| The Country Living Grain Mill
Motorizing Your Country Living Grain Mill
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For the putterers among us, you can motorize your Country Living Mill in several different ways, four of which are shown below... | Caution: Full Liability And Responsibility For Complying To All Federal, State and Local Safety Standards Is Assumed By Any Person Or Persons Who Modify Or Motorize The Country Living Mill In Any Way.
Motorized mills should be operated by adults only. The below schematics are merely suggestions that may help you achieve a lower R.P. M. for cooler grinding if you choose not to grind by hand.
Note: All belts and pulleys not driven by hand should be enclosed.
Motorizing your Country Living Mill invalidates the warranty. However, correctly done, a motorized Country Living Mill should still last for many years under normal use before the bearings or burrs wear out. | | | Purchasing our Mororization Kit is the easiest way to motorize your Country Living Mill. It has a German made, gear reduction motor attached to a birch base. It also comes with a guard to hide the pulley wheels and belt. All you have to do is bolt your Country Living Mill to the mount, attach the belt and belt guard and it's ready to go. Just like the Country Living Mill, the motorization kit is built to last for many years. With this kit, your mill turns at about 50 rpm and should insure a really cool grind for all your flours. As the motorization kit is rather expensive, Country Living Productions also offers the three following methods to motorize the mill at home using locally procured materials. | | | | 
| Vertical Installation A. Always remove handle when motorizing your mill.
B. Country Living Grain Mill
C. Note: Belts and pulleys should be enclosed for safety reasons.
D. Size A or 4L V-belt 1/2" wide X 5/16" thick.
E. 5/8" keyed shaft.
F. 6" pulley
G. 3" pulley
H. Pivot
I. 2 ea. 5/8" pillow block bearings
J. 2" pulley
K. Pivot
L. 1750 RPM washer or drier motor
M. Weight of motor will keep belts tight. |
| Horizontal Installation
 | | A. Country Living Mill
B. 3" Pulley
C. Size A or 4L V-belt 1/2" wide X 5/16" thick
D. 5/8" pillow block bearings
E. 6" Pulley
F. 5/8" Keyed Shaft
G. 2" Pulley
H. 1750 RPM washer or dryer motor | | The following formula will allow you to compute the pulley size needed to achieve a specific RPM: Driven Pulley size X Speed of Driven Pulley Divided by Speed of Driving Pulley = Size of Driving Pulley | | | | | | | 
| The Easiest Method -
Get a Slow Turning 1150 RPM Motor And Forget About The Intermediate Gear Reduction. | | A. Always remove handle when motorizing your mill.
B. The Country Living Mill
C. Size A or 4L V-belt 1/2" wide X 5/16" thick. Belts and pulleys should be enclosed for safety reasons.
D. The Motor. Must be a 1150 RPM slow turning motor, at least 1/3 HP. If you get slots in the motor mounts, this will make it a lot easier to get the correct tension on the belt during installation.
E. Motor Pulley: 1-1/2" diameter.
F. Slidable mounting block for setting the belt tension. You can skip this if you got a motor with slots in the mounts. | |
Comments: Your Country Living Mill should not turn faster than 120 RPM. Using a 1150 RPM motor with a 1-1/2" pulley on the motor should turn your Country Living Mill at 115-120 RPM. A 1/3 HP motor designed to turn at 1150 RPM will cost a little more - about $20 more or about $165.00. In my opinion, for the headaches this would save you, it's well worth the extra money, especially if you need to buy a motor anyway. | | | For those of you who already have a faster turning 1750 RPM motor from an old washing machine, dryer or furnace, the two following installations with intermediate reduction might be just what you are looking for. Desired maximum Country Living Mill RPM: 120. | The Country Living Grain Mill
Connecting Your Mill To An Exercise Bike
| Country Living
Productions Inc.
