So what’s the right Harbor Freight drill for a mill? 20% off coupon out now

[Horseflesh]

Time to stop hand cranking like an animal and use a coupon to get a Harbor Freight drill for my Kegco 3-roller mill. What’s the go-to model these days?

 

[kh54s10]

I have this one. It works great - for about 7 years now. I actually use it for other things occasionally.
https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-75a-variable-speed-hammer-drill-62383.html

 

[Horseflesh]

Thanks very much!

 

[HopSing]

I have the same one as kh54s10. My mill requires the drill to spin in reverse. The chuck on that drill is threaded on the arbor and held in place by a small screw you'll see at the bottom of the chuck. While milling white wheat, the chuck spun off the threaded arbor. It broke the small screw. The fix was fairly simple. I just used JB weld on the threads of the arbor and reinstalled the chuck. Never had a problem since. You may also want to get a speed controller like this one. Works great to lower the RPM's.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U3LD1WA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

~HopSing.

EDIT: This is the one I have. Not the hammer drill. https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-heavy-duty-variable-speed-reversible-drill-69452.html

 

[Horseflesh]

I ended up with the hammer version. It was $30 after the coupon.

Looks like it doesn't have the speed dial any more so that external controller will be handy. Fortunately I think I have one. @HopSing do you recall the dial seeing that puts drill speed in the right ballpark?

 

[HopSing]

I ended up with the hammer version. It was $30 after the coupon.

Looks like it doesn't have the speed dial any more so that external controller will be handy. Fortunately I think I have one. @HopSing do you recall the dial seeing that puts drill speed in the right ballpark?

Depends on what you're milling and the mill you have. For 2 row, on my 2 roller mill, I'm usually about 1/3 on the dial. Harder stuff like wheat takes more juice. If you BIAB and want to try double milling to see if your efficiency improves, the second run through will take less power. I would also assume that a 3 roller mill may require more power to get to the RPM sweet spot.

I typically have the drill running and then slowly add the grains to the hopper at first. This allows the drill to slowly take the load and also allows you to make adjustments to the dial. Most mills run well around 150-200 RPM, so roughly three rev's per second or less.

I'm actually impressed by the torque of the cheap HF drill, especially at lower speeds. I bought it to keep the wear off my "good drills", but was pleasantly surprised how well it works (once I got over the broken keeper bolt).

~HopSing.

 

[Horseflesh]

Very helpful, thanks!

 

[CodeSection]

@Horseflesh, all of the above mentioned drill's RPMs go quite high. Consider a drill with a lower RPM like this one ...https://www.harborfreight.com/12-in-heavy-duty-spade-handle-drill-63112.html.

 

[Horseflesh]

Too late @CodeSection, I already got the other one. But I have a speed control so it should be fine. <shrug>

 

[CodeSection]

Too late @CodeSection, I already got the other one. But I have a speed control so it should be fine. <shrug>

Oh well, sometimes we all have to learn by experiencing. They all have speed control and it is not as easy as one would think. Especially when the drills mention had high RPMs even with one over 2800. Torque and low RPMs are the features one wants. Too bad you didn't read more threads on the subject.

If it were me, I would cancel the sale while you have time and buy the better, yet more expensive drill that has the RPM range of 0-550. Good luck...

 

[Horseflesh]

Tell me this, with the other drill do you still need an external gadget to hit the right speed?

 

[CodeSection]

Tell me this, with the other drill do you still need an external gadget to hit the right speed?

They all have the same trigger and the trigger moves the same distant with them all. The one I recommended needs no "external gadget" as the trigger easily controls the RPM. Remember, the max RPM on the unit is 550. After reading many threads on the subject, I bought this unit and have been using it for roughly two years.

The other unit with a max 1200 RPM will be harder to control. Any same squeezing trigger moves as compared with the max RPM 550 unit above, causes roughly twice as much RPMs. Too much for the job you are trying to do....mill grain.

The unit with a max 2800 RPMs trigger pull is even more sensitive. Five times as with the 550 RPM unit. Using the this unit, the same pull of the trigger causes OVER five times as much RPMs as the 550 unit. The 2800 RPM model has way too many RPMs to mill grain consistently.

