The American made Country Living Mill is without a doubt the most rugged manual grinder on the market today. The company states that it is the only grinder, of which they are aware, that utilizes two industrial-grade ball-bearings. Other comparable grinders that cost around $200.00 more than the Country Living mill use brass bushings.

Many grinders use only one large bushing, but the Country Living Mill has two sealed ball bearings spaced apart* which increases the stability of the drive shaft and reduces bearing strain.

The photo to the right shows what the grinder looks like when the threaded adjustment knob, the rotating burr, the drive key and grain auger have been removed. The grinder must be broken down to this point to install the bean and corn auger. If you wished, you could now pull the drive shaft out of the mill from the crank side. You can see that this grinder is amazingly easy to take apart and clean.

The Keys:
If you are using the large auger, there are three keys that must be installed for the grinder to operate. The standard auger set-up only requires two keys. The purpose of the keys are to lock the different rotating parts of the grinder to the drive shaft so they all turn as one unit. There's a key locking the pulley wheel to the drive shaft, another to lock the bean and corn auger to the drive shaft, and on the end of the grinder a third key to lock the rotating burr of the grinder to the drive shaft. The keys are quite small and are easily lost. When taking the grinder apart, be mindful of the keys. Before any disassembly, clean your work area. More than one key has been lost in a bowl of wheat or flour. This is especially true for those who do not know to keep an 'eye out', as the key can quite unnoticeably fall out of the groove in the drive shaft during disassembly, then get lost in whatever floury mess you have at the base of the grinder. For many folks, the first indication there's something wrong is when they reassemble their grinder, and the rotating burr doesn't turn when they crank the handle. By this time, the key may very well be long gone. Be careful with the keys. The grinder won't work without them.

Parts of the Country Living Mill Grinding MechanismA. The Fixed Burr or Plate. Held into position by three screws.
B. The Rotating Burr or Plate
C. The Threaded Coarseness Adjustment Knob
D. The Grain Auger
E. The Key
F. Three or Four Washers.

Steps To Installation

1. Install the stationary plate or burr with the three screws. This requires a 5/32 Allen wrench. Don't tighten them too tightly. Snug is enough- as the housing is made out of aluminum.

2. Slide one or two washers over the stainless steel shaft so that they touch the inside bearing. (See the illustration at right). If you have difficulty putting the short key (E) into place in step 4, remove one of these washers.
3. Slide the grain auger spring over the drive shaft and push it into the feed housing until it bottoms out at the end.

4) Install the drive key into the slot of the drive shaft. (See photo above)

5. Slide the rotating burr onto the drive shaft ensuring the key way on the burr slides over the key in the groove of the shaft.

6. Install 2 washers on the shaft.

7. Screw the threaded coarseness adjustment knob onto the drive shaft and screw it down until the two burrs are almost touching.

8. For complete operating instructions, see the owner's manual. After you've done it once you'll realize that this isn't too difficult. It isn't necessary to take the grinder apart and clean it after every use. A little flour residue in the feed chamber and between the plates isn't going to hurt a thing, especially if you are frequently grinding grain.

Extra Grinding Plates: On average, they should last 3-4 years with normal milling. #GMGP $105.00

Corn and Bean Auger: Grind corn and coffee beans. Stainless steel.

#GMA $36.00

Power Bar: Easily attaches for reduced grinding time by 40%

#GMPB $25.00

Clear Plastic Hopper with Lid: 8 cup capacity to store flour.

#GMSB $24.95

Repair Kit: Don't be without this in case of emergency break downs! Includes: 2 replacement bearings, proper size bolt, nut, 2 custom-cut washers to match bearings while pressing, 12 standard washers, stainless steel spring auger, snap ring, 2 long keys, and 2 short keys. (and instructions).

#GMRK $29.95

Pulleys: For homebuilding motors. 5/8 inch. Fits on motor shafts.

#GMP $14.95

Motor: Baldor GCP 250-60 1/9 Horsepower Reduced Gear

This is the exact same motor which they use on the Country Living motorization kits, and it is already geared down to run your Country Living grain mill at its recommended speed, so the do-it-yourselfer won't have to mess with intermediate pulleys. The suggested retail on this motor is $359.00, which is the cost of our full motorization kit, but because they buy in bulk we are able to offer this motor much less expensively.

Baldor Motor- $270.00

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