Coffee Roaster Project?

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Has anyone thought of building a coffee roaster? http://whatscookingamerica.net/Coffe...eeRoasting.htmI thought it would be a cool project just don't know where to start.
Reply:My cousin sells exotic coffee in Syracuse,NY  and I know he had made a coffee roaster in his parents basement but unfortunately I don't remember what he used.Lincoln pro mig 180Lincoln Square Wave Tig 300/wp 20/home built water cooler Victor, Purox, Harris, O/A welding/cutting setupsVintage Craftsman drill pressVintage Craftsman/Atlas 12"x 36'' lathe7''x 12'' w/c band saw Everlast 140 st
Reply:Can you buy unroasted beans?  The only ones I've seen are already roasted.  Of course, the only place I buy coffee is the supermarket.I think I saw a TV show a while back talking about roasting coffee.  I think you'll need an airtight oven.  I think if you let oxygen get to the beans they'll burn instead of roasting.  This is from poor memory of a show on TV, so who knows how correct this really is!Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:No, the oven doesn't need to be airtight, but you do need to agitate the beans as they are roasting.  Just as importantly you need to be able to cool the beans quickly (also by agitating while blowing cold air on them).  If you don't, the beans will get scorched and the coffee will taste burnt. (Duh)Good project--I never thought to build a roaster myself.  The store-bought ones are expensive and can be very low quality.Edit:  If you just want to try roasting some beans to see what happens, people have been able to do it with hot-air popcorn poppers.  You will still need to cool the beans quickly when they're finished, though.  Toss them around in a big mixing bowl in front of a fan.TimLast edited by timrb; 10-10-2011 at 10:03 PM.
Reply:check out hackaday.com they have quite a few coffee-related mods on there http://hackaday.com/?s=coffee+roast
Reply:I've been roasting my own beans for about 6 years with an air roaster and have plans to build my own roaster within the next few months. (I just bought my welder about a month or so back and am still getting my garage up to speed.) If anyone is interested in home roasting, check out http://www.sweetmarias.com/index.php. Lots of articles, and fresh roasted coffee is much, much better than anything you can get at Starbucks or anywhere else. It's not like being a good cook, but just a little practice to get the beans about right, and just having beans that are not months old makes a huge difference. Long story short on why that is, involves the acid that forms from the decaying of the roasted bean. I've given my coffee to guys who've sworn off coffee because of the heartburn, but when they drink coffee that was only roasted a few days before, they can drink the whole pot. The best homemade versions I've seen and the one I'm going to copy utilize a stainless drum, a small motor for the turning, and an old gas grill. You can also look up how the original Jabez Burns roasters were made and copy one like that. Very minor skills are required to do one of these. Here's some food for thought. http://www.homeroaster.com/5pound.htmlhttp://www.rkdrums.com/Lincoln Square Wave 175
Reply:I haven't built mine yet of course, but going off of the research I've already done, one of the main things to remember is to weld or rivet some kind of vanes inside the drum to keep the beans from settling in one spot too much and burning on one side. Kind of like a clothes dryer, the vanes lift and stir the clothes to get them to tumble.Lincoln Square Wave 175
Reply:i get my  green beans from sweet marias.(ethiopian)...comes out to less than half the price of notnearlyasgood  preroasted beans..i roast mine by hand in a wok with a handle..i can do 1 1/4 pounds at a time, takes about 18 minutes, i flip it like pancakes every 8 seconds or so..have learned to judge from the color how dark the roast is..ijust cool mine in an aluminum collander..then i get all buzzed up and practice stickwelding..
Reply:Weldbead, i like your ending line......"then I get all buzzed up and practice stickwelding".  Sometimes coffee does give me the jitters but I like it!  Bob
Reply:I'm a confessed coffee snob, I've been wanting to roast by own beans for a while.  Someone has a gas grill setup on ebay, kinda similar setup, but it fits inside your gas grill.
Reply:Thanks for all the great ideas and leads!
Reply:Hi guys,First post here. I've been roasting for about 5 yrs. built my first one, a stir crazy/convection oven hybrid. Then I bought a Behmor 1600. Now, I am building a drum roaster that will roast 2-3 lbs per roast. I'll try to post my progress tomorrow some time.DannyDannyMy SiteJust worrying 'bout what I can't get to today.
Reply:TaggedVery interesting."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:Personnally, I'm not a huge coffee drinker. But my wife is. I wonder if she'd like fresh roasted? I'll have to talk to her about it. Sounds like a fun project. welding, fire, coffee. The only thing I can think of that would make it better is if alcohol was involved.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger