Grain Mill Part 2 - Rollers

My selection of roller size was decided by the fact I had two identical scrap pieces of 3" diameter steel sitting around.  I thought it would finally be a good use for them.  What I failed to consider was that a larger roller would result in more force required to mill grain.  This is due to two factors:  The shorter lever arm between the end of the handle and milling surface, and the larger contact area from the increased radius of curvature.  This I wouldn't realize until the testing phase.
Design wise, one roller is fixed, and the other is movable to allow variable spacing for different sizes of grain, nuts, and so forth.  The fixed roller would require a longer shaft for attaching the driving handle.  For this reason, I decided to make the fixed roller in two pieces, while the movable roller has the shaft built in.  The fixed roller is secured to the bearings with set screw collars, while the movable roller is held by two 3/8"-16 bolts through either end.  This was another design flaw that I wouldn't realize until later when I found out the bearings for the movable roller weren't actual ball bearings and would seize up when tightened down.

We begin with the movable roller.  First turning one end, and roughing the diameter for the bearing.

Grain Mill Part 1 - Housing

We begin the grain mill build with the outer housing.  I decided to make this from some scrap pieces of 1/2" thick stainless steel.  Firstly, squaring up all the sides in the milling machine.

Next, I drilled screw and dowel holes in the side pieces.  The screw holes were drilled 9/32" to clear 1/4"-20 screws, and the dowels were reamed for 1/4" dowels.  The dowels ensure more precise alignment of the housing pieces.

5 Vegetables for 5 Gallon Bucket Container Gardens

Have you been looking to start a container garden, and have quite a bit of space to grow some vegetables? You may want to look into using 5 gallon buckets to grow some food. Being cheap and readily available, you can get your garden off the ground for next season with no trouble at all. Let's talk about setting up a 5 gallon container garden sand some crops to consider growing.

YouTube Recap | Videos from December 2019

In case you are not subscribed to our YouTube Channel or you missed one, here are the videos we released in the month of December 2019! In total, a total of 6 vids were released, making for a total of 73 on the year. What a year this has been! Our channel has grown substantially. At the time of my typing, we've hit 312 subscribers. We'd like to thank you for joining us on our journey and stay tuned for next year. More videos are coming in the next year, so don't forget to subscribe!

Make your own Chicken Biscuits
"After making those delicious biscuits, I had to put some chicken in between them. Here's the recipe if you want to make some also!" -- Vinny

DIY Branded Wooden Tap Handle

At some point in time, you'll want a branded tap handle for your brews. Today I am making my own tap handle, without using a lathe. Let's see how this thing turns out.