# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Making Stuff >  Homemade grain mill

## Hillmann

A while back I came acros a website that showed how to make an indian(from India) style grain mill out of cement. It was about a foot in diameter, eight inches high, had a hardwood central bearing and a hole for the handle.
I have lost the bookmark and can not find the website anylonger.  I am trying to figure out how the centeral bearing worked, it both kept the top stone in allingment and allowed grain to be fed into the mill(it may have been keyhole shaped or two seperate holes).

If anyone knows whare tho find the website or how to build one I would like any info. Also does anyone know of any other way to build a homemad grain mill other than morter and pestol or the native way with a flat rock and a rooling rock.

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## Beo

Here's one for the micro brewers... lol...
http://www.beertools.com/html/articles/mill.shtml

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## crashdive123

Here's an idea for one.  http://www.beertools.com/html/articles/mill.shtml

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## crashdive123

Hey Beo - great minds think alike.  I wonder what our excuse is?

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## Beo

We're the sh** bro,

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## Hillmann

I have came across several like that but I am looking for a mill to make flours. What you linked to looks like it would flake or crush it more than grind it.

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## canid

here are a couple images to give ideas, from wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mt...ll_Slipper.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pedal-wheat-mill.jpg

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## crashdive123

If you can adjust the gap (or lack of) between the rollers, you should be able to control the consistency of the finished product.  Here's a no frills method.  http://www.ehow.com/how_5325596_build-flour-mill.html

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## Beo

Big flat stone, hand held flat stone.
Set grain on big flat stone
take hand held flat stone and beat the crap out of grain on big flat stone
scoop up powder
Nuff said
Lol... I tried but came up short.

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## crashdive123

OOOOOO - I like the exercise bike flour mill.

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## Hillmann

The first one that candid posted is the type that I am looking for except without all the extras like the hopper,the shroud and the rachet system. The one I am looking for is just two two circular 2 inch thick stones with a central pivot made of hardwood. The top stone is rotated by hand and grinds the grain between them.  

It seems very simple but the website showed hot to make the centeral pivot and how to get get the face of the stones slightly concave and how to face(groove) them.

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## Beo

Not quite what you are looking for but kinda close, it does have adjustable rollers though.

http://oz.craftbrewer.org/Library/Ge...s/Gsmill.shtml

http://www.intothefray.org/brew/grainmill.htm

Now this one (below) looks like what you want he just uses it for beer making. Even has the plans.
http://brewery.org/brewery/library/woodmill.html

Last one I found is a little different but traditional, but also costly.
http://www.preparedplanet.com/Grain%20Mills.html

Hope it helps a little.
By the way this is a pretty cool site for people with money... lol
http://www.preparedplanet.com/index.html

Beo,

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## nell67

plans for one using stones instead of cement

http://www.cd3wd.com/CD3WD_40/VITA/F...N/FLOURMIL.HTM

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## Hillmann

The Mill I am looking for is simular to the one in the first picture at the top of this page

http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/ar...ns-grain-mill/

Except the one I am looking for is cement and maby 12" in diameter and 6" to 8" tall.

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## Rick

That looks very much like a scaled down version of a water driven grain mill. The only differences, apparently. are the size and the power source. That should be fairly easy to make. I actually think you are looking for a Quern or Quern stones. 

Do you have the stones or are you making them as well? I know you said concrete but I didn't know if you have to form them or if you already have them. See if this is what you have in mind? 

http://www.robinthewood.co.uk/Querns...ll-Stones.html

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## Hillmann

Thank you rick, once I knew the ame of what I was looking for the website showed up on the first page of the search results.  As far as the stones I plan to cast them. The reason I didn't just build one how I thought it should be built is because the top stone needs to be slightley concave to get flour with only a couple of passes through the machine, and I had no idea how much of a concave to put into it or even how do do it evanley.

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## Hillmann

Oh, here is the website

http://www.engr.psu.edu/mtah/projects/build_quern.htm

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## Rick

The bottom stone is actually the quern stone. The top stone is a hand stone since that's the one that you turn. The indigenous folks used another method of grinding called a mano and matate. The mano is the hand stone and the metate is what the flower sits on. Here is a picture of a little more sophisticated set up. 

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Here is a picture of an early and much cruder instrument. 

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Your Quern will be much more efficient and produce more grain. 

I'd like to see pictures as you progress through the build. This is a great thread!! Thanks for the post!!

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## your_comforting_company

I also would like to keep following this thread. I found a metate when I was out looking for source chert for knapping and I have several manos passed along from friends.
Keep us posted, this is a very good discussion. Thanks for the info!!

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## Beo

Hillmann,
Congraats on finding the post, keep us informed on your progress please.
Rick, that one looks a lot like the type the Native American used. In fact the woman in the pic looks Native American or South American. Like that one alot though.
Beo,

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## Rick

Indigenous, native. Tomato, tomahto.

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## Hillmann

I won't get started on it untill after christmass due to work and deer hunting.

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