3m Model 315 Grain Mill

[Tony M]

For nearly 20 years I stepped over a non-functioning 3M photocopier sitting in a corner of my rats nest office. I always cursed it but it was too heavy to lift and throw in the waste. Now it's a grain mill which crushes 5KG in about ten minutes.
It contained a pair of 60mm. dia. steel rollers, a 65 watt motor driving thru a 10 to 1 gearbox and all the renolds chain and cogs you could possibly wish for. The only expenditure was a couple of bucks for some steel tube to hold it off the ground. It even had a guillotine to cut up beer labels.
Shows that you should never discard anything!

 

[Hoops]

Tony

Fantastic improvisation
Looks like a real beauty.
Now I've got one more thing to scrounge if the opportunity presents itself

Hoops

 

[Doc]

Looks the business.
Are you going to build a hopper for it ?

Doc

 

[Hopeye]

Sh*t !!!! I saw a couple of old photocopiers on my rounds of scavenging (Council Pickups), but, didn't think.... I'm kicking myself now.......

 

[Tony M]

Doc,
I fabricated a removeable hopper from 3mm. PVC that holds 5kg. so that I can fill and forget. I just lifted it off for the foto.
Other points to note if you are about to rip apart your old copier are , you must groove the rollers (I did mine freehand with a 4in. angle grinder with the grinding wheel edge dressed to a 90 degree vee. 1/2mm. grooves about 4mm. apart.) and you must drive the static roller. I have a "temporary" wrap of bookbinding tape on one roller which has lasted about 15 crushes and is starting to look pretty permanent. There are a heap of nylon gears in the machine that would do that job if ever I get round to drilling and tapping the roller ends.

 

[Murray]

Top stuff.

 

[Trough Lolly]

Love your work Tony!
Looks great - are the rollers adjustable?
TL

 

[sosman]

How often do you have to refill the toner?