Portable Pedal Powered Nut Grinding Machine

Beyond Bicycles

2010-04-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here is me and Kev Dogg taking some photos to be displayed at the Beyond Bicycles Art Show in Oakland California. There is also an e-zine being created about the projects, found here. The show features human-powered machines, bicycle-based inventions, and interactive kinetic sculpture. The photos are courtesy of Duncan Marsh, thanks for all the help Duncan.

NEW LABEL (again)

2010-02-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

In order to get the food processing license I had to make a new label that included my address and ingredients and the fluid oz info. The ingredients section was a cinch.

Grinding Session

2010-01-30T11:24:00.001-08:00

This is how the grinder gets to where she is going. Horsepower

I woke up early Thursday to get my grind on. Right now I'm discovering what size jars I should purchase so that I can at least break even in profits. I figured out that 1 pound of nuts grinds down to about two 9 Oz jars. I have yet to discover a direct source for nuts, but as long as i keep grinding, start selling, and continue to talk to people about the Machine, I know it is only a matter of time for for some hazelnut orchards to turn up in and around Olympia.

This action shot shows the burr plates spinning and churning some fresh butter.
"If only you could capture the smell in these pictures" -Kevin Marl, photographer and historian extraordinaire.

There is the coveted nut butter. These pictures show me grinding on my back porch, but I will be producing the butter I will sell in the Olympia Community Kitchen, so that i can receive my food processing business license.

The hopper and some toasted nuts.

Finished product. I was sadly informed this week that the Olympia Farmer's Market is not accepting applications for any new food processing vendors this year. Unfortunately profits were down last year, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for next year and sell my product on the street for the time being. I'm also going to look into selling it at the Olympia Food Co-op and at The Flaming Eggplant Cafe.

My home and the dream machine.

The Machine at the Evergreen Bike Shop

2010-01-28T11:48:00.000-08:00

History of the Hazelnut In the USA

2010-01-28T07:49:00.000-08:00

The first tree planted in 1858 in Oregon's Umpqua Valley by an English sailor, Sam Strictland. The tree grew and thrived.

About twenty years later, a Frenchman, David Gernot, sent to France for seeds of the thin-shell variety. Fifty trees produced from these seeds were planted in the Willamette Valley along a fence row, as was the practice in the Old Country. There they thrived with little attention, providing food for the family and surrounding wildlife.

Around 1885 Felix Gillet, a French horticulturist, introduced the Barcelona variety. With a short growth time of only six years to commercial production and a productive life of up to forty years, Hazelnuts became a viable crop in the Pacific Northwest. The first tree planted in the Umpqua Valley of Oregon is still standing.

Barcelona variety is extensively grown today in the western United States and Canada. Oregon produces between 98 and 99 percent of the total U.S. Hazelnut crop. The cool summers, gentle winters, rainfall, and rich soil produce Hazelnuts that are prized worldwide for their large size and quality.

The shell is smooth and round, like a Roman helmet. Each shell holds a plump, sweet kernel. It is related to the Filbert. "Filbert" is thought by some historians to have originated from the Old English name, "full beard," because of the long husk that entirely covers the nut in some varieties. Others thought the name was derived from St. Philibert; August 22, the day dedicated to him, corresponds to the time, in England, of the ripening of the earliest filberts. The bushes grow wild. They sometimes form fence rows and produced tiny nuts - hazelnuts.

At different times, this nut has been called the Cobb, the Cobb Nut, the Spanish Nut, the Pontic Nut, and the Lombard.

Found all of this on www.thenutfactory.com

Pictures of the Machine!

2009-11-30T10:37:00.001-08:00

I have had a particularly long hiatus posting images of the machine, but not to fret, I have been busy.

New Label Complete!!

2009-11-24T18:06:00.000-08:00

I know it has been some time, but the machine and nut butter business has been developing slowly due to my fierce schedule. Just this week I ordered the labels for the first jars of hazelnut butter. I will post pictures of the machine in action very soon!! Happy Thanksgiving

She Rolls!!

2009-07-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Just finished the rack tongue for the trailer. These are some great pics from the first day she ever rolled.

VROOOOOM

Mounting the bicycle freewheel on the grinder

2009-06-23T11:58:00.001-07:00

In order to attach the chain and cranks to the drive shaft of the grinder I had to machine a piece of metal that fit on to the drive shaft and threaded to a bicycle freewheel gear set. Using the Evergreen Machine Shop and the help of a fellow student and machining genius, Jimmy, I machined a piece of steel rod to fit on to the drive shaft and lock on with a key. This process involved using various tools, some of which I would like to highlight below.

Here is my ode to the dial calipers. This instrument is for measuring and it is more precise than I ever thought I would need. However, when machining parts, precision is like popeye's canned spinach.
This is a lathe. This machine really opened my eyes to the possibilities of machining. It also made me realize how extremely dangerous it is. Luckily, Jimmy was there to make sure I didn't mangle myself.
Here is a picture of the lathe taking a cut while I was machining the threads.

Here is what the grinder looks like with the gears mounted on the drive shaft.

The Frame

2009-06-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the frame. It is about 90% complete!

The Grinder finally arrived!!

2009-06-04T10:16:00.001-07:00

TA DAAAA Here she is, the Omega VI grinder from Compatible Technology International. Now that the grinder is here I can estimate the width of the machine and make all the final welds!!!

Welding

2009-06-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

We are in the final week of the Spring quarter here at Evergreen and I'm scrambling to finish the frame of the machine The following pictures show the Metal Shop, Welding, and some tools I have been using to build it.

This is the TIG (Tungston Inert Gas) torch. It holds the Tungston steel that acts as the electrode.

Here is a mill that I used to mill a track for the seat mount.

Here is a picture of me welding on the seat mount to the frame. (above and below)
Here is a picture of a pipe clamp. This little fella has been worth it's weight in gold. I've been cutting all of the tubes with a hack saw and coping them with files while holding the tubes with this clamp. Everybody constantly tells me that I could do it faster using a grinding wheel, but I enjoy the precision and the work out of doing it with my arms. Believe that.
This is a picture of the sand blaster. Those circular holes in the machine are where your hands stick in. It always reminds me of the beginning of the Simpsons where Homer is holding the plutonium.

Building The Frame

2009-05-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

Here are pics of the central frame that I have welded so far. You can see the bottom bracket shell (where the cranks attach) on the lower right side of the picture directly above.

Above you can see the central frame mounted on the two bike frames that are being used for the majority of structural support. Below is a side view of the same thing.
Below is a picture of the jig an I used to build the frame. This jig was constructed by a Metal Shop Aide, Thomas, who got his plans off of instructables.com. Thomas is also pictured below and I would like to put a special thank you out to Thomas, your help will be rewarded 10 fold in hazelnut butter!

Practicing

2009-05-20T15:22:00.000-07:00

To get some practice welding thin walled steel tubes I cut up old frames and practiced putting them back together. After cutting up and re-welding frames I started to get creative and make some sculptures. Here's a picture of a garden guardian I welded a few weeks ago. It is made out of a stiff mountain bike fork.

2009-05-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

I wrote a business venture plan to apply for a grant in the Dell Social Innovation Competition. If you are curious about the machine, check out the business plan.

Building the Model

2009-05-18T17:15:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of building the model at the Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland, Oregon. Thanks to Tyler's roomate kate, I was able to bring my invention from a 2 dimensional drawing to life. First we made two little model bike frames, you can see the shape of the frames in the cart pictures. Then we made a model man that was about the right size to ride the bikes and stuck 'em together. Thanks Kate!