MillMaster v MaltZilla Mills

[TheAussieBrewer]

Nice neat setup, but I wonder about the side load on the drive shaft bearing/sleeve, which is not an issue with a drill.
How tight does the belt have to be to prevent slippage?
Alternators have a small ball bearing and seem to last forever at quite high tensions but a lot of mills have bushes, something to keep an eye on maybe.

There isn’t a huge amount of load on the belt, but this motor has a bearing front and rear and is for driving pullies so there isn’t an issue with side load. The bearings may wear out eventually but not quickly enough for me to be concerned about it. Will last longer than a drill motor, outlived 2 drills I used before upgrading to the motor.

 

[LRAT]

I got my MillMaster set up, and have started experimenting with different mill gaps and speeds. I've finished with it set at 1.1mm with the feeler gauge and about 120rpm on the drill. Though I think I might slow the drill down even more.

Set at 1.1mm it has split almost all the husks in half, with not many fully intact husks, but at least it's made virtually no flour. So I gave conditioning a try, and the milled grain looks totally different. Looks like I've got about 90% of the husks still intact, but when I give them a rub they break up into a few pieces. After milling, the dry grain looks quite compact, while the conditioned grain looks "light and fluffy' if I can use that description.

So I think I've got the mill set correctly for use with the conditioned malt. If I was going to run the dry malt through, it looks to me like I would have to open the gap up a little more. I know Phil you use 1.1mm, but maybe you get away with that gap because you hand mill. Anyway, I'll know in a few days after I blow 15kg of malt on a Barley Wine.

View attachment 120131

Would you mind sharing which motor and pulleys you used? Where did you buy it from and how much did it cost?
That looks like a great setup!

 

[Cloud Surfer]

I bought a mill motor from Keg King. It’s a lot better than using the drill I started off trying. It has a lot more torque than a drill so it powers through the tough stuff like wheat. The motor connects straight into the mill, so it was easy to setup. Don’t remember the cost.

 

[LRAT]

I bought a mill motor from Keg King. It’s a lot better than using the drill I started off trying. It has a lot more torque than a drill so it powers through the tough stuff like wheat. The motor connects straight into the mill, so it was easy to setup. Don’t remember the cost.

Thanks for that! I just checked it out and for the motor only it's $285.00.

 

[Ballaratguy]

I got an golf bag buggy motor for $75 delivered
It’s geared and will crush wheat like it isn’t there
Direct drive connection. I wired it up so that I had reverse in case it jammed but have never had to use it
Better that a battery drill and cheaper

 

[LRAT]

I got an golf bag buggy motor for $75 delivered
It’s geared and will crush wheat like it isn’t there
Direct drive connection. I wired it up so that I had reverse in case it jammed but have never had to use it
Better that a battery drill and cheaper

That's also a great option. One could have it powered from a battery pack from Milwaukee, Makita, etc.

 

[Ballaratguy]

I’ve got a solar battery on the roof of my brewery so I power as much as I can by 12v

 

[Grok]

I can vouch for the Keg King 90w Induction milling motor kit, it works very well, plenty of power at a constant 180 RPM, perfect!

 

[LRAT]

Just thought I’d share what I have done with my MillMaster mill.

3/4hp motor with a 1-1/2” pully driving a 10” pulls providing about 220rpm on the mill.
View attachment 120159

I like your setup. It looks great!
I just ordered the Millmaster with hopper and will need to build something similar.
Can you provide the links for the motor, pulleys, V-belt and switch you bought it from?
Are you happy with this setup? Are you happy with the RPM's as is?

 

[TheAussieBrewer]

I like your setup. It looks great!
I just ordered the Millmaster with hopper and will need to build something similar.
Can you provide the links for the motor, pulleys, V-belt and switch you bought it from?

Everything was off ebay, motor (0.75hp with 19mm shaft), pulleys, V-belt and switch.

Pullies you'll need are 10" with 1/2" bore and a 1.25" with 3/4" bore no keyway.
Belt size will need to be calculated for your setup, here is a neat little calculator.

Are you happy with this setup? Are you happy with the RPM's as is?

Yes, I am really happy. Great consistant crush and it doesn't miss a beat. Just wish the hopper was larger from standard.

 

[Grok]

I like your setup. It looks great!
I just ordered the Millmaster with hopper and will need to build something similar.
Can you provide the links for the motor, pulleys, V-belt and switch you bought it from?
Are you happy with this setup? Are you happy with the RPM's as is?

LRAT, maybe you are unaware that the KK mill motor is a kit, with motor (with reduction gearbox attached), direct spider coupling drive and switch box. Everything you need for direct drive with less moving parts, unguarded pulleys and belt arrangement plus side force on the drive shaft from the belt tension.

And cheaper!

Ebay parts tally, motor, pulleys, switch, belt and postage etc $314

KK kit $285

 

[TheAussieBrewer]

LRAT, maybe you are unaware that the KK mill motor is a kit, with motor (with reduction gearbox attached), direct spider coupling drive and switch box. Everything you need for direct drive with less moving parts, unguarded pulleys and belt arrangement plus side force on the drive shaft from the belt tension.

And cheaper!

Ebay parts tally, motor, pulleys, switch, belt and postage etc $314

KK kit $285

Just adding from personal experience that the rubber spider damper used in the direct drive is a consumable part and will ware out (how quickly will obviously depend on usage rate), just something to be mindful of.

I personally have milled literally tons of malt through my mill, no sign of bearing wear and shroud can be made pretty cheaply with acrylic.

 

[Grok]

Just adding from personal experience that the rubber spider damper used in the direct drive is a consumable part and will ware out

Well I've used mine heaps and no sign of wearing, I think if you take particular care to align the 2 shafts (before mounting the coupling) as best you can by sight and something short enough with a straight edge checking X and Y axis, then the coupling has very little movement, therefore less wear and tear on the rubber.
You can actually use rubber or plastic pipe too BTW as a flexi-coupling, hose clamped onto each shaft, but just have to make sure it can handle the torque load.



But at the end of the day, whatever works I say!
There is beauty in simplicity!