I also would like to know about grinding buckwheat to make flour for buckwheat pancakes - what mixture would I use like how many parts buckwheat flour to regular whole wheat flour??? or white flour? Thanks I appreciate the info.

I make a really good buckwheat pancake batter by using half buckwheat flour and half all -purpose. My recipe:

Master mix (good for pancakes and biscuits - it's a staple in my kitchen)
9 cups flour
1/3 cup baking powder
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
Sift this mixture three times, yes 3!
Work in 2 cups shortening (like Crisco) with a pastry blender until the mixture is coarse and no big lumps.
I like to not have to worry about the milk supply, so I add 1 cup powdered milk to the mix before the shortening. It's too coarse to go through the sifter.

Add water and an egg for pancakes, just water for biscuits. Really good

Well I thought about this and realized that if I make a 170mm hand crank separate from the grinder that will turn a small pulley to go to a larger one on the grinder unit, that I can increase the ease of cranking with out increasing the torque any more than what a strong man will produce by turning their large diameter crank arm. And it will spin no faster even though I will be cranking faster with a lighter touch.

The question is: what gear ratios to use??? I'm thinking a 3" that goes up to a 6" or 8" inch pulley. Keep in mind that I don't want to increase the torque by much.

I think the manufacturer's/vendor's concern regarding the adaptation of modified drive mechanisms has to do with the reduction in human fatigue. As the mill will last many years if it is only used to the degree someone is willing to crank it by hand. If the mill is motorized or connected to a bicycle or something similar, the mill will probably wear our earlier.

Lateral force applied to the input shaft may also result in premature wearing of the bearing on one side if too much tension is applied to the belt. Of if there is a lack of lubrication.

The speed reduction can also be accomplished with a bicycle chain/sprockets or gears.

On my mill, which is a Diamant, I'm using an electric motor. The mill is turning at the manufacturers recommended speed. By using a small enough pulley mounted on the motor, the belt speed is reduced to the point where the mill is turning at the correct speed.

I also disassembled the mill, drilled, taped and mounted oil cups to allow the oiling of the bearing surfaces of the mill. Small diameter holes alone would also work. I have an oil can filled with vegetable oil and I oil the mill every time I use it. As the bearing contact surfaces are riding on this film of oil, the mill will last many years, even though it is motorized. The bearings on this mill are pressed-in sleeve bearings, they can easily be replaced, however I doubt if this will ever have to be done. So, because I exceeded the design specifications of the bearings by motorizing the mill which applies a lateral load on the bearings, I compensated for this by providing a method of lubrication to the critical wear points.

As for speed, this needs to match what the mill is designed for. To calculate, first divide the diameter of the driven pully (mounted on the mill) into the diameter of the drive pully (mounted on the hand crank). This will tell you the ratio. Draw a sketch, it will help.

Example: a 6 inch diameter drive pully (at the hand crank) turning a 12 inch diameter driven pully (at the mill) will reduce the speed of the driven pully (at the mill) in half. 6 inch divided by 12 inch equals 0.5 So, if the input speed at the mill needs to be 80 rpm, the hand crank pully would need to turn 160 rpm (revelutions per minute) double the speed. 160 rpm divided by 60 seconds per minute equals 2.6 turns per second.

The benefit to all of this is that your torque at the input side (where you are cranking) will be cut in half from that needed at the mill, however your rpms (revelations per minute) will be double. Of course there is a little added torque due to the friction inherent in your belt and pully setup. This configuration is generally referred to as a "jack-shaft". Something to think about would be to have your crank arm adjustable. The distance,(radius) from the center of the shaft to the center of the crank handle. Ergonomically, this will allow for the adjustability of the crank location and will be a great benefit to you.

As grinding our own grain is a step toward personal empowerment, I will help whomever asks. You can email me at Paulemorneault@yahoo.com and I will do what I can to assist.

I was taught how to cook quinoa by a Peruvian lady (where the grain is a staple food). She said not to cook the quinoa covered or it might be bitter.

So I always cook it uncovered and it's never bitter. Of course, for all I know, it might not be bitter if it is cooked covered. Cooks up fine without a cover on it, though.