Dear Friend:
Unfortunately, since there is such a huge variety of exercycles on the market, I don't have any specific plans to hook an exercycle up to the grain mill. There is no standard pulley for the exercycle hub that I can recommend because most of the exercycle brands have different flywheels and hubs. The exercycle (AVITA made in Redmond, Washington) that I have hooked up to my Country Living mill has been off the market for at least 15 years. I actually took my exercycle flywheel to a machinist and had him mill a pulley to fit the hub. It cost me $40 but I have been using it for almost 20 years now, so it has been well worth it. I suggest that you look for an exercycle with a cast iron flywheel and enough space between the frame and the flywheel to allow you to bring a V-belt out from the hub. I saw an exercycle in a thrift store a while ago for $8.50 (cheap). I guarantee that if you are patient and look around you can find a very nice but inexpensive cycle that will serve you well. For the best ratio, it would be nice to put a three or four inch pulley on the exercycle's flywheel hub. An off-the-shelf pulley might work for you. You will have to drill holes through the pulley and match them to holes drilled in the cast- iron flywheel. Self-tapping metal screws will hold the pulley to the flywheel of the exercycle. Some people have used a strong epoxy to bond the pulley on. Someone suggested J. B. Weld - I haven't tried it, so I can't assure you of success. Trouble is, all hubs are not created equal, so you may have to have a machinist machine a pulley to fit the hub of the cycle that you decide to get. Another alternative is to run your V-belt around the outside diameter of the exercycle flywheel. The ratio isn't efficient, but I know several folks who have done just that and they seem satisfied. I wish you well, Jack Jenkins
Country Living Productions | The Country Living Grain Mill
History Behind The Country Living Mill
|  Breaking Out of the Stone Age
by Jack Jenkins
A bad experience with an electric grain grinder started me on an education process that has lasted well over a decade, and is still going on. Here are a few of the things I've learned about grinding plates for grain mills: 1) An internationally respected research institute dedicated to upgrading food production and resources for third world countries extensively researched the effectiveness and viability of grain mills with both stone plates and those with iron and steel. Their recommendation, without reservations, iron or steel over stone! Why? Primarily because of the grit and particulates left behind by some grinding plates. I saw numerous pictures of skulls, both old world and new world, with the teeth worn completely away. Researchers say the total destruction of the teeth was the result of eating stone ground grains. 2) A variety of stones have been used as grinding surfaces for grain and food mills - often whatever stone has been available has been the "stone of choice". I have even seen sandstone grinding plates. Unfortunately, for the millions of molars that have masticated stone-ground flour over the centuries, particulates break away from the grinding surface quite easily. Also, Mother Nature is not always consistent in the stone-making department and she doesn't discriminate against such things as lead and arsenic seeping through the ground water or existing in the stone itself. 3) My next step in searching for the perfect grain-grinding surface led me to a major manufacturer of stone grinding wheels. "What are man made stones manufactured from?," I asked. "Aluminum Oxide plus binders", was the answer. Aluminum has long been linked to a woeful list of ailments - dreaded Alzheimer's is the latest. Ingesting aluminum in powdered form in your bread and pancakes is about as smart as eating slug bait for breakfast. Yet I and thousands of others have done just that because of the misinformation that's rife in grain grinding lore. 4) The coolness of the grind is often dependent on at least two factors: a) How efficiently the grinding surface works
b) The speed of the mill A superior design means a cooler grind. The quest for a superior grinding plate has been neither easy nor inexpensive. When I started manufacturing the Country Living Grain Mill we used a cast iron plate made from sand castings. They worked, but there was not enough control over every aspect of the grinding plate. So recently we decided to spend thousands of dollars more on an injection die that would allow us to create individual wax patterns for each set of plates. For many centuries, artisans of fine (and very expensive) sculptings have used this "Lost Wax" process for reproducing their masterpieces. This state of the art "investment" casting method is so accurate that it could reproduce even a fingerprint if necessary. So, just like the great sculptors who have captured their timeless and priceless creations in metal over the centuries, each set of Country Living high-carbon steel grinding plates is formed using a refined version of the ancient time-proven lost wax process. Each plate has its own wax model which is coated with a colloidal silica slurry. Then, it's put into an autoclave (an oven using both heat and pressure). This, of course, melts the wax (Lost Wax) leaving only the shell. This shell, because of the heat and pressure, turns it into an extra ordinarily tough monolithic structure. Finally, 3,000 degree molten high-carbon steel is poured into the shells. Once cooled and hardened, the plates must be machined to assure complete flatness. No other grinding plates in the world go through more exhaustive processes than the plates for your Country Living Mill. Fine - Tough - Long Lasting - High-Carbon Steel: Country Living Grinding Plates. Jack Jenkins
Country Living Productions The Country Living Mill - Built Smart for Tough Times. | The Country Living Grain Mill
Owner's Manual
| WARRANTY:
