Broken drills from barley crusher

[Jawbox0]

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

+2!

I switched to the Harbor Freight model this winter after burning up a high speed drill. Cheap and effective, tons of power. Just make sure you look for the low RPM models. Save the Dewalt's for something more deserving.

 

[Swib]

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.

That looks like a Milwaukee. I use a Milwaukee 1/2" hammer drill, it's overkill but I love that drill.

 

[lschiavo]

That looks like a Milwaukee. I use a Milwaukee 1/2" hammer drill, it's overkill but I love that drill.

Milwaukee it is. I have had that drill as long as I have been using drills and I inherited it. Your drill is not overkill. If it gets the job done without damaging the tool it is just right.

 

[lschiavo]

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.

The shaft on my MM3 is pre ground. I thought that was a nice feature.

 

[thewurzel]

This is definatly a good way to go
I have had no trouble with my setup and if it happens to clog, there is always reverse (I haven't had to use it yet)

I have been using this setup for 6 months now, last brew session I put over 20# in my hopper and then started it up with no problems.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/finished-my-motorized-mill-186036/

 

[bad coffee]

I have a skil/B&D from Lowes. It's only used for my grain mill. I have cordless dewalts for actual work.

Spend the Amazon card on a bayou brewpot. I just got a 36 qt. for $75.

B

 

[bgburdman9]

I have a skil/B&D from Lowes. It's only used for my grain mill. I have cordless dewalts for actual work.

Spend the Amazon card on a bayou brewpot. I just got a 36 qt. for $75.

B

That was my thought. My 8 gallon just isn't big enough to do a full boil comfortably.

 

[milldoggy]

I use the harbor freight on my mms-3. Last week I was doing wheat at a .031 gap. It taxed the drill a tad and I noticed a little wear on the shaft. Should I line the chuck up with the flat area for a better hold? I think I might back my gap a bit for wheat. Barley at .042 is no problem. If you are a mms-3 user, what gaps are you using?

Edit: from an earlier post, it looks like the suggestion is to have the chuck things touch the flat stops, will try that.

 

[bumstigedy]

I use the hand crank. I might be the only person doing this

 

[Bernie Brewer]

+1 on the 18v DeWalt. I use mine EVERY day at work. Last week I accidentally kicked it off of my scissors lift from about 20' in the air. When it hit the ground, the battery separated from the drill. I put them back together, and went back to work. Anyone that works any type of construction will swear by DeWalt, Milwaukee, Bosch, or Makita. All are very good.

 

[bgburdman9]

+2!

I switched to the Harbor Freight model this winter after burning up a high speed drill. Cheap and effective, tons of power. Just make sure you look for the low RPM models. Save the Dewalt's for something more deserving.

Sounds like a good deal. Anyone know if this is usually available in stores?

 

[milldoggy]

Was in my store.

 

[shanecb]

Just throwing it out there.... doing a large amount of grain by hand absolutely blows.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

+2!
Save the Dewalt's for something more deserving.

Why buy two drills? The more you use your cordless, the longer the batteries will last.

 

[bgburdman9]

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 picked up some feeler gauges and my mill at factory settings was about 0.030 maybe even a little tighter. I opened it up to 0.038.

 

[wildwest450]

+2! Save the Dewalt's for something more deserving.

What's more deserving than milling malted barley that will be transformed into the nectar of the Gods? Silly man.


_

 

[mikeysab]

Milwaulkee m12. Nice little cordless, and it was free. Plus i have the small m12 radio which kicks arse. If that burns out i,ll switch to the 14.4 dewalt, then the 12v dewalt, then the corded dewalt, then the corded milwaukee....all donated. As someone said previously, working in construction has its priveleges.

I hand cranked 1 pound of c60 yesterday and it was a PITA. No need to do it again

 

[LakewoodBrew]

Why buy two drills? The more you use your cordless, the longer the batteries will last.

Not really.

 

[sudsmcgee]

Not really.

Yeah, I don't want to drill concrete with a cordless Dewalt.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Not really.

Huh? Yes, really. The batteries will definitely hold a better charge and longer if you use them every day as opposed to letting your drill sit on a shelf for a couple months.

 

[SAS98M]

28 volt Milwaukee cordless gets my vote..... Put it in low range "mat the pedal" and power thru the grain without a hitch. I use mine on a Crankenstein without a problem. I haven't checked - but multiple batches are never a problem,as others have also mentioned the batteries must be kept up with.

Kudo's to the user of that Milwaukee right angle drill too--that baby has the kahones to power thru 6x's with auger bits-grain doesn't stand a chance.......

 

[the_bird]

Why buy two drills? The more you use your cordless, the longer the batteries will last.

+1.

Besides, none of us is milling so much grain that you're going to wear out your drill.

And, if milling some grain once once or twice a month really IS wearing out your drill, you've got a *****-ass drill and ought to get a better one, anyway.

 

[rico567]

Since the beginning (about 2.5 years ago), I've used an old Craftsman all-metal 1/2" drill that I inherited. It gets pretty warm on the big grain bills, but has absolutely no problem powering my Corona-type mill.

 

[bgburdman9]

I bought the harbor freight 1/2 inch low speed drill today for 31-32 in a store with a 20% off coupon. Pretty good deal. I set my mill to 0.038 and tried a little grain through it and was still getting powder. I opened it to 0.043 across the entire width of the mill and the grain was crushed pretty well but i still got some powder and had a few uncrushed grains still snuck through.

 

[Pappers_]

Add me to the list of those who grind the grain by hand. I like it, gives me something to do while my mash water is heating. Something very satisfying about turning the crank and watching the grain through. Plus, I'm a beast.

 

[SixFoFalcon]

I bought the harbor freight 1/2 inch low speed drill today for 31-32 in a store with a 20% off coupon. Pretty good deal. I set my mill to 0.038 and tried a little grain through it and was still getting powder. I opened it to 0.043 across the entire width of the mill and the grain was crushed pretty well but i still got some powder and had a few uncrushed grains still snuck through.

Unless you are conditioning your malt before you crush, you will always get some flour in the grist. Don't let is scare you--if you keep opening it up until you have no flour, the hulls will barely be cracked and you will have terrible efficiency. You are looking to break the endosperm into 3-4 pieces (on average) and keep the hulls in large chunks/slivers. You can certainly go bigger than .038" if you wish, but if you are getting a ton of flour at a .038" gap then something is wrong--perhaps your grain is really old?

Here is (the free version of) Palmer's advice:
http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter17-1.html