the de-huller / flour mill*
This is a horizontal shaft mill intended for de-hulling grain. It can be easily converted to a flour grinding mill. This simple mill is better than the available inexpensive hand-cranked mills because it uses ball bearings and accommodates a larger de-hulling disc. In addition it has two widely spaced bearings and a stable design that makes it better for the use of bike power over electric or mechanical power. The mill uses readily available 1 3/8 x 3/4” sealed bearings. The auger flighting is made from a straight piece of key shaft metal, heated and bent around the auger shell. For users wishing to de-hull rice, einkorn or emmer, instructions are given for making de-hulling pads. For barley and oats this de-huller may not work, as much more scouring is needed for these two crops. However, it is possible that with more aggressive de-hulling discs this mill could be made to work for barley and oats. For users wishing to mill flour, instructions are given for making crude steel burrs with an angle grinder. However, in most cases the user can buy commercial steel or stone burrs and fit them to the mill. Building the mill is not difficult. The shop must be equipped to make square cuts on metal tubing. Welding techniques that minimise distortion should be used. All of the parts can be cut out first and then fabricated. Once the pieces are cut the actual fabrication time is only five hours. q
* The flour mill in this photo is an early prototype, using an antique C.S. Bell mill.
Open source plans and instructional video available at: https://projects.sare.org/sare_project/one16-277/
on site review 39: tools
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