Borret's Mill

[big d]

hi tony
black patent is a brand name malt.
just my weird sense of humour coming through.
btw your mill looks the grouse.


cheers
big d

 

[Tony]

ahhh i knew that, its been a long day, it made a ricoshet noise as it went over my head :blink:

Bloody hell thousands of dollars. Bugger that, I wasnt trying to stop people making the "BULL CRUSH" as i like to call it

I just thought it would be cool to say "the patent is pending" B)

hope the pics help, i just used the pedistal drill at work to drill the holes, the bearing housings were drilled with a hole saw that, would you believe it, gave an interferance fit to a 6203 bearing.

I used a router to bore out the timber and the adjustment screw slots.

Easy as that,

The rollers are 316 SS, 2" dia and 8" long and like i said, they will crack 6KG in 50 seconds and GT recons i have it running slow at 150 to 180 RPM.

The timber is kilned red gum hard wood and is so hard the router was smokin to cut it. It doesnt flex under load, believe me.

I screwed it all together with some coach bolts.

The handle is just a bit of 316 SS flat bar with a 16 mm SS nut tig welded on one end and a but of SS rod welded into the other.
I drilled out the file handle and threaded the center rod so a Nylock nut could do up tight but the handle still rotates on the shaft. Once again...... easy.

Cheers and happy grain building people.

PS, I left a 1 mm lip between the roller and the bearing to stop the bearings rubber seal picking up. Its described in the site posted bt borret in the "such and such has SS rollers" or something bit.

I will try to get some dimentions into a format i can post.

cheers again :super:

 

[Tony]

Just putting out a feeler.........

Who would be interested in buying a mill like my "Bull Crush" If i made a couple of them.

And how much would people be prepared to spend??????

I would only build the base mill with rollers, frame and a handle if required.

I am a bit short on cash latley due to a kangaroo wripping up my pool liner, a stuffed clutch in a car and the wifes new glasses.
It would mean a fair bit of time at work after hours, unpaid, away from family to make them.

This is just a feeler but anyone interested please say.

I wont be able to make heaps of them but there could be a trickle of mills if you know what i mean.

I was thinking $250 for a mill something like this

It you have a comment be honest, i dont get offended easy B)

cheers

 

[kungy]

Perhaps the money is in producing the rollers? Just a thought. I would have a preference of buying the rollers, and making the mill. But thats only because i enjoy the challenge of making stuff seemingly like all brewers

Will

 

[big d]

well theres a great thought tony via kungy.just fab up the rollers with bearings or what ever the purchaser wants.instead of a complete unit let the buyer build to suit around the rollers as this is often the most challenging part for a do it yourself project in mill making.

cheers
big d

 

[Tony]

Yep the time and money is in the rollers, the timber is just a bit of easy work on the side.

I was quoted $200 (and that was a good price from a machine shop that does a lot of work for me) to turm up the rollers for my mill if i supplied them with the materials!!!

I have seen other reports on the net of quotes as high as $400 for them.

The rollers are the bit that takes the most time and costs the most too.

How about $200 for 2 x rollers, fitted with SKF 6203 sealed ball bearings, Approx 2" dia and up to 8" in length.

how does that sound.

Like i said, thats the size of mine and its tight to turn by hand and does 6 KG in under a minute with a small motor.

You dont need much more unless you want to crack very large quantities.

I would be confident to feed hundreds of KG's of grain into mine, It would do it easy, just take a few minuites is all and i would need a bigger bin underneath.

cheers

 

[dicko]

I am a bit short on cash latley due to a kangaroo wripping up my pool liner, a stuffed clutch in a car and the wifes new glasses.

[post="57343"][/post]​

Well Tony,

You know the old saying,

"If it's got tyres or tits it will give you trouble"

But if it "hops" the results may be bitter. :lol:

I think it is a good idea to have someone on AHB be able to supply rollers and bearings of a predetermined size for any one wishing to build a mill.

Just a suggestion:
You might consider supplying mild steel rollers instead of s/steel at a cheaper price if possible.

Cheers

 

[Tony]

The price of materials is not so much the concern with the rollers.

Its the hours spent turning down each roller on a layth at work after hours.

Thats time spent away from my wife and kids.

I has to be worth my while to make them.

Would you spend 4 to 6 hours behind a laythe getting red hot pieces of steel flung down your shirt for less?

Most machine shops rates start at $60/hr and go up from there plus materials.

Loike i said only a feeler to see if its worth it.

Fair comments Big D.

cheers :beer:

 

[redbeard]

tony, im seriously thinking about a mill. was checking out the crankenstein, which is $au200-300 range, depending on model/shipping. so yours is in the right range. i could assemble the parts, if it was easier on shippping.

how wide is the rollers ?
can u replace the handle with an electric drill ?
does the mill have any adjustments or u leave it fixed ?

cheers

 

[Tony]

The rollers are 2 inch diameter (50mm) and 8 inches long (200mm)

No problems with the handle, just turm down to 3/8 or 1/2 inch ahd irghten your drill chuck on it. I thing these mils are beyond some smaller battery drills but a good battery drill MIGHT do it, not sure though.

Would need a decent electric drill id say.

The mill is fully adjustable. I put some pics on the previous page of its basic construction.

It would probably be easier to ship assembled. I would build them a bit more compact than mine, i made mine from ideas in my head but would be improved.

cheers

 

[BrissyBrew]

Borret where did you get the lexen from and what is the cost of it like? $$$?

 

[Borret]

Borret where did you get the lexen from and what is the cost of it like? $$$?

[post="63293"][/post]​

Hi Brissy,

I actually got mine for free from a mate i used to work for :super: . They were offcuts from a job he had left over. From what he told me lexan is a couple a hundred bucks for a full sheet (normally 2400 x 1200) but you may find it for cheaper somewhere . Your best bet might be a signwriter or industrial/engineerring plastic specialist who may have off cuts for cheap. Also ask for Polycarbonate sheet as Lexan is only a trademark name for GE PLastics. The place in Newcastle that mine originally came from what specialised wholesale. A great shop that I used to frequent at Uni for plastics fasteners amd heaps of other stuff. I'm don't know of anywhere is brisbane that is equivalent. Perhaps someone more local can help you.
The use of lexan so you can mechanically feasten it together rather than glue it is wort the effort INHO.

Best of luck with it,

Borret :blink: