DIY Mash Paddle

Now that I have my first all grain brew under my belt, and plan to stick with it, I wanted to make my own mash paddle. I did a search and only come up with some old posts, nothing more current.
I thought I found that Maple is one of the better hard woods to use. I bought a 1"X6"X8' today at HD for about $23.00.
I figure I can make 2 and sell one. I was planning on making them 4 feet long each, but now am seeing some being sold that are 3 feet. Do you think 4 is too big? Right now I mash in a 10 gallon round cooler.
Next, some people say they treat with food grade oil, some don't. Should they bee treated?
I know there isn't a right or wrong, but I am looking for what works for people that have more experience.

As always, thanks in advance!

I used poplar and mine is 3 feet. The length really depends not only on how big your cooler is but how high off the ground is the top of the cooler when you use it. Regrading a finish for the wood I elected not to use one. The poplar is fairly dense and I have not had a problem. If you don't have a site glass, the mash paddle can be used instead. Simply pour water into your kettle in 1/2 gallon increments and mark the level on the mash paddle. Use a file to mark the paddle and not a pen or a sharpie.

Thanks!
I will get to work then over the weekend.

Dave . . if you want to ship one out my way . . I'd be willing to throw ya some $$ That dog of yours looks like it could use some dentist work HAHA

I wonder what shipping would run on something like that.

My dog is an English Bulldog. He has a bit of an under-bite to say the least. He's a good dog though!

Dave, I don't know how much work or how much trouble it would be, but I might be willing to pay for a paddle also - you know, to contribute to the canine orthodontal fund.

We'll see how they go. I'll post some pics when I am done, but I am not planning on doing anything that outrageous... I just like making my own stuff.
With this piece of wood I am going to make a 3 footer and a 4 footer. My brother in law got into brewing with me, and he is a bit "vertically challanged" he may need a step stool with a 4 footer. When I am done I will post pics. Hopefully they will be done on Sunday.

Does your sister say he's verticaly challenged?

oceanselv said:

...Use a file to mark the paddle and not a pen or a sharpie.

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What's the issue with using a sharpie?

Dave258 said:

My dog is an English Bulldog. He has a bit of an under-bite to say the least. He's a good dog though!

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Holy crap, those are his real teeth? Every time I saw your pic I thought you had put some of those fake hobo teeth in his mouth as a joke. I'm not even up to AG brewing yet, but I'll buy a paddle from you if it helps with that dog's grill.

edasaurus said:

What's the issue with using a sharpie?

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Don't want the ink to wind up in your mash.

I have a sight glass so I don't have to worry about marking it.

And yes, those are his real teeth.

kcbrewman said:

Holy crap, those are his real teeth? Every time I saw your pic I thought you had put some of those fake hobo teeth in his mouth as a joke. I'm not even up to AG brewing yet, but I'll buy a paddle from you if it helps with that dog's grill.

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I thought the same thing!!!

Hey Dave, How did the paddles come out? I've got first dibs if you're willing to ship it. Hell, I can even ship you the box empty with a return shipment label if it will make it easier for you. (I have a business account with FedEx so its really easy for me to do.)

But you said you were gonna post pics... whaaa...

I thought I did. Here it is before I did some finish sanding to it.



Have used it on 5 Brews so far, grain bills up to 24 lbs. in my 10 gallon cooler, no problem.