How to make an electric meat grinder with your own hands

Using a mechanical meat grinder can sometimes be quite challenging, particularly when it comes to grinding tougher cuts of meat. There are two possible solutions to this problem: purchasing an electric meat grinder or upgrading the current one. The latter option is much more intriguing as it allows you to achieve impressive results, such as obtaining high torque, which is often absent in many pre-made devices.

Many electric meat grinders often fail to live up to their claims of power and reliability.

On average, a manual meat grinder can be bought for around 1000 rubles. However, with some modifications, it can be used to not only grind meat, but also make pasta, cookies, and even extract juice from fruits and vegetables.

The most crucial feature of an electric meat grinder is its power. This determines both the speed of the device and the quality of the final product. For household use, a meat grinder with a motor power of 0.5-0.8 kW is recommended.

List of necessary parts

We will explore various options for meat grinder designs, which will require different components. An essential component is an electric motor (0.3-0.5 kW) and a used meat grinder.

It is also preferable to have metal profiles for the device’s frame. While wood can be used, wooden structures struggle to handle the vibrations that occur during the assembly process.

Instructions for making an electric meat grinder with your own hands

Method 1: Machine-type device

1 The frame of the future electric meat grinder can be constructed by welding a metal angle measuring 4.5 x 4.5 cm. The frame consists of four legs and crosspieces, with the first pair positioned at the top and the second pair positioned at the bottom.

2. A table top will be needed at the top, with an optimal thickness of approximately 30 cm. It would be best to use multiple boards to achieve this thickness.

3. The legs should be attached to the lintels using bolts.

Creating a DIY electric meat grinder with a belt drive is a great project.

Step 4: Connect the two bottom boards of the homemade tabletop, making sure to leave a small 3-4 centimeter gap for the drive belt.

Step 5: Remove the handle from the mechanical meat grinder and replace it with a small hub. Attach a pulley with a 20 centimeter diameter to the hub. A pulley from a car generator will work perfectly for this.

Step 6: To secure the appliance to the worktop, use the factory clamp as a locking device.

A pulley is used on the electric meat grinder when it is being used.

7. It is necessary to place a pulley on the shaft of the motor as well.

8. It is recommended to install a motor (ideally a three-phase motor).

9. A switch should be installed to control the start and stop of the device.

To ensure safety and to prevent contact with the belt, a plastic cover can be installed over the pulley.

The second way. Electric meat grinder-juicer

The juicer distinguishes itself from the electric meat grinder primarily in terms of torque, meaning that its rotational energy is harnessed for power rather than speed.

In order to achieve this, gearboxes are typically utilized – devices that are designed to decrease or increase the gear ratio. Assembling a gearbox on your own can be a challenging endeavor, but by adjusting the diameters of the pulleys, you can substantially enhance the torque.

A manual meat grinder is equipped with a large pulley which needs to be installed on the motor. The motor should be positioned on a horizontal surface and the smallest pulley, which has a diameter of 30-40 mm, should be placed on it. Instead of a regular mechanical handle, a large pulley, preferably four times the diameter of the motor shaft (10-15 cm), should be mounted on the meat grinder.

To secure the pulley, it should be clamped with a nut. Next, a belt needs to be placed on both pulleys, and the meat grinder should be moved as far away from the motor as possible in order to tension the belt as much as possible.

By using an average 0.5 kW motor, the rotational speed will be relatively low, around 150 rpm, but the torque will be significantly high.

Diagram of a high-speed electric meat grinder-juicer featuring a significantly larger pulley ratio. 1 – traditional manual meat grinder, 2 – compact pulley.

Features of the system

If the shape of the meat grinder shaft is not cylindrical but rather cone-shaped, there is a simple solution. You can insert a thin strip of metal, such as tin from a tin can, between the shaft and the pulley. This will prevent the belt from slipping and moving along the cone-shaped surface.

It is important to prevent the belt from moving in planes parallel to the shaft for two reasons:

• If the belt is not perfectly aligned, it can cause longitudinal vibrations and resonance, leading to potential damage or breakage of the belt.
• When the belt shifts on one or both sides, it results in energy losses due to friction and unnecessary work.

Don’t worry about heavy loads on the meat grinder. There is a belief that a meat grinder designed for 50-100 revolutions will begin to "fall apart" at 200 revolutions. This is not true: the design of mechanical meat grinders is very solid and much more durable than that of plastic electric ones.

Instead of using a belt as a drive mechanism, it is also possible to opt for a chain. However, it is important to note that installing a chain might lead to premature engine combustion and result in damage to the hub teeth.

Many skilled craftsmen prefer to add an extra gearbox between the second pulley and the meat grinder’s drill or directly connect the motor through it. This modification significantly enhances the power and efficiency of the device. However, it is worth mentioning that such modifications also increase the associated risks.

One of the potential risks is the possibility of the gearbox burning out if a solid object accidentally enters the meat grinder. In the case of using a belt, it will simply slip on the jammed pulley as a safety mechanism.

With this technology, an electric meat grinder can effortlessly grind not just meat, but also fruits and vegetables, including tough ones like zucchini. Homemade juicers and electric meat grinders deliver much more impressive results in terms of both speed and quality. The cleaning process for such a meat grinder is also very convenient, as it simply involves washing it like a regular manual meat grinder.

It’s important to note that modifying the meat grinder’s shaft is necessary in order to install the knife – a hole of approximately 2.5 cm depth needs to be drilled and an M10 thread needs to be cut into it.