by hand and a peening hammer(see the little inset deflector plates above the mountings), too late for the rest of it tho 
Holds about 4 - 4.5kg.

Using a cheap cordless drill to power it(XU1) but looking at a few dc gearhead motor options for a walk away solution.

Was gonna Anodise the mill body and paint the outside of the hopper with hammertone or something to make it more presentable, but dunno if that will ever happen


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## Ducatiboy stu (6/11/07)

Was gonna Anodise the mill body and paint the outside of the hopper with hammertone or something to make it more presentable, but dunno if that will ever happen wink.gif


Yep...that aint ever going to happen...I Know...mine still looks like the first day I made it... 

:icon_cheers:


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## Tony (6/11/07)

Im planning to replace the thin craftwood base on mine with some good ply and paint it. a couple of big stickers of the logo franko did for me will look good on it.

My crappy hopper is falling apart. it needs to hold 14 KG so will be taking the mill to sheet metal place and getting one made from stainless plate. Or aluminum if price is too high but shiny stainless would be nice.

I noticed all my photos were gone from earlier posts when my global space ran out and i cleared out the old to make room for the new.

here they are again. Its been running for years now and works fantastic.

80 to 85% efficiency all the time.

cheers


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## devo (6/11/07)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> Was gonna Anodise the mill body and paint the outside of the hopper with hammertone or something to make it more presentable, but dunno if that will ever happen wink.gif
> Yep...that aint ever going to happen...I Know...mine still looks like the first day I made it...
> 
> :icon_cheers:



bugger the fancy stuff....first day sounds fine with me!


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## Yeasty (7/11/07)

wish i knew somone local in SA that had a lathe to knurl me up some rollers...

Id rather pay a fellow hb'er with the know how than get a machine shop to knock me up a pair...


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## Steve Lacey (7/11/07)

Another question for Chad...

Chad, how stable is the hopper on your mill? Do you have anything at all to hold it in place or just the tabs from the sides of the hopper? I would be worrying about it falling off!

Thanks very much for the plans, by the way. I think they will get put to some good use.

Steve :icon_cheers:


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## Chad (7/11/07)

Steve Lacey said:


> Chad, how stable is the hopper on your mill?


Once it gets the weight of the grain in it, it is fairly stable. I always hold on to it though when I get the drill fired up at cracking time to help prevent the mill and hopper from vibrating off my collection bucket.


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## Steve Lacey (7/11/07)

I see. Well, I am a hand cranker and not likely to change any time soon, so I might need to look at fixing it a bit more solidly, seeing as you need one hand to crank and another to stop the base board jumping around.

Thanks again!


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