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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

How to Make a Rice Mill Machine

Rice flour is a key ingredient to any number of gluten-free cakes and breads and other baked goods, but it may not always be easily available. If not or if you can't find the find grind you need, you may consider making it at home. Unfortunately, quality rice mills are often expensive, and cheap ones don't work as well. In that case, you should consider building your own rice mill, so you can easily and cheaply make your own rice flour at home.

Building The Roller
1

Cut a square 3/8-inch channel through the long center of the largest side of the 4-by-2 3/16-by-8 inch wood block. Use rough sandpaper on the channel's three sides.
2

Lay the steel rod in the channel so that it extends two inches out of the block on one side and six inches on the other. Seal it in place with the epoxy.
3

Glue and clamp the 4-by-1 13/16-by-8 wood block atop the first so they are flush together. The channel will be in the center and the steel rod still in place. Sand off any uneven ridges and excess glue that appears outside the seams.
4

Set the piece in a lathe after the glue is dry and round the edges and sides until the block is an even circle down its length. The circle's diameter should be no less than 3 1/2 inches.
5

Create a series of 1/8-inch deep grooves 1/8 inch apart down the length of the roller surface using a table router. These will allow the roller to grip the rice.
Assembling The Mill
1

Drill a hole through the center of both 14 1/2-by-11 inch sheets of wood four inches from the bottom edge and place bronze sleeve bearings in each hole. These will be the side walls for the rice mill. Set the roller through the bearings.
2

Attach the hand crank with epoxy to the long end of the steel rod that runs through the roller.
3

Place the 8-by-11-by-1 inch sheet of wood at an angle to the roller so that its bottom side almost touches the roller's edge. The sheet of wood should be at a 45-degree angle to the rice mill's base. Secure the sheet against the two side walls with two screws on each edge.
4

Screw the brass plate to the bottom edge of the 8-by-14-b- 2 inch sheet of wood.
5

Place the 8-by-14-b- 2 inch sheet of wood at an angle so that the brass plate passes and almost touches the edge of the roller. This is the surface against which the rice will be crushed into flour, so experiment with the distance and angle until the flour grind is what you want. The two sheets of wood above the roller should form a 90-degree angle that looks like a "V." When at the appropriate angle, secure the sheet of wood in place against the two walls with screws.

Cover all exposed wood except the roller with a coat of the water-based polyurethane and sand it smooth once the polyurethane is dry. This will allow you to easily and quickly clean the rice mill.

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