Plans for a DIY Roaster

[headchange4u]

I saw this posted on another site and thought it looked pretty cool. The page has some detailed blueprints available but you have to be a subscriber to see the detailed instruction on constructing the roaster. Looks pretty cool. Here the site:

http://makezine.com/08/coffeeroaster/

Here's a pic of the finished product:

[dfluke]

I've seen that before. I thought it was pretty neat, but I haven't tried much with drum roasters and the like, although they appear to be much easier.
I'm looking forward to the day I can say I've successfully created a fluid bed air roaster..but I might have more luck just saving up for one and buying it.

[bobvilax2000]

Is that thing using direct flame to roast? Wouldn't that make the beans taste like gas?

- -Barrett

[ButtWhiskers]

Is that thing using direct flame to roast? Wouldn't that make the beans taste like gas?

- -Barrett

Not in the least.  The gas is all incinerated, the only output is CO2, CO, water and heat (as compared to the roasting exhaust, which is a very complex matrix full of 'nasty' and odiferous compounds).  Most commercial roasters do use direct flame, although with a bit more metal in between to act as a heat sink / moderator. 

[John F]

The only thing I don't like about this design is that it's going to be an ambient temp driven logistical nightmare to profile your roasts with any repeatability.

I'm sure it works great but I think it would be a lot better to stick this stuff inside of a roast chamber of some sort to give it more stability.

John F

[ButtWhiskers]

This would be a rather inefficient setup, though.  I would suspect that you would burn through a cylinder for every 10-15 batches since there is nothing to contain the heat. 

I roasted some beans using a 1# propane-fueled tabletop Weber with the hose bubbler drum
http://www.greencoffeebuyingclub.com/index.php?topic=4108.0 and decided that I needed serious insulation to keep the fuel costs down.   I do have room to run 3 rechargeable drills with these mini-drums once I get the clamping issue figgered out.  Should work to roast multiple 100-150g samples via flame when I'm finished.