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Rodale Press's Research and Development folks have devised 4 homesteadl-scale thresher, which has been used at the New Or- c Gardening Experimental Farm to thresh crops ranging from Rodale Thresher soybeans to amaranth. ‘The machine is not fully refined, s0 a certain amouct of hand-winnowing may be necessary. But it is an inexpeo- sive alternative to Uhe sophisticated and expensive seed Lhreshers and deauers ou the market. Te will separate most any cereal crop into seed and straw and can be operated by only one ar two people, Different pulley sizes fet you alter the threshing speed as best suits each cxop, Materials: 2a x8! sheets of 34 exterior plywood ——o: 2 sides (see diagratn) Lpe 12" x18" 1 pe. 12" x34 1 pe. 12" x21" 1 pe 118g" 5" 1" Tength of 6" steel pipe ¥%¢" steel places 2 pe. 5x 25GH A pe. 107x13" 4 pillac blocks for 9% shaft 1414! length of #6130 54,” steel coil chain 26 sets, 3 links each, 614" long 2-444! steel shafts misc. #10 wood screws Bg" 06 9" hex bolls and ris 11 horsepower motor with step sheaves 24" patleys 1-4" pulley 1-8" putiey GConsernetion: Cat all the plywood parts for the theesker body as indicated on the matetials list, “The sides are formed as shown, and each must fave a 744-inch-wide cutout for the autor and two LK inch holes for the fail shafts. Pasten the parts together with 2-iuch #LO screws, To make the fieil shafts, cat the L434 feel of chain into 26 threeink sets, Weld the cuts shut and mous the middle chain link on the steel bars. Atrauge tbe threc-link sets so they fe snagly fa- gether at 90° angles to the link next ¢o them, Now weld them co the shaft. Once 13 links have been fixed to cach steel shaft, then secure the shafts ic place with pillar blocks, bolting them to the side of the theeshie. The next job can he done with a hacksaw but if you have access to an oxyacetylene torch, use it, Divide the 1-foot-long MOTOR Mounr, BOLTS: a 13" ma 34)" ADJUSTMENT GROOVES Small-S ie Gras Redsing G-inch steel pipe into quarters lengthwise, ‘then cat sapporting plates from scrap steel with grooves for w sliding adjustment, as shows. Weld the steel sspports to each pipe section and mannt them below the cylinders so that the spinsiing chain links just miss the pipe busin, The motor mounting plate will have to be adapted ta your patticular motor put yor can use this illustration as a guide. You may select pulley (sheave) sizes to fit your purpose. To make ouss adaptable, we used a four-inch step sheave on the motor, a six-inch step sheave on one cylinder end and an cight-inch sheave on the other cylinder end, On the side opposite the motor, install two identical pulleys of uny size; we used four-inuk ones Run a V-belt atound the so that the shafts tern in unison, Attach the motor to the mounting plate with four bolts. Hoist the motor into a good cealtal position so that any change you may want to make is only a vestical one. Now bolt the mounting plate to the side of the thresher and adjust the height according to the V-belt fitting. Operation: You'll need a seteen of appropiate size for each different grain you want to theesh, Make a Erame one foot wide and anywhere from three feet to five Leet Long to fit in right below the second concave. Beaten grain and straw will dy from the cylinders onto the screen, The smaller, heavier grain will fall, sehile the steaw is blown on through, You may find it a help lo brush the straw against the screen to help separate the seed. Two people are better than one for this job. We found that the thresher worked better at a slow specd For larger items, like soybeans, and at fast speeds for the small items, You can be your own judge here, ution! Be sure to keep yout hands away from the grinding chamber, Uf you are allergic to dust, you may want to enclose the thteshing chamber better,