Just picked up a 10 dollar pulley after finding an electric motor at my work that I was able to take. Looking to build a cabinet that will allow me to remove the top(with pulley and mill attached) and flip it over into the cabinet when not in use. Any thoughts on this? Anyone care to share what they have built for their grain mill? I use battery drills and a single charge from a dewalt 20v wont last through a single mill session at lower speeds for me. This picture is a general idea of the cabinet I might try out
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Flipping it over into the cabinet is a great idea. I do get running out of battery with a rechargeable drill. I use a 1/2" Makita corded so it has plenty of power and never quits. It would be nice to not have to hang onto the drill though.
Yeh I’ve never been a fan of the drill and bucket. It definitely works but I dread larger grain bills
I bought a cheap 1/2" corded slow speed drill for my grain mill… Problem, it will stop if too much malt… I’m thinking about NorCal’s motor and reduction gear… It’d couple up like in your picture up there…
My set up sits in the garage… when not in use, I through an old bath towel (washed too … right?) over the big hopper…
Sneezles61
EDIT: just went to look… they don’t have it any more!!!
Damn, that sucks. Time to make one
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Im looking on various sites… I don’t know if I should buy a 12 volt HD 100rpm… They aren’t much… Think I should take one for the team? If it works… We would all have a cheap upgrade then… I’ll daydream about this one for a few days…
Sneezles61
Can you please send a link to the one you are scoping?
I guess I just got used to it. I usually crush the day before and set up all the grain, buckets, a chair and if it’s cold out a space heater in the garage. Oh, first remove my wifes Jeep so no dust gets on it or cover it.
I do 20 gallons so 50+ lbs malt is not unusual. Setting a hombrew next to the chair makes a nice diversion
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That’s a lot to crush. I’ll update this if I end up building that cabinet in a week or two here
There is one called a barley muncher motor… The one I was looking at was on eBay… I don’t think it had the potential to do barley… as I read deer into its spec’s…
Sneezles61
I forget what equation I used to figure out the rpms but the pulley I ended up with is huge! Going to try and notch the top board for it but now I’m realizing it will stick out of the top once I flip it over. I’ll have to see how far it protrudes and go from there. Perhaps I’ll use a collar that would cover it when flipped. Might look strange. I’m liking the look profile no pulley idea more and more now…
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I usually get my thinking from a 10 speed bike derailer system for speed reduction from that stand point…
I like the gear reduction system… But it is a bit spendy… It should be a one and done move on scenario… not like a kettle where you figure out something… doesn’t work, so you plug a hole and relocate stuff…
Sneezles61
Yeh I’ve only got about 20 bucks in a belt and pulley for this system so I’d like to make it work. Maybe I’ll get some nice birch plywood for the cabinet. I ordered a track saw on tuesday and I want to put it to work
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That’s how I figure it too. Biggest gear in the back = slow but easier to turn so a large gear on the mill will turn it slower but be less work for the motor,
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Imagine the other way around? Barley strewn all over the garage…!! The mice would be happy!!
Sneezles61
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Gregg Mueller had something like this that he built. Unfortunately last time i checked his website was no longer active.
I use an older version of this cheap low speed, high torque corded drill from Harbor Freight. It does the trick, but is gets a little smoky from time to time because I abused the crap out of it while mixing concrete in a bucket.
Check out this doc for all the info you need regarding pully and sheave diameters and finding the right RPM. I would’ve uploaded it, but it is a .pdf and apparently that format isn’t available to upload.
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Nice. So what RPM is the sweet spot for grain?
I understand somewhere under 200 RPM…not 5 tho…
Sneezles61
What about a 12 volt electro motor. The one they do use. In model race cars
