Grain mill

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Steve Senseney
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Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 2:45 pm

Grain mill

Post by Steve Senseney »

A while ago, I asked about grain mills.

I put this together and was going what I did.
Grain mill assembled.JPG
I used two disks (one was 4 inch and one was 4 1/2 inches) as the grinding mechanism.

I used the side grinder to place some notches in the surface to move the material around as it was ground.

Rather than add a motor, I wanted to be able to use this with the drill press that I have.
Steve Senseney
Posts: 673
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 2:45 pm

Re: Grain mill

Post by Steve Senseney »

Here is a picture of the partial disassembly--
Grain mill apart.JPG
Here is a picture of the stones and the drive mechanism and bearing.
Grain mill grinding stones disassembled.JPG


The upper stone is glued to the upper piece of wood.

The drive "bolt" was partially ground down to fit into the bearing.

The lower stone has a metal washer that had the "wings" bent up. This is glued to the grinding disc, and the wings capture the nut on the drive bolt.
Grain mill disk drive and bearing second view.JPG
Steve Senseney
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Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 2:45 pm

Re: Grain mill

Post by Steve Senseney »

All of this is held together with 2 bolts.

The "fineness" of the grind can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the bolts.
Grain mill griding stones partly assembled.JPG
To make it easier to use, I placed a funnel which can be removed on the top of the aparatus.
Grain mill with grain funnel.JPG
Here is a picture with the assembled mechanism on the drill press.
Grain mill on drill press.JPG
Steve Senseney
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Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 2:45 pm

Re: Grain mill

Post by Steve Senseney »

Several other comments--

It works, but it does cause the motor to heat when used for a long period of time.

I have successfully ground rice and corn and "instant tapioca".

I had problems grinding pearled tapioca. It would gum up the plates and I had to chip it off with a ice pick essentially.

The total investment in making this was mainly time.

It has some vibration as I run it on the drill press. This actually shakes the grain down the funnel nicely.

I also place a bar clam on the mechanism as it runs to keep it from rotating.

Rather than use the small box I show in the picture, I have a nice metal mixing bowl that I use to catch the flour.
Bob Francis
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Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2012 6:28 pm

Re: Grain mill

Post by Bob Francis »

I like it! Very clever.
Mattia Valente
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Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:36 am

Re: Grain mill

Post by Mattia Valente »

Nice. My only 'concern' would be the food safety of those wheels...
Mario Proulx
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Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 12:08 pm

Re: Grain mill

Post by Mario Proulx »

What Mattia said....

It's not just what the abrasive(grit) is made from, but also what resins are used to bond the abrasive together.

I'd feel much better if you sought out some genuine food-grade stones. No thumbs-up from me until you do so. Sorry.
Steve Senseney
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Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 2:45 pm

Re: Grain mill

Post by Steve Senseney »

Here is the MSDS sheet.

http://www1.mscdirect.com/MSDS/MSDS0002 ... 060223.PDF

No specific concerns with ingestion.
Bill Raymond
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Location: Red Bluff California

Re: Grain mill

Post by Bill Raymond »

Section VII does say "ingestion not recommended".
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Barry Daniels
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Location: The Woodlands, Texas

Re: Grain mill

Post by Barry Daniels »

You are using the disks in a fashion not intended by the manufacturer, so the warnings and hazards listed on the MSDS may not be relevant/inclusive.
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David King
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Location: Portland, OR
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Re: Grain mill

Post by David King »

I love it but I'm not eating from it. I might drink beer brewed from it however...
Jason Rodgers
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Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 4:05 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Grain mill

Post by Jason Rodgers »

Despite the questions on the grinding surfaces, this is really clever. With regards to the grinding wheels, I wonder how much grit/matrix would be shed on grains or corn? Maybe only significantly if the wheels came in contact? Depends on how much you want to risk it. I've seen similar grinding wheels made of metal, though more expensive.
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Mark Swanson
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Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan USA
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Re: Grain mill

Post by Mark Swanson »

When archeologists study ancient skulls and teeth, they can quickly see that many ancient people had significant wear to their teeth from grit in their food.
  • Mark Swanson, guitarist, MIMForum Staff
Steve Senseney
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Re: Grain mill

Post by Steve Senseney »

Jason--I briefly looked on the internet, but I could not find any metal discs.

Could you show me a link?
Mario Proulx
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Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 12:08 pm

Re: Grain mill

Post by Mario Proulx »

Here's the first 'hit' I got when searching for "Corona mill stone". These are, obviously, for a Corona mill, but you're a wise, young, ambitious man with the skills necessary to make these work with your setup. Or buy a cheap Corona-style mill and add the stones...

http://www.retsel.com/store/product_inf ... cts_id/104
Mario Proulx
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Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 12:08 pm

Re: Grain mill

Post by Mario Proulx »

Or one of these sets:

http://www.retsel.com/store/product_inf ... cts_id/176

http://www.retsel.com/store/product_inf ... cts_id/103

Bottom line is that there -are- stones that are readily available, inexpensive, and food-safe. Google be your friend....
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