I saw one of these in a thrift shop today. It seems to be very well 
made...much more so than their corn popper. I don't think it will 
roast as much as the popper, but I do think it will do 3/4 lb. I 
froogled the item and the low price seems to be ~$16...
You can see what it looks like at:http://tinyurl.com/oj2fa

That's really interesting!  It looks like a chaff generator, so if you can
put a ss wire mesh over it you might be good to go!  If it is quite
inexpensive, pick it up and give it a try.  If it doesnt work out there is
always ebay, you might double or triple your money. :)
-james
On 5/18/06, Angelo  wrote:
<Snip>

James,
The thrift shop wants $13 for a unit with the nut glazes missing vs. 
$16, new...Not a bargain. Plus, I don't need any more coffee 
equipment, even if it were free..:-)
Whatever chaff is generated would probably just sit there until you 
cooled the roast, since the movement of the vanes wouldn't produce 
enough air to move the chaff around.
I mentioned this unit for those who actually do stovetop roasting. It 
seems much more sturdy than the B2B popcorn roaster, which is the 
model people currently use...
I'll go back and see if the shaft can be easily fitted with a 
battery-driven motor which I just happen to have...:-)
A+
<Snip>

I saw these recently as well.  I was thinking the heat would be so much as
to make it uncomfortable as you turn the crank right over the roasting
coffee.
brad
On 5/18/06, Angelo  wrote:
<Snip>

O Angelo < wrote:
<Snip>
Angelo, I think that Walmart caries the Back to Basics brand, it might be
available there. It would be great, outdoors on a BBQ grill with a side
burner.
Chaff problem...what chaff problem ? Let the wind do it's thing and problem
solved ;-)
Gary
-- 
Albert Einstein - "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent
one

The 'Back to Basic' popcorn popper that wallyworld carries is a very
lightweight affair. I purchased one a couple of years ago to actually pop
corn. I don't know what gauge it is but it is really thin. I used it a few
times in an attempt to roast coffee and found streaks of aluminum on some o=
f
the beans. that worried me, so I stopped using it for anything but popping
corn. I would hope that what Tom sells is a better/heavier pot.
On 5/18/06, Gary Townsend  wrote:
<Snip>
t
<Snip>
-- 
Start HOT and work your way Down...
Peppers AND Coffee.
[|:{O....[|:{U...

From the description it seems to me that the BtB that Tom sells is stainles=
s
steel.  The BtB roaster that I have which I found at a thrift store and hav=
e
seen at other thrift stores feels light like aluminum to me.
brad
On 5/19/06, TERRY TITSWORTH  wrote:
<Snip>
w
<Snip>
 of
<Snip>
g
<Snip>
ide
<Snip>

I had good results with the thin aluminum popper, but it did not hold up 
to nine months of use.  The plastic gears wore down, as did the 
"bearings" for the crank handle.
I have moved up to the stainless steel version, and it appears to be 
sturdier, after almost three months.  It took me probably ten roasts to 
get the touch for heating, &c.
The major drawback of roasting in a stove top popper, I think, is the 
need to shake the whole apparatus every fifteen seconds or so to keep 
some beans from staying flat on the bottom through the whole roast and 
thereby burning to oblivion on one side.  The stainless popper is a bit 
heavy.
Of course, this is probably a carefully engineered plan to keep the 
hobby roaster climbing the latter of increasingly sophisticated gear.
Regards,
Elliott Perkins
TERRY TITSWORTH wrote:
<Snip>

I went from whirley-pop to a stainless steel skillet and a flat steel
spatula.  This works up to about 2.5lb, and you can see and touch the
roast all the way through.
Think of it as a carefully orchestrated solution to the blind-crank method.=
..
Brett
  Zassman
On 5/19/06, Elliott Perkins  wrote:
<Snip>
ll
<Snip>
I
<Snip>
ribes) go tohttp://sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html#personalsettings<Snip>
-- 
Regards,
Brett Mason
 HomeRoast
   Zassman