A better way to gap your mill

I missed my target OG on a recent brew and wondered if my grain mill gap had moved. As I trolled these precincts though I concluded that it was because I didn't change the gap in my mill to account for the smaller size of Wheat.

Anyway, it got me to thinking about a better way to set the gap on my mill. Part of the issue for me was getting both sides zeroed in at the same time which would take a wider feeler gauge than the usual one I had used initially. In other words I would get one side set and the other would have moved... back and forth.

So here is what I came up with. 2 3.5" x 4" sheets of metal. One for wheat (24 gauge / .0239) & one for barley (20 gauge / .0359). Quick and easy to use and cheap to acquire.

Slick! I may steal that idea

Buy yourself a feeler gauge set and you can set the width to anything you want. Online or automotive stores, I think harbor freight carries them too.

Thedutchtouch said:

Buy yourself a feeler gauge set and you can set the width to anything you want. Online or automotive stores, I think harbor freight carries them too.

Click to expand...

I do that now, but the OP has the same issues I have with each side "wandering" and it taking several shots to get it even

Thedutchtouch said:

Buy yourself a feeler gauge set and you can set the width to anything you want. Online or automotive stores, I think harbor freight carries them too.

Click to expand...

Some guys don't even read the post. I have a feeler gauge. It wasn't working well - that was the point.

Where did you get the pieces of sheet metal? This sounds like a good solution to me.

Find a sheet metal place, preferably that deals with aluminum a lot, ( aircraft place....), as aluminum is usually sold in decimal thicknesses.......At least all I see, and I do aircraft sheet metal work.

Most of your steels are sold as a "gauge" size, although they correspond somewhat.


Edit: tell them you are looking for some "drops"..........That's what falls behind the shear as they cut the metal........Usually gets scrapped.

cfrazier77 said:

Where did you get the pieces of sheet metal? This sounds like a good solution to me.

Click to expand...

I got these from a metal fabricator in town. Any welding shop would have scrap also.

I like the sheet metal idea of creating a more consistent gap across the entire roller. I've been using a credit card as my gap spacer but it doesn't quite span edge to edge, where the metal could. Nice thing about the credit card is it's usually in my pocket when I need it, but it's plastic and not every card is the same thickness (you need to know the thickness of the card by using calipers and have a "go to" card for gap adjustments).

One thing I do when using wheat is I simply run it twice or three times depending on the look of the crush using my standard gap. Then I add it to the crushed barley malt afterwards so there's no need to adjust my gap. It has worked well for me. There is a definite difference from the first and second crush of wheat using my standard gap, while the third crush is minimal difference. After that (fourth/fifth crushes), I cannot see a difference from the third.

Hmm.. I've never had the need to run wheat at a different gap or mill it several times. I just mix it in with the barley and let 'er rip. My efficiency is the same whether the grain bill is 100% barley or 50% wheat.

I haven't had a problem with light wheat, but I did have a problem with dark wheat, carawheat and roasted barley so it definitely is a real challenge. I ended up closing my gap a little because I was having some efficiency issues with other brews but now that I have it straight I have decided just to reduce the efficiency of the recipe when there is a large percentage of these smaller grains. This way I'm not messing with the gap everytime which is a little risky - although I do like your method - smart. Feeler gauges are great but to get both sides even is pretty challenging.

Stealthcruiser said:

Find a sheet metal place, preferably that deals with aluminum a lot, ( aircraft place....), as aluminum is usually sold in decimal thicknesses.......At least all I see, and I do aircraft sheet metal work.

Most of your steels are sold as a "gauge" size, although they correspond somewhat.


Edit: tell them you are looking for some "drops"..........That's what falls behind the shear as they cut the metal........Usually gets scrapped.

Click to expand...

yso191 said:

I got these from a metal fabricator in town. Any welding shop would have scrap also.

Click to expand...

Thanks!

This is an excellent idea, and I'll definitely have to pick up a few different pieces that correspond to my usual crush gaps. Now I feel like an idiot for not thinking of this solution myself ;-)

I put 3 business cards together to set my gap