I was grinding up some grains for a brew I've got planned for the weekend, and I had to take a moment to charge the battery on my drill (happens about once every two pounds). I figured I'd snap some photos and share them with you good folks who are in need of a chuckle.
The rig:
- One crummy (clean) plastic bucket (5gal)
- One scrap piece of wood (oak hardwood flooring scrap)
- Four screws to hold it onto the bucket lid
- 1 sheet bristol board for 'rugged' hopper extension
- an 18v Craftsman (read: dept. store) cordless drill. I found this guy on the side of the road! One battery didn't work, and the other suffers from a short lifespan, as mentioned above.
- One roll of clear packing tape (good brand)
- Crappy, $23 grain mill. I believe this is meant to grind small quantities of rice. Unlike a Corona-style, with a flat plate bolted on to the front, mine has a burred cone that sits inside of a burred conical hole and is spun by an axle. Also unlike a Corona-style mill, this axle does not have a threaded hole at the end, as the crank-arm is held on by sliding over the axle, and locked into place with a nut (see img)
As you see, I had a need to be a bit more creative when attaching the drill. In the end, I used good old fashioned packing tape! If I were a better Canadian, it would have been duct all the way, but I went for the packing tape because a) I had a roll, b) it tends to leave less gummy residue than duct tape and c) it's strong.
So, the total cost of this bad mother is about 25$ as I spent $1 on the bristol board to make a hopper, and then the roll of tape and four screws to hold a piece of oak hardwood flooring (scrap thrown out by neighbours) onto the bucket lid.
It's still pretty slow, but worlds faster than hand-cranking (nicer on the arms as well). It was also satisfying to finally find a good use for that Politics in Canada book
The rig:
- One crummy (clean) plastic bucket (5gal)
- One scrap piece of wood (oak hardwood flooring scrap)
- Four screws to hold it onto the bucket lid
- 1 sheet bristol board for 'rugged' hopper extension
- an 18v Craftsman (read: dept. store) cordless drill. I found this guy on the side of the road! One battery didn't work, and the other suffers from a short lifespan, as mentioned above.
- One roll of clear packing tape (good brand)
- Crappy, $23 grain mill. I believe this is meant to grind small quantities of rice. Unlike a Corona-style, with a flat plate bolted on to the front, mine has a burred cone that sits inside of a burred conical hole and is spun by an axle. Also unlike a Corona-style mill, this axle does not have a threaded hole at the end, as the crank-arm is held on by sliding over the axle, and locked into place with a nut (see img)
As you see, I had a need to be a bit more creative when attaching the drill. In the end, I used good old fashioned packing tape! If I were a better Canadian, it would have been duct all the way, but I went for the packing tape because a) I had a roll, b) it tends to leave less gummy residue than duct tape and c) it's strong.
So, the total cost of this bad mother is about 25$ as I spent $1 on the bristol board to make a hopper, and then the roll of tape and four screws to hold a piece of oak hardwood flooring (scrap thrown out by neighbours) onto the bucket lid.
It's still pretty slow, but worlds faster than hand-cranking (nicer on the arms as well). It was also satisfying to finally find a good use for that Politics in Canada book