GRAIN MILLING UNIT DESIGN ADOPTED
Is of the plate mill or burr mill type, and is incorporated on the cantilevered part of the layshaft. Grain is gravity fed from a hopper of some kind through a flexible tube to the mill, thus avoiding excessive bending and shearing of the layshaft. A torque arm, possibly assisted by a tension wire or string, prevents the mill body and the stator plate from rotating. The layshaft drives the rotating plate through a keyway and key, and milled grain comes out from the outer rim of the 2 plates, falling by gravity for collection below. The axial thrust required for effective milling is produced by tightening the nut and locknut at the end of the layshaft, while stopping the layshaft from rotating by means of a pipe wrench or a large spanner on a specially-created flat on the layshaft itself (such a flat is not shown in the drawings). The thrust is absorbed by the tapered roller bearing, which also locates the plate flanges radially. The mill is designed to utilise 'Hunts Minimill' hardened steel milling plates, which locate without bolting, and which produce a flour of acceptable fineness for human consumption; other types of plates may require minor design modifications, and therefore plate availability, fastening and sizing should be checked out before production of this module and these components.
Remove one or both plates from the machine when other tasks such as threshing are being done since running dry results in rapid plate wear. Undoing the nut and locknut at the end of the layshaft allows this plate removal.