Broken drills from barley crusher

I have been through 2 drills in the past 6 months on my barley crusher. First I tried the only drill I had which was a rechargeable one. It barely had enough power but eventually died. I then took an old electric drill from my dad. It had to be at least 30 years old, maybe even older. It crushed 1 batched but it would only turn at a very high rpm and left me with a lot of powder. On the next batch it just died about 10% through my grain and I hand cranked the rest.

I have a $150 gift card to amazon from a a coinstar machine that I want to use towards a drill. Which one would you get? All i know is I need a 1/2 inch electric but after that I dont know a whole lot about drills. I dont need anything fancy either, just something that will crush my grain at slow rpm and not die on me. What else would you buy, brewing related, for the $150? I thought about the 10-11 gallon pots to replace my 8 gallon one.

I'm not a self grain crusher yet, but really, is an electric drill necessary?

Next year I was going to buy a grain crusher and was just going to do it by hand...

If you're crushing more than a couple pounds you really want to have a drill. Takes a lot longer to do it by hand, and it's a PITA. I just have a simple, 18V DeWalt cordless, works fine. Don't go too cheap, but you shouldn't have to spend more than a hundred bucks to get a decent cordless drill.

I crushed 26 lbs of grain in my Barley Crusher by hand last weekend. It didn't take more than 10-15 minutes.

I consider it a workout to be able to drink more beer

i have a black&decker drill i got from lowes for $49. has worked great for a long time with my jsp mill. best to get a corded drill, as they have a lot more torque than the cordless drills and can sustain the punishment a lot longer

AZ_IPA said:

I crushed 26 lbs of grain in my Barley Crusher by hand last weekend. It didn't take more than 10-15 minutes.

I consider it a workout to be able to drink more beer

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Wow I have never done more than 12 and it usually takes me that long. At least it seems that long. Maybe I should just suck it up and do it by hand. Half my batches since I got the mill have been done my hand because my drills have sucked.

lumpher said:

i have a black&decker drill i got from lowes for $49. has worked great for a long time with my jsp mill. best to get a corded drill, as they have a lot more torque than the cordless drills and can sustain the punishment a lot longer

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Depends. If I was buying a drill JUST to mill grain, maybe I'd buy a corded. Sounds like the OP doesn't have a decent drill around the house now at all; cordless is much, much more convenient for everything else than you might need a drill for. Besides, I don't think you need any more torque than my $100 DeWalt puts out, anyway. It's not stressed out when I'm crushing malt. I've beaten the hell out of that drill. I've had some B&D tools over the years, but no more; things **** the bed worse than Harbor Freight.

AZ, you're either nuts or have substantially larger guns than me. Perhaps both.

bgburdman9 said:

Wow I have never done more than 12 and it usually takes me that long. At least it seems that long. Maybe I should just suck it up and do it by hand. Half my batches since I got the mill have been done my hand because my drills have sucked.

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I actually haven't timed it, but I lit the strike water and started grinding the grain at the same time this weekend, and I was done grinding well before the water heated up to strike temp...

the_bird said:

AZ, you're either nuts or have substantially larger guns than me. Perhaps both.

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Yes. Both.

I usually split it up (this was a 10g batch of IPA). I crushed half the grain; took a break to drink some beer, measure some hops, etc....and went back to finish crushing.

And - at least with a BC, you don't need to crank it as fast as you can, just sit there on a stool with a beer near by and start cranking....probably no more than 60-100rpm by hand

the_bird said:

Depends. If I was buying a drill JUST to mill grain, maybe I'd buy a corded. Sounds like the OP doesn't have a decent drill around the house now at all; cordless is much, much more convenient for everything else than you might need a drill for. Besides, I don't think you need any more torque than my $100 DeWalt puts out, anyway. It's not stressed out when I'm crushing malt. I've beaten the hell out of that drill. I've had some B&D tools over the years, but no more; things **** the bed worse than Harbor Freight.

AZ, you're either nuts or have substantially larger guns than me. Perhaps both.

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My cordless was a black and decker that was also a hand me down from my dad. I would much rather have a good cordless if you guys think a good one can mill my grain and last a while. I had always read that a corded one would supply more torque, but I am sure I could spend a little more for a good cordless one.