 

[HopSing]

Lower RPM drills / motors are surely an option and most do have more torque at lower RPM's. Others have lowered the RPM's by using different size pulley's which also provides torque.

Just to be clear, with the drill and speed controller I mentioned above, the trigger on the drill is locked in the full-on position. The speed controller does a great job at lowering the RPM's from 60 RPM's on up and it's very easy to adjust on the fly to keep the mill running in the sweet spot depending on what you're milling. I have found that running the mill at lower RPM's does provide a better crush for most grains.

Adjusting the RPM's via the drills trigger may be a bit more challenging especially if you want to lock the trigger. Some drills will not allow you to lock the trigger at a lower RPM. Others will not allow you to adjust the RPM once locked without resetting the trigger. For those drills you may do better by manually holding the trigger and adjusting the RPM.

I mounted my drill to the mill platform, so I can quickly and easily adjust the speed of the mill without having to hang on to the drill. Once the mill is running, I'm able to do other things like keeping the hopper full since my hopper will not hold all of the grains I'm crushing at one shot.

Lots of options.

~HopSing.

 

[wilserbrewer]

I second what CodeSection said...the low speed high torque drill is what you want.

It will out perform a higher speed drill slowed down w a controller as it is slowed down w gears, giving full power and torque at low rpm.

 

[HopSing]

Bottom line is either option will need to be slowed down. Neither can be used at full speed. @CodeSection I'm curious if your holding the drill during milling and adjusting speed with your finger or is the drill mounted and locked at a specific RPM.

~HopSing.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Max Speed for HF 1/2” Heavy Duty Spade Handle Drill is 550 RPM, without load.

Under load guessing 1/2 that....
Lots of people use these without a separate reducing speed controller and are happy.

Edit....just realized the OP is intending to drive the Kegco 3 roller mill, I have one and it is a beast of a mill, more torque available the better....

Emphasis added for the lowest speed highest torque drill!

The necessary torque difference between a two roller modest crush and a three roller tight crush is many fold.

I happened to notice HF now has a 1/2” drill for mixing drywall mud or concrete bag mix at $59

Not sure of the variable speed control on the drill but it sounds promising.

 

[IslandLizard]

Max Speed for HF 1/2” Heavy Duty Spade Handle Drill is 550 RPM, without load.

Under load guessing 1/2 that....
Lots of people use these without a reducing speed controller and are happy.

That's around what it turns out to be, yes.

It will out perform a higher speed drill slowed down w a controller as it is slowed down w gears, giving full power and torque at low rpm.

There's a lot of torque in that drill! That's why it IS the right drill for the job.

I have that older, "clunkier" looking model with the metal gearcase and the speed "dial." The dial is just a limiter to how far you can push in the trigger. The speed itself is still controlled by the variable trigger.

In lieu of the dial, you can put a zip tie around the trigger and tighten it to the speed you want.

 

[IslandLizard]

I mounted my drill to the mill platform, so I can quickly and easily adjust the speed of the mill without having to hang on to the drill. Once the mill is running, I'm able to do other things like keeping the hopper full since my hopper will not hold all of the grains I'm crushing at one shot.

Indeed, hands off is the way to do it. It makes milling such a joy! Just add grain...

 

[kh54s10]

I have the faster Harbor Freight hammer drill. Hammer feature turned off. The speed with the dial turned to slowest is too fast with the trigger pulled all the way. I have tried 2 speed controllers, neither worked. I have to trigger by hand. It is doable. Not ideal but the price was right and it works well.

Some day I am going to motorize with whatever needed and just an on off switch.

 

[IslandLizard]

My mill requires the drill to spin in reverse.

That's strange...
What mill is that?
Is it perhaps mounted upside down? Or are the roller reversed, left to right?

 

[wilserbrewer]

FWIW as part of the discussion, the HF D handle
1/2” drill is another viable option.
Max RPM is 900, but it has a whopping 9 amp motor so it still does pretty well at lower rpm.
I use one to turn the kegco 3 roller....a few years ago it was only $35 less 20% so almost free lol.

