[S. cerevisiae]

This build is still a work in progress, but I figured I that I would post the photos that I have shot thus far. 

For those who have ever wondered how clean non-round holes are made, well, in the absence of a CNC machining center, one uses an old-fashioned router, a routing template, and a flush trim bit (bearing on the bottom) or a pattern bit (bearing on the top).  A plunge router can be used to cut the hole.  However, I usually cut a hole that is slightly undersize with my sabre saw and use my router to trim the hole flush with the pattern.  I used the base that came with the mill as my routing pattern.  The material being routed is called seaboard.  It is a UV stable high-density polyethylene (HDPE) sheet material that is used in the marine industry.  HDPE is quite dense, so there should be very little vibration after assembly has been completed.
 



As one can see in this photograph, my 1" flush trim bit has a larger radius than the bit that was used to cut the original base.



Here's the main table and the shim that I cut for the Bodine gear motor that I purchased for this build.  The Bodine gear motor had to be raised exactly one inch to mate up with the MM3.  The top edge on the motor shim was rounded over with a 1/4" radius round-over bit that was set to cut shallow.  The top edge of the main table was rounded-over using a 3/8" radius round-over bit that was set such that the top the radius was slightly below the face of the sheet.  I have not done any of this kind of work with a hand-held router in a long time.  My router used to be mounted in a routing table. Doing this kind of work with routing table is much easier.

I also used the original base as my drilling template.   My floor drill press is the only piece of machinery that I still own from my foray into woodworking.   I do not use it very often, but there are times when the precision of a drill press is needed.




The effect created by setting the router bit such that the top of the radius is slightly below the face of the sheet is easier to see in this photograph.



Here are a few photos of the Bodine gear motor and the Mill just resting on top of the base.

[Slowbrew]

Nice work.  Routers are fun and very versatile. I'm looking forward to seeing the completed project.

Paul

[S. cerevisiae]

Routers are fun and very versatile.

And very dangerous!   I replaced my hybrid table saw with a Ridgid TS2400LS portable table saw when I sold it along with my jointer, planer, oscillating spindle sander, router table, and band saw.  I have been thinking about replacing my circular saw and my table saw with a Festool plunge saw.  I miss my router table and my band saw, but I do not miss breathing sawdust.  That's why I prefer to work with plastics and metal these days. 

[Slowbrew]

Saw dust can be a pain but I still love to work with wood.  I'm an equal opportunity finger removal hobbyist, I work with any materials that are needed.  It's all fun!

Paul

[brewthru]

Where was the motor purchased? Also, coupling? Thanks.

[smkranz]

I’m not the builder, so I can’t tell you where he acquired the motor and coupler. But I have custody of this motorized mill.  Here is a snapshot of the plate on the motor with model number and specs. You might not be able to make out the RPM, but it is 58. Yep, pretty slow. But he selected this motor for its high torque.  Turn her on, load it with grain, and go. I have it mounted on a cart with a receiving bucket underneath, so I’m not standing around waiting for it to churn through 30+ pounds of grain.




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[smkranz]

Here's the official response from the source:

***

I purchased the motor surplus off of eBay.  I believe that I purchased the coupler from McMaster-Carr.  It is a Lovejoy spider coupler assembly that consists of two hubs and a spider.  If I recall correctly, I used hubs with different shaft sizes because the shaft on the motor is larger in diameter than the shaft on the mill.

[smkranz]

One more note, the 58 rpm motor driving the MM3 mill yields a throughput of 2.65 lbs./minute.

[mabrungard]

Wow, that is a low throughput. Aren’t there faster gear motors?

[smkranz]

From my brief time exploring these motors (and looking for the literature on this one), it seems that the higher rpm gear motors have lower torque.  I don't know enough about them to know if there is a "sweet spot" between speed and torque.  But it's all good, because even at that speed it will do a 30-lb. grain bill in something like 11 or 12 minutes and I'm not sitting there holding a drill to it.

[Copymutt]

Just found this section on gear and this thread on mills. Thought I’d toss mine in here.  Like most of my one offs I look for what can be repurposed.
Salvaged pressure fusing unit from a late 70’s photocopier. The heart is a set of rockwell 80 3” rollers. The pressure this thing exerts actually made the sheet of copy paper measurably larger after it passes through.
Welded up a heavy bracket to mount it in a B&D workmate when in use.  Gap is adjustable with tensioners on each side.
7# of grain is cracked b4 the novelty wears off!  Drawback, it weighs probably 60#.



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[copachino]

From my brief time exploring these motors (and looking for the literature on this one), it seems that the higher rpm gear motors have lower torque.  I don't know enough about them to know if there is a "sweet spot" between speed and torque.  But it's all good, because even at that speed it will do a 30-lb. grain bill in something like 11 or 12 minutes and I'm not sitting there holding a drill to it.

i know this its an old post but, i have a motor that its about the same torque as yours, only mine runs at 125rpm, does your motor has any problem with the torque?, i mean its strong enough for 30lb at once?

[Saccharomyces]

Wow, that is a low throughput. Aren’t there faster gear motors?

The motor is only 58RPM.  That is about the speed at which I was handcranking my MaltMill at the time.  The crush is nice at that speed.  I have always brewed 5 gallon or smaller batches, so a milling operation that took 3 to 4 minutes was fine with me.  It took longer to weigh out the grain and fill the hopper than it took to crush the malt.

[brewthru]

Very professional. Very nice!

[Saccharomyces]

i know this its an old post but, i have a motor that its about the same torque as yours, only mine runs at 125rpm, does your motor has any problem with the torque?, i mean its strong enough for 30lb at once?

I built the mill.  I used to post as S. cerevsiae.  I purchased the Bodine gear motor NOS on eBay.  The motor is only a 1/8th HP motor, but it produces 75 in. lb of torque at 58RPM.  The motor is not going to stall or overheat crushing 30lbs of malt because it was designed for continuous operation driving conveyor belts.