I used my drill a couple times. But honestly, I got fed up with the drill slipping on the BC, so I quit using it out of frustration.

bgburdman9 said:

It crushed 1 batched but it would only turn at a very high rpm and left me with a lot of powder.

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Based on what I have read, I would say your mill is way too tight. The goal is to break the grains up and leave the husk fairly in tact exposing the inner material...."endosperm". The more you breakdown the barley, the more likely it is that you will pull tannins from the husk. Loosen the mill and any decent battery/shop drill will work just fine.

Cheers!!

lakeshorebrewer said:

Based on what I have read, I would say your mill is way too tight. The goal is to break the grains up and leave the husk fairly in tact exposing the inner material...."endosperm". The more you breakdown the barley, the more likely it is that you will pull tannins from the husk. Loosen the mill and any decent battery/shop drill will work just fine.

Cheers!!

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My mill is set on factory settings at 12 o'clock. Where do you set yours at?

I have a DeWalt D21008 corded drill which makes short work of the grain with my Barley Crusher - the DeWalt has been a rugged, reliable drill which can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'. I do use a pair of pliers to tighten the chuck even though it supposedly can be tightened by hand without a chuck key just because I want to make sure it doesn't slip on the BC shaft and I have no problem with slippage.
IIRC I have my BC set for about 0.033 inches which works fine because I always condition my grain before crushing - if you don't condition, that's probably too small a gap.

I use a slow RPM 1/2" drill i got from Harbor Freight like this: http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-heavy-duty-spade-handle-drill-93632.html. The best thing about it is it's only $39. I've probably used it on 10 batches so far and it's been rock solid every time. I adjust the speed to something like 200 RPM and use the trigger hold so it continues to run.

Lmuggs said:

I use a slow RPM 1/2" drill i got from Harbor Freight like this: http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-heavy-duty-spade-handle-drill-93632.html. The best thing about it is it's only $39. I've probably used it on 10 batches so far and it's been rock solid every time. I adjust the speed to something like 200 RPM and use the trigger hold so it continues to run.

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+1 I use the same drill on my JSP mill. Works great, I would highly recommend it for the purpose.

It's not an everyday drill. If you're looking for a drill to use around the house this probably isn't the one (it's big, heavy and freakin' powerful)

DeWalt is probably the best you can get. My father is in construction and swears by them.

I picked up an 18v Rockwell cordless and have had good luck (used it to finish my basement, hang drywall, etc), plus free batteries for life. Buying a new DeWalt battery will set you back damn near as much as the drill.

My drill is only 3/8" and works fine. If you have a BC that's all you need. Also, be sure to get at least a 14v drill or 18v if you can. An 18v should be less apt to crap out on you.

I used to use my 18v dewalt cordless with my monster mill, but would really drain the batteries during busy brew days. I bought a corded heavy duty low speed drill from Harbor Freight and love it. $39, turns nice and slow and really improves the crush. Can also always find 20% off ads for harbor freight. http://www.harborfreight.com/power-...inch-heavy-duty-spade-handle-drill-93632.html

I agree with Yooper...and AZ_IPA. My BC is just too hard to turn (always has been), neither drill I have will even budge it when grain is in there, especially if I've conditioned it which I always do. So I've been crushing every batch by hand for over 2 years now, over 80 batches. And it IS a big PITA...but I need the exercise so I don't try to 'fix' it. I pretty much do it just like AZ_IPA (crush while heating strike water) except for the beer drinking part...it's usually ~7:00 AM for me (which no excuse but whatever:cross.

If I brewed 10 gal batches or larger no way would I be crushing by hand.

i have a 1/2" Rigid that works great w/ my BC. I've put like 4 batches threw it so far!

Thanks for indulging in my little side question, but I think I'm just gonna crush by hand.

My dad is a woodworker and has some kick arse drills and...wait a minute...

I wonder if I could hook the grain crusher up to his top-o-the line table saw...

Tim the Toolman Taylor moments are starting to run through my head...

I wonder if I could hook the grain crusher up to his top-o-the line table saw...

Tim the Toolman Taylor moments are starting to run through my head...

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all you'd need is a longer belt and a pulley for the mill...

autoferret said:

all you'd need is a longer belt and a pulley for the mill...

