[BaseWerks Brewing]

Hi, I have 2 roller mill form AIH called the cereal killer.  I sometimes use the hand crank and sometimes my cordless drill. I'm looking advice on the best way to motorize my grain mill with a more permanent solution.  I recently bought a cheap 3/8 5.2 Amp corded drill but it just didn't have the low end torque to mill at the proper speed.  I had to push the trigger down to far for it to turn the roller and then it went to fast.  I ended up taking that back.   I'm looking for a dedicated drill or motor so I can set it up to maintain the same speed and don't have to be around it while its running.

Has anyone used this drill? 
https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/drills-drivers/corded-drills-drivers/12-in-heavy-duty-variable-speed-reversible-drill-69452.html
I've found this kit which looks cool. 
https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Double-Roller-Grain-Mill-Motorizing-Kit-P4176.aspx

[MNWayne]

I've found most products from Harbor Freight to be of questionable quality.

[ynotbrusum]

I have one of these:

https://allamericanaleworks.com/

[HopDen]

https://www.morebeer.com/products/malt-muncher-grain-mill-high-torque-motor.html

I purchased one of these and it has worked perfectly.

[coonmanxdog]

https://www.morebeer.com/products/malt-muncher-grain-mill-high-torque-motor.html

I purchased one of these and it has worked perfectly.

That looks to be the same one as OP metioned in his original post. The only difference is who is selling it.

[hopfenundmalz]

Hi, I have 2 roller mill form AIH called the cereal killer.  I sometimes use the hand crank and sometimes my cordless drill. I'm looking advice on the best way to motorize my grain mill with a more permanent solution.  I recently bought a cheap 3/8 5.2 Amp corded drill but it just didn't have the low end torque to mill at the proper speed.  I had to push the trigger down to far for it to turn the roller and then it went to fast.  I ended up taking that back.   I'm looking for a dedicated drill or motor so I can set it up to maintain the same speed and don't have to be around it while its running.

Has anyone used this drill? 
https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/drills-drivers/corded-drills-drivers/12-in-heavy-duty-variable-speed-reversible-drill-69452.html
I've found this kit which looks cool. 
https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Double-Roller-Grain-Mill-Motorizing-Kit-P4176.aspx

That harbor freight drill is 6.3 amps. Amperage is proportional to torque in an electric motor. That is not much more than what you have. I have a 9 amp 1/2 inch drill. That does fine. Get that amperage, or more.

[Kevin]

I have the one from Williams Brewing. Works great. It's one of those things you might put off because of the price but the first time you use it it's like, 'why didn't I get one of these sooner".

[HopDen]

https://www.morebeer.com/products/malt-muncher-grain-mill-high-torque-motor.html

I purchased one of these and it has worked perfectly.

That looks to be the same one as OP metioned in his original post. The only difference is who is selling it.

That is, in fact, the same one.
I completely missed that!! now its time for a beer or two!!

[Visor]

  In addition to what Jeff said, unless I'm way off base, bear in mind that the HF drill is only pulling 6.3 amps at full speed, you really don't want to be milling at 1,200 RPM. While I'd love to have one of those low speed, high torque set-ups, for now I'll continue to use my old [1950's vintage] 1/2" Sioux dinosaur drill. It's only 5 amps, but at 500 RPM it has no problem turning my JSP malt mill with the full 10" mill face exposed. 500 rpm is faster than ideal but I still get a good crush and last week it did >26# in under 2 minutes. Sadly, as time goes by, garage sale deals like the Sioux are becoming more difficult to find.

[goose]

If you visit an electric motor shop, I am sure they might have a used motor that they would sell you for cheap.  That is what I did.  Just practice social distancing.  Since the motor runs at 1725 RPM you will need a pulley no bigger than two inches for the motor and a 12 inch pulley for the malt mill.  This will reduce the mill speed to 288 RPM.  If you can find a 1" pulley for the motor, you will get 144 RPM which is about perfect.  My motor pulley is adjustable and can be adjusted from 1" to 2" by closing the gap between the side "rails".

You might also check on a place that sells and services copy machines.  They take them in on trade all the time and you can maybe obtain a motor from a copier they are going to scrap for probably no charge.  My malt mill originally used this set-up until the motor finally died and I got an industrial type single phase motor as described above.

You can calculate the mill speed by taking the motor speed times the motor pulley diameter and divide that by the mill pulley diameter.
1725 x 1 / 12 = 143.75 (144)
1725 x 2 / 12 = 287.5 (288)

[mabrungard]

Amperage is proportional to torque in an electric motor.

While that is true, it doesn't tell the whole story. Don't forget that torque can be multiplied, but the power won't significantly change since the roller rotation (work) will be lower.

I don't think any tradesman would 'invest' in Harbor Freight tools since that's their livelihood and when you buy quality tools that last, the overall investment is sound. But for a tool that is used only occasionally, you'll never get to realize that 'savings'.  I've got a HF low-speed 1/2" drill that has performed well for the 5 years I've had it in its occasional milling duty.  If I brewed a lot more, a better motor would be appropriate.

[hopfenundmalz]

Amperage is proportional to torque in an electric motor.

While that is true, it doesn't tell the whole story. Don't forget that torque can be multiplied, but the power won't significantly change since the roller rotation (work) will be lower.

I don't think any tradesman would 'invest' in Harbor Freight tools since that's their livelihood and when you buy quality tools that last, the overall investment is sound. But for a tool that is used only occasionally, you'll never get to realize that 'savings'.  I've got a HF low-speed 1/2" drill that has performed well for the 5 years I've had it in its occasional milling duty.  If I brewed a lot more, a better motor would be appropriate.

True. Diameter of the motor, base speed, and so on. Electric motors are constant torque machines until you hit the power curve. Used to look at dynamometer specs earlier in my carrier.

[Visor]

Amperage is proportional to torque in an electric motor.

While that is true, it doesn't tell the whole story. Don't forget that torque can be multiplied, but the power won't significantly change since the roller rotation (work) will be lower.

I don't think any tradesman would 'invest' in Harbor Freight tools since that's their livelihood and when you buy quality tools that last, the overall investment is sound. But for a tool that is used only occasionally, you'll never get to realize that 'savings'.  I've got a HF low-speed 1/2" drill that has performed well for the 5 years I've had it in its occasional milling duty.  If I brewed a lot more, a better motor would be appropriate.

   Would that that were only true Martin, I spent 3 decades in the trades and was appalled at how many "tradesmen" bought the cheapest tools they could find. As can be expected, the folks who went that route generally didn't stay in the trade long, and the quality of their work almost always reflected their corner cutting mentality.

[mchrispen]

I have one of these:

https://allamericanaleworks.com/

As do I. One of the few brewhouse investments that I have not second-guessed.


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[MNWayne]

I am in the building and maintenance trade.  Buy nice or buy twice, applies to me.  I'm sure a Harbor Freight tool would be fine for the occasional user.  I should have addressed this in my first post.