Grain Mill Design/plans

Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum

Help Support Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

clean brewer

Obsessed Home Brewer
Joined
1/7/08
Messages
2,042
Reaction score
2
Hello all,

Well, as much as id love to buy a grain mill, my father in law is a Engineer/Toolmaker with lathes and all the machining gear.

Since he has stainless rod and metal and all the stuff to put a mill together and for free basically, just wanted to see if anyone had a plan/design for a Grain Mill? Nothing over the top, just a 2 roller(adjustable) mill..

Cheers
 
Thanks Tony and Raven19,

all seem very simple, we'll get one of these knocked up quite easy and save a motsa... ;) Bulk Grain here I come....
 
I have one of "Tony's" mills...

very simple, very effective, very tough and needs next to no maint, hardly ever have adjust the gap..


It will take a decent motor to drive it.....and couple of pulleys to slow the roller speed down

But it does crack 5kg in under 3mins... :icon_cheers:
 
Im glad your still happy with it mate. I know you and i know if you wernt happy you wouldnt have said what you said.

Many hours at 2 am in a cold workshop on breakdown callouts building that mill..... and redbeard's

The only difference with how i built them was i didnt use the seperate metal bearing housings, I incorperated them into the timber frame using a holesaw and router to make the bearing housings. Found a hole saw that gave a an interferance fit to the bearing. Slotted the timber so the adjustment screws pushed on the bearing of the non driven roller to set the gap.

too easy

I think quite a few have used this basic design with their own tweeks, as they will to build mills.

As stu said.......... they will run for years without ever having to look at them and they are tough as nails.

cheers

I will post some construction pics tonight if you want
 
Tony

Hope you are home around Xmas...


I will be down in that part of the world...SWMBO will drop me off and pick me up..

Might even brew a Red Ale for the occasion


:icon_chickcheers:
 
Im glad your still happy with it mate. I know you and i know if you wernt happy you wouldnt have said what you said.

Many hours at 2 am in a cold workshop on breakdown callouts building that mill..... and redbeard's

The only difference with how i built them was i didnt use the seperate metal bearing housings, I incorperated them into the timber frame using a holesaw and router to make the bearing housings. Found a hole saw that gave a an interferance fit to the bearing. Slotted the timber so the adjustment screws pushed on the bearing of the non driven roller to set the gap.

too easy

I think quite a few have used this basic design with their own tweeks, as they will to build mills.

As stu said.......... they will run for years without ever having to look at them and they are tough as nails.

cheers

I will post some construction pics tonight if you want

Some construction pics would be handy..

Thanks Tony
 
As per discussion mate........ here are some pics of mine

any questions just ask

cheers

grain_mill_timber.jpg


grain_mill_rollers.jpg


routed_end_pieces_and_bearing.jpg


adjustment_plates.jpg


adjustment_slots1.jpg


mill_and_hopper_atachment.jpg


grain_mill_bin__549_x_824_.jpg


grain_mill_from_back__549_x_824_.jpg


grain_mill_from_front__549_x_824_.jpg


mill_pullys__624_x_416_.jpg
 
looks just like my mill... :icon_chickcheers:


And what a legand mill it is... :super:
 
I hear they were limited edition mate.
 
I have a mill very similar to Tony's and so does Jye, I can highly recommend this design.

cheers

Browndog
 
Just trying to figure out how the Rollers are adjustable? Just a little confused by the holes on each side of the wood(which are for the bearings for the rollers) but then in another picture there are the adjusting slots...

The answer is probably looking at me straight in the eye.. :unsure: :blink: :huh:
 
I have one set of my bearing holes slotted so the bearing can move back and forth. There is a spring pushing them apart to stop the rollers colliding. The Bolt you can see in the pics sets the gap by pushing on the bearings. Clear as mud ?

cheers

Browndog
 
I have one of my bearing holes slotted so the bearing can move back and forth. There is a spring pushing them apart. The Bolt you can see in the pics sets the gap between the rollers. Clear as mud ?

cheers

Browndog


Basically you make one roller bearing housing eliptical with a long bolt pushing against the outer bearing housing.
 
Looks good Tony, but where did you score the rollers from ?
Also do smooth rollers work as good as the grooved ones.
Dazza
 
Yeah thats all i did

I just elongated the non drive housings by about 1 or 2mm with the router and the adjsutment screw holds pressure on the roller. The grain running through the mill pushes it out and sets the gap.

Its so simple it works!

And stu.......... there were 3 actually. Redbeard got the 2nd. It never really got advertised.

I remember when i made mine, GT from grumpys asked me to work out how much it would cost to mass produce them.

I worked it out and the cost want that much but the time........... that was the killer. It was many hours of work and i couldnt do it during the day......... had to be done at night when noone else was at work

I couldnt do it. Not for the little bit of money. It worked out a a few $/hr profit so only 3 got made.

I did charge the boys for my time but i think they got a good deal....... im always glad to hear happy campers post :)

cheers
 
Here are some pics of my mill and there are some pics of the adjustment setup on page 3.
 
Dazza........... I made them on a layth myself. I found a 3 meter length of 2" 316 ss shaft that had been removed form a press roller due to a worn bearing seat.

In the layth it went, faced off into 16 inch lengths and taken home quick smart.

also.......

The slots for the adjustment screws hadnt been cut when i took the pics. That came later. It works as the boys above said.

I didnt put springs between the rollers. I drilled it very very carefully so that when the rollers are fully pushed in i have a 0.6mm gap. They cant touch. The free spinning rollers housings were skimmed out with the router so that the roller and bearings couls slide back and forth 1 or 2mm and the adjustment bolt just pushes on the outer ring of the bearing. Like i said, the pressure of the grain going through the mill pushes the roller out to hit the adjsutment bolt and sets your gap.

I run mine at about 0.9 for a fairly fine crush but the gap depends on your roller dia and more so, the courseness of your knearling.

As for smooth rollers......... you really beed to get up over the 6inch dia before this will work well. A light knearl like on these ones i made works great. Grips the husk but doesnt bust it up.

cheers

cheers
 

Latest posts

Back
Top