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And a father who won't kill me when I wreck his shop...

bgburdman9 said:

My mill is set on factory settings at 12 o'clock. Where do you set yours at?

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You shouldn't trust the indicators. Use a feeler gauge to determine the gap, and check it across the width of the rollers. I use a gap of around .038". Some people go as high as .050" (barely breaks the husk) or as low as .030" (very floury grist) but the vast majority of people settle on something in the .035-.040" range. Or you could just do trial and error, starting with a wide gap and closing it until your grist looks good, but the feeler gauge method is easier to check periodically and ensure the gap is consistent across the full width of the rollers. It WILL change over time as the bushings wear.

I used to hand crank my Barley Crusher. It's not bad at all for kilned barley and roasted malts, but wheat, rye and crystal malts, especially the light ones, were a big pain in the ass.

I now use a 1/2" cheap Drillmaster corded drill that I got from Harbor Freight. It's a bit difficult to control the RPM, but it's powerful and chews through the grain without issues. I think it was like $30. If you are only going to use the drill for milling, there's no need to spend $100+.

Or, if you're considering a table saw motor, you could go this way -

surplus motor


add a couple of lovejoys and you're in business.

autoferret said:

all you'd need is a longer belt and a pulley for the mill...

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The Barley Crusher instructions specifically say not to use belts. Not sure why, but I haven't felt like tempting fate...

BC also makes motorized mills, if you want to go that route.

http://www.barleycrusher.com/barleycrushermicro.php

+1 Malt conditioning makes the job much easier
+1 DeWalt cordless is excellent as long as you have use for it on other projects otherwise the cheap 1/2" from HF is a good second choice.

SickTransitMundus said:

The Barley Crusher instructions specifically say not to use belts. Not sure why, but I haven't felt like tempting fate...

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belts "pull" laterally on the shaft, causing bearing wear-out. Some bearings are made for this, but not the simple oilite-type bearings in a hand-crank Barley Crusher. A direct spin (such as a direct connect motor or drill) is better for longer bearing life.

if you have a sears store close by check the place where they repair mowers and snowblowers. they have reconditioned tools there cheap. i got a 19 volt cordless drill two batteries and a cordless impact driver for 90 bucks

For Drill Chuck Slippage:

Chuck your drill on to your mill drive shaft. Then use a sharpie to make 3 marks on the shaft where the 3 jaws contact it.

Take a die-grinder or dremel and grind 3 small flat spots for the chuck to grab. No more slippage.

I use this beast from Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-heavy-duty-spade-handle-drill-93632.html

Use a 20% off coupon and it's $31.99 plus tax/s&H.

RCCOLA said:

For Drill Chuck Slippage:

Chuck your drill on to your mill drive shaft. Then use a sharpie to make 3 marks on the shaft where the 3 jaws contact it.

Take a die-grinder or dremel and grind 3 small flat spots for the chuck to grab. No more slippage.

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Great idea!!! i'll have to bring the dremel home from the shop!

A low rpm high torque drill is the best. I use this. I prop it on a bucket, lock the trigger and its hands free.

You can't go wrong with an 18v De Walt. Mine is 12 years old with the original battery and still rips through grain. Amazing.


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Just hope BC doesn't void the warranty if you grind the shaft. I don't think they *should*, but that doesn't mean much. I need the warranty for when the bushings finally wear out.

Milwaukee model#0240-20. $69 at Home Depot

I'm surprised to hear that people are having trouble with the drill slipping. I don't think I've ever had that happen, and I'm just cranking down on the chuck by hand. Weird; wonder if you all are grinding your malt finer than I am, and that's causing more resistance?

the_bird said:

I'm surprised to hear that people are having trouble with the drill slipping. I don't think I've ever had that happen, and I'm just cranking down on the chuck by hand. Weird; wonder if you all are grinding your malt finer than I am, and that's causing more resistance?

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I get occasional slippage (only at the start of grinding), but I attribute that to a 12 year old drill chuck, no big deal. I'm at .038, I believe factory is .039?


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BrewThruYou said:

I use this beast from Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-inch-heavy-duty-spade-handle-drill-93632.html

Use a 20% off coupon and it's $31.99 plus tax/s&H.

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+1 for this drill. I use the same one on my MM-3. It mows through grain.