A Mill That Anybody Could Make

[matho]

Hi all,

a little while back there was alot of talk about milling grains, what could be used or what mill to get. I advocated DIYing your own mill like i have done link, but that got me thinking that it was not fair to say that because not everyone could get access to a lathe or 2in stainless steel stock. So i set myself a challenge to make a mill using basic tools and materials, this is what i came up with a mill with a hardwood frame and rollers made of PVC piping with a shaft in the center held in with concrete.

the tools and materials used


the finnished mill


the crush on a 1mm gap


list of materials
2.4 m of 135mm by 19mm tasmanian oak $30
4 * 6201 bearings (12mm ID 32mm OD and sealed) $2.75 each
500mm of 12mm bright steel shafting rod $18 for 6m length
1m of 8mm threaded rod $5
4 * 8mm nuts $0.35 each
255mm of 150mm hd conduit $100 for 4m length
coach screws $5

i went with such a large diameter in the belief that the rollers wouldnt need any "knerling" but found out that would only work if both rollers were driven so i had to put grooves in the driven roller so that the grain got draged thru so with that in mind i would probably go with 100mm pvc pipe that would cost alot less (i didn't by the conduit it was an off cut that i scored)

ill post a step by step instruction next week when i get more time, in the mean time others could post pics and details of there DIY mills to if they would like.

cheers matho

 

[manticle]

Good effort.

Is it powered with a crank handle or drill or motor system?

 

[matho]

hey manticle

i used that hilti in the background to trial it out but will probably just put a hand crank on it my other mill is motorised i dont think i could be arsed motorising it as it was only a proof of concept.

cheers matho

 

[manticle]

Looking forward to the step by step. I use a Corona but the idea of making my own appeals, particularly since I'm slightly spaz (the challenge is good).

 

[beerbog]

Hi all,

a little while back there was alot of talk about milling grains, what could be used or what mill to get. I advocated DIYing your own mill like i have done link, but that got me thinking that it was not fair to say that because not everyone could get access to a lathe or 2in stainless steel stock. So i set myself a challenge to make a mill using basic tools and materials, this is what i came up with a mill with a hardwood frame and rollers made of PVC piping with a shaft in the center held in with concrete.

the tools and materials used
View attachment 40123

the finnished mill
View attachment 40124

the crush on a 1mm gap
View attachment 40125

list of materials
2.4 m of 135mm by 19mm tasmanian oak $30
4 * 6201 bearings (12mm ID 32mm OD and sealed) $2.75 each
500mm of 12mm bright steel shafting rod $18 for 6m length
1m of 8mm threaded rod $5
4 * 8mm nuts $0.35 each
255mm of 150mm hd conduit $100 for 4m length
coach screws $5

i went with such a large diameter in the belief that the rollers wouldnt need any "knerling" but found out that would only work if both rollers were driven so i had to put grooves in the driven roller so that the grain got draged thru so with that in mind i would probably go with 100mm pvc pipe that would cost alot less (i didn't by the conduit it was an off cut that i scored)

ill post a step by step instruction next week when i get more time, in the mean time others could post pics and details of there DIY mills to if they would like.

cheers matho

Step by step instructions please. :beerbang:

 

[bum]

Step 1: read where he said he'll post step by step instructions next week.

 

[manticle]

I think it just meant he was enthusiastically waiting rather than the idea he hadn't properly read the post.

 

[haysie]

pandoras box, uv on the orange conduit , the maitenance, the rolling pin thread, the in-sinkerator thread. Good work Matho, keep em coming.

 

[white.grant]

That's pretty impressive matho. Well done.

Cheers

Grant

 

[beerbog]

Step 1: read where he said he'll post step by step instructions next week.

Step 2: Don't shoot too early.......... :beerbang:

 

[jiesu]

Awesome job mate.

I like it, a project for the perfectionist agrarian Brewery!

 

[Bizier]

Good work mate. I have long thought about something similar. I love the idea of a larger diameter rollers, even if you have to gear it back somehow.

How 'true' are your rollers?

 

[Acasta]

I was pretty excited about the idea of making a mill reading through the prices and it looked fair cheap untill i saw the 255mm of 150mm hd conduit $100 for 4m length haha

 

[RobB]

Nice work. Does the gap fluctuate much, or did you have a trick for getting the shafts bang on centre?

 

[matho]

the rollers were out of round by about 0.3mm which was taken down with a block of timber and sandpaper now the gap only varies by about 0.1mm between the two rollers. i made sure that the formers i used to hold the shaft whilst the concrete set were true by the way i cut them out. i had a bit of polycarbonate laying around so i used it to make the formers, i drilled a 12mm hole in it and put a bolt thru the hole and bolted it tight then a made another piece of plastic to hold a blade at the right radius. Then i put the bolt with the polycarbonate bolted to it in the drill and slowly cut a circle out. ill show how i did it with a picture when i can.

acasta, as i said i would probably go with 100mm pvc pipe that you could buy at bunnings fairly cheaply or you could get a few brewers together and make a few. If you work it out i think it comes to about $10 a roller including bearings.

hear is a big disclaimer
I'm not saying this mill is brilliant i haven't fully tested it out and i don't know how long it will last it was just an idea i had and i want to see if it would work and so far so good. I would suggest to anyone wanting to make it not to invest too much in it be resourcefull like all good homebrewers are. Im sure that you could find a plumber that would give you an offcut of storm water piping.

cheer's
steve

 

[Silo Ted]

Great work, love seeing some DIY innovation. What's the cost on the build work out at, from your figures at the start I imagine about $50? With the conduit rollers, do you think would they form indents on the surface after a short time. If the concrete core could slip out for replacing the pipe once its no longer effective, it would still be economical for a few years if it performs as well as the ready made ones.

I have a mill on my wish list for next year but this little project makes me reconsider the options. Cheers mate for sharing your innovation.

 

[Nick JD]

Cool.

I was thinking about making a massive coffee grinder (me likes it fine for the bag) that accepts my router.

Your design is probably less dangerous than mine. That's a good thing - although blitzing 5kg of grain into dust in 10 seconds at 30,000rpm still sounds attractive in a masochistic way.

 

[barto1308]

Great work, love seeing some DIY innovation. What's the cost on the build work out at, from your figures at the start I imagine about $50? With the conduit rollers, do you think would they form indents on the surface after a short time. If the concrete core could slip out for replacing the pipe once its no longer effective, it would still be economical for a few years if it performs as well as the ready made ones.

I have a mill on my wish list for next year but this little project makes me reconsider the options. Cheers mate for sharing your innovation.

Continuing on that note - why do you need to keep the piping after you have set the concrete? Why not remove the conduit and have a nifty set of concrete "stone" grinders? I guess there is potential for the concrete to degrade slightly at times and add a tiny amount of powder to your crushed grain, but again, this may not be the case. I have access to plenty of conduit offcuts (apprentice sparky), so if anyone in Canberra wants some, give me a yo...

Reckon I will have a crack at this myself soon.
On a similar note - has anyone used a food processor with the spinning chopping blade attachment to mill grain (for BIAB)? Cant really see why this wouldnt work, apart from potentially giving an inconsistent crush....thoughts?

 

[Banshee]

Awsome grind there.

 

[alowen474]

Good work, love the ingenuity.
As a note, there is a conveyor supplies shop in PMQ that can supply metal rollers 4" for about 20 bucks.
A suggestion for you.