This warranty is a Limited Warranty as defined in the Consumer Product Warranty and the Federal Trade Commission Improvement Act. It gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights that vary from state to state. LENGTH: Country Living Products warrants this Country Living Grain Mill to be free from defects in material and workmanship under NORMAL USE and conditions for a period of twenty (20) years which includes all parts, excluding the finish. The grinding plates are warranted for a period of one (1) year from the original date of purchase. This warranty is voided during this period if the mill is used in any way other than recommended, is motorized, or used commercially. REGISTRATION: The Warranty Registration Card must be completed and mailed to Country Living Products, 14727 56th Ave. NW, Stanwood, Washington 98292, within fifteen (15) days from the date of purchase. This proof of purchase, along with purchase date, must be on file when requesting warranty service. WARRANTY CLAIMS: You must receive verbal or written authorization from Country Living Products to return the mill, plates, or any defective part. This can be obtained by writing or calling us at the address or phone number included with these instructions. Returned mills or mill parts must be shipped freight prepaid to an authorized service center specified by Country Living Products. The return shipping cost to the consumer will be the responsibility of Country Living Products. SHIPPING DAMAGE: Damage due to shipping should be reported immediately to the carrier. Damage caused in shipping is not the responsibility of Country Living Products. SERVICE: The company will repair or, at its discretion, replace the Grain Mill or mill parts free of charge if, in the opinion of the company or its authorized agents, it has been proven the problem was related to defective parts or an error in workmanship within the warranty period. LIMITATIONS: The warranty is void if the product is used for any other purpose than that for which it is designed or intended. The product must not be altered, repaired or serviced by anyone other than the company or an authorized service center. The product must not have been subject to accident in transit or, while in the customer's possession, misused, abused or operated contrary to the instructions contained in the instruction manual. This includes failure caused by neglect, commercial use and Acts of God. This warranty is not transferrable and applies only to United States and Canadian sales. EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES: Except to the extent prohibited by law, no other warranties whether expressed or implied, including warranty merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, shall apply to this product. Under no circumstances shall Country Living Products be liable for consequential damages sustained in connection with said product and Country Living Products neither assumes nor authorizes any representative or other person to assume for it any obligation or liability other than such as is expressly set forth. This warranty covers only the Country Living Grain Mill and its specific parts, not the food or other products processed in it. | 
| Instructions: | CAUTIONS: | � DO NOT operate the mill without grain in the hopper.
� DO NOT get excessive moisture on plates or bearings.
� EXCESSIVE WEAR will occur if plates are run tight against each other without grain.
� For flour, use only hard, dry beans or grains. Moist or soft beans or grains will cause clogging. When using moist beans or grains, back off the adjustment knob. A coarse grind will produce grits and is less likely to clog.
� A mixture of flour AND cracked grains is to be expected on coarser grinds.
� Always remove wooden handle from flywheel before motorizing mill.
� Full liability and responsibility for complying to all Federal, State, and Local Safety Standards is assumed by any person or persons who modify or motorize the Country Living Grain Mill in any way. Motorized mills should be operated by adults only. Note: All belts and pulleys not driven by hand should be enclosed for safety. | | ASSEMBLY: | Your mill is packed in a partially assembled state. It will be necessary to finish assembly before attempting to process any grains. A drawing is provided to clarify part description and location. Remove the mill housing and set it upright on a stable work surface. Be careful not to let the rotating plate fall from the shaft. If it does, however, simply check to make sure the front key is in position and slip the plate back on the shaft, with the slot in the plate fitting over the key. The adjusting knob is threaded and spins onto the shaft easily to hold the rotating plate in place. The flywheel is packed in the bottom of the box. It locates by means of the rear key pressed into the shaft and should be installed by slipping it on the shaft protruding from the rear of the mill. Hold the flywheel in place by tightening the set screw in the hub with the hex wrench provided. The shaft should not protrude past the flywheel. The handle assembly threads into the hole located in the outside edge of the flywheel until it stops. It can then be held in place by tightening the nut against the flywheel with a 9/16" wrench (not provided). The wood handle should spin freely on the bolt after installation. If it does not, loosen the nut and back the bolt away from the flywheel 1/4 turn, then re-tighten the nut against the wheel. CAUTION: if the handle is too loose, it may pinch skin during use. Your mill is now ready for operation. Please refer to this manual for full operation instructions. | | MOUNTING: | The mill must be securely mounted to a solid base (table, counter, large board) before attempting to operate. The mill base is pre-drilled to be easily bolted or lagged to a surface permanently. An alternative would be to clamp the mill to a solid work surface. If you utilize this