Home made mash paddles pics?

dranderson · Nov 21, 2013

I want to make my own mash paddle, was wondering about wood types and sanitation issues. Any plans out there, also if you have a pic could you share it with us?

thanks :mug:

BryceL · Nov 21, 2013

I don't have any pics at the moment, but most good hard woods will do. I used maple for mine. No need to worry about sanitation since you will be using it in the mash, before you boil. I just use it, hose it off when I'm done and hang it to dry. I sanded mine really really well and worked my way to a super fine grit. You can also wet sand it several times to get a super smooth finish to it. No oils or varnishes.

dranderson · Nov 22, 2013

Thanks for your help, I have built some bows with red oak from HD. I will go there and look for a good board this weekend.

Thanks again

Easterbrook · Nov 22, 2013

I have this one. It's handmade, though not homemade-- maybe the pictures will give you some ideas.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C29HGSQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It's made from hard maple and works great. As noted above, there are no sanitation issues as I use it to stir the mash. I just hose the paddle off when the mash is finished.

IvanTheTerribrew · Nov 22, 2013

If I get to stop by my brew area tonight I'll post a picture. If you haven't worked with maple before just be aware it is a very hard wood and not the easiest to work with. I used a jig saw for the shape and different sized hole saws for the holes. After sanding it I just treat it with butchers block mineral oil from HD. I plan on every couple batches to re apply a coat.

Some advice would be for you to just figure out the size of the actual paddle, draw it out and just mess with different ideas for designs. Mine is just a slim oval shape of circles in decreasing sizes on each side of it. But really just mess around with it. Even with just simple drills you can make something awesome. Cheers!

coolharry · Nov 22, 2013

Here's mine made from hardwood dowels from one of the hardware stores. I didn't use a drill press, so the holes were off-line just enough to hold everything together without any kind of adhesive or screws. I love it and the dowels were pretty cheap.
Like everyone else I just rinse it off after use and hang to dry.