I also have a 50 y/o Craftsmen drill that resembles the HF 1/2” slow speed spade drill.

Both have the needed Norwegian steam to turn a mill.

 

[augiedoggy]

That's strange...
What mill is that?
Is it perhaps mounted upside down? Or are the roller reversed, left to right?

Not to go off topic but this isnt the first time that would be the case.

 

[CodeSection]

Bottom line is either option will need to be slowed down. Neither can be used at full speed. @CodeSection I'm curious if your holding the drill during milling and adjusting speed with your finger or is the drill mounted and locked at a specific RPM.

~HopSing.

I am holding the drill during milling and I easily can maintain a low speed with my finger. I did buy an on/off foot pump for another application that I have never used so I guess I could use that....but it is simply not needed in my case.

I own a MM-3Pro grain mill. Since I typically brew higher gravity beers (my current brew taking 37.77 lbs of grain), I first fill the hopper to about 3/4 full of grain and then mill. This generally fills the bucket with milled grain near the top of the bucket. I set the mill on another bucket while I empty the first bucket. I again fill the hopper with grain and mill the remaining grain.

My brew area is in my game room, therefore I try to use the space wisely as I do not want to convert the whole room over to a brewery. As can be seen in the pictures below, I do not have the space to attach the drill to a mill platform or to a cart.

 

[HopSing]

No bad advice in this thread. I bought the drill I mentioned above because it was on sale during an HF Liquidation sale for $15 and I had the speed controller on hand (to slow down a Bosch router). It’s worked well, but the lower RPM, higher torque drills are likely better suited.


@IslandLizard - Yup, the roller is reversed. It’s a Barley Crusher I bought 2nd hand for $10 since the guy I bought it from said it no longer worked. At the time, Randy, the owner of Barley Crusher, was honoring a lifetime warranty on the mill, so I figured it was a safe buy. When I got the mill home and disassembled it, it was clear the prior owner tried to fix it and reassembled it backwards and also removed all of the lube. He was also using a cordless keyless chuck drill which could not get a good bite on the shaft. Between no lube and a loose bite, the result was he scored the shaft enough that I could not get the shaft to slide off of the bushing. Since I was planning to have it sent for service I wasn’t worried about it. For giggles, I lubed it and reassembled it with the roller still reversed and found both rollers spun freely. That was over 3 years ago and I’m still waiting for it to stop working.


That said, I’ve been eyeing a 3 roller mill and leaning towards the Kegco / Malt Muncher, which seems to be the best bang for the buck and very popular with minimal negative comments. If my current drill doesn’t have the balls to drive the new mill, I know what other options there are.


@CodeSection I’m with you on having limited brewery space. I actually switched out the hopper on my mill for a section of duct. This allows me to store the mill, hopper, drill, etc. in the 6 gallon bucket I mill into and put the cover on the bucket for easy storage. I get about 10 pounds of grain in the “duct hopper”.

Thanks all.

~HopSing.

 

[LittleRiver]

I agree with what all the others have said, you need low speed and high torque.

I drive my Kegco 3 roller mill with this drill, it has been working great for 3 years.

This drill also looks to have the right specs.

 

[augiedoggy]

I spent more than I really had to and bought a 170rpm bodine 45R motor off of ebay along with a mount and a switch that reverses the motor if something gets jammed in my kegco. That along with the $40 red steel harbor freight cart its all mounted to brought the cost up to around $350 for the whole setup and now I see you can get the motorized 2 roller version from northern brewer complete with table for about that.

I use mine at my brewpub and just decided to go with the motor for longer life and also because it runs for longer periods of time crushing 150-200lbs at a time.

A drill would have been a great option at home but I had a big dc gear reduction motor I decided to use to pulley drive my cereal killer because the motor spun the wrong way to direct drive it. The thing with the router controllers (as mentioned) is they use PWM to effectively pulse the drill motor power to slow it down so you really want a strong drill because its going to be driven at partial power unless you find a low rpm gear reduction drill.

From what Ive read the sweet spot is 240rpms or lower for longer life on the roller knurling with these smaller diameter rollers.