procedure, the mill base should be protected against possible damage to the finish. This can be done by putting something between the clamp and the mill base. The mill should be mounted at a height that is comfortable to the user. We found that if the center of the flywheel is located about waist height, we seem to gain the best leverage. | | OPERATION: | We grind wheat in every mill after assembly in order to test and adjust the grinding plates. We begin by tightening the adjustment knob until the plates are rubbing all the way around, then we pour in the grain and grind. It is much easier to begin at a finer setting and adjust out to a coarser setting. This adjustment procedure should be followed anytime the plates have been opened up or removed. If the flour produced from this setting is not the consistency desired, it can be varied by the adjusting knob on the front of the mill. Tightening the knob will produce a finer grind; loosening it will produce a coarse grind or "crack" grain for cereals. Most adjustments should require only a slight turn of the knob. After each small adjustment, turn the fly- wheel 2 to 3 times and check the product for desired consistency. The amount of effort required to turn the flywheel will increase as the knob is tightened. IT SHOULD NEVER INCREASE TO THE POINT THAT THE FLYWHEEL CANNOT BE TURNED AT ALL, OR REQUIRES EXCESSIVE EFFORT. DAMAGE MAY OCCUR AFFECTING THE GRINDING ABILITY OF THE PLATES. RELEASE TENSION BY BACKING OFF ON THE ADJUSTING KNOB. NOTE: We found that after tightening the knob to achieve the grind desired, we can often back it off a little to relieve the effort required to turn the flywheel and still retain the grade of flour we wanted! | | CLEANING: | The mill is easily disassembled for cleaning by removing the adjusting knob and sliding the front plate off the shaft. BE CAREFUL not to lose the small square key that prevents the plate from spinning on the shaft. Removal of these parts allows access to the cutting surfaces of the plates. Use a small brush to clean out excess flour from corners and surfaces. On rare occasions it may be necessary to remove and wash the grinding plates. Use the wrench provided with the mill to remove the screws holding the stationary plate to the housing. The plate may now be separated from its mounting surface for thorough cleaning. If the plates are washed, they should be dried immediately to prevent rust. Before replacing the stationary plate, make sure that the mounting surfaces are clean and free from any foreign matter. The plate is designed to locate in one position only, so make sure that all the mounting holes line up before reinstalling. The mill housing is not designed to be submerged during cleaning. A slightly damp cloth should suffice for cleaning the housing and its parts. If any parts of the shaft or bearings get wet, they should be dried immediately to prevent damage. | | MOTORIZATION: | Your grain mill is designed to be easily motorized. The flywheel is grooved for use with a standard "V" belt. We recommend using at least a 1/3 HP motor rated at 1,150 RPM and equipped with a 1-1/2" pulley. This ratio will produce about 115 to 120 RPM at the flywheel. Other motors may be used, but they will need to be geared so that the RPM at the flywheel does not exceed 120 RPM. The motor and the mill should be securely fastened to a substantial surface. The mill handle MUST be removed before motorized operation. NEVER ALLOW THE MILL TO OPERATE WITHOUT GRAIN BEING PROCESSED!! Belt size may be determined by the distance the motor is mounted from the mill. Belt tension should not be excessive or bearing damage may occur. Note: Due to the many variables introduced during motorization, the warranty is void if the mill is motorized. CAUTION: Full liability and responsibility for complying to all Federal, State, and Local Safety Standards is assumed by any person or persons who modify or motorize the Country Living Grain Mill in any way. Motorized mills should be operated by adults only. Note: All belts and pulleys not driven by hand should be enclosed for safety. |
Wheat and Grain Storage: Choose dark, hard winter or spring wheat with a 12% or higher protein content. It should be clean and high grade. The moisture content should be 10% or less. This low moisture content aids in limiting insect contamination. Insects cannot reproduce in wheat with very low moisture content. If you are going to store wheat for long periods, make certain you take precautions to eliminate possible contamination. Contact you local agriculture extension office concerning long term wheat storage in your area. To store wheat, metal containers have proven to be the most efficient. Do not store the containers of wheat directly on a cement or dirt floor. Instead, place the containers on wood pallets or on shelves. This will aid in eliminating a rusting can which could affect the quality of your wheat. Wheat will keep indefinitely if stored properly. Make certain the wheat remains dry. The most successful storage comes from rotating the supply of wheat, using the older wheat before using newer wheat. We would like to caution you when buying wheat to make certain the wheat is dry and has the proper protein quotient. As with all things, be a cautious shopper. If you are conscientious enough to grind you own flour, then go the extra measure and be certain the grains you are purchasing are the best grains available. Manufactured by: Country Living Products | |
The Country Living Mill is solid I-beam construction from cast aircraft aluminum, double industrial sealed bearings, stainless steel shaft, and carbon steel grinding plates come together to make a rugged and durable mill, which is backed with a lifetime warranty. Each mill, before leaving the factory, is tested by grinding some wheat to ensure that it is functioning properly. If you are gluten intolerant you would need to request a different grain in testing. 
