# Want To Buy A Grain Mill...



## bevdawg (5/6/11)

Hi all. So I'm after a mill, and been looking around on various US sites and can see some nice options for around $150 plus shipping. Problem is a lot do not ship to Australia, or direct you to a distributer who sells the same one for double the price. 

I really want to get a mill, to save some money on grain orders, but don't really want to spend over $200. Can anyone point me to a good mill for around $150?


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## pdilley (5/6/11)

Buy through an on-shipper like PriceUSA and you can get any mill you want even if they don't ship to Australia.

A lot of others can give good ~150 mill advice. I have a mashmaster mill so I am not in the position to advise 

Cheers,
Brewer Pete


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## QldKev (5/6/11)

http://www.monsterbrewinghardware.com/mm-2.html 
$US117

Postage 
$US45 (for 1 or 2 units) Get someone local involved and half the postage each

I got one

nuff said :lol: 


There is a couple of others that are just as good value, and all very good mills. This was my choice and would still be, having owned it for a long time. There is details of my hopper and how I motorised it on my website *plug*. The link is in my sig.

QldKev


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## peaky (5/6/11)

Yep, love my motorised MM-2. I bought the hopper and base with the mill. The 32L wheely bin was $10 at K-Mart. The base is the perfect size to sit on top of the bin. The bin fits 9 kilos of crushed grain no worries. Too easy :icon_cheers:


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## QldKev (5/6/11)

peakydh said:


> Yep, love my motorised MM-2. I bought the hopper and base with the mill. The 32L wheely bin was $10 at K-Mart. The base is the perfect size to sit on top of the bin. The bin fits 9 kilos of crushed grain no worries. Too easy :icon_cheers:
> 
> View attachment 46164




Thats a cool grain catcher! It would def keep the dust down as a bonus

QldKev


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## thesunsettree (5/6/11)

big definate plus one on the mm2. one of the best investments in my brewery.

matt


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## stux (5/6/11)

Go for the MM2

If you can get someone in on it with you you will half the shipping...

unless you want the hopper, and the hopper is very nice


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## bevdawg (5/6/11)

wow that one is great. with the hopper and base it comes to $218US, so a great deal really.


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## QldKev (5/6/11)

bevdawg said:


> wow that one is great. with the hopper and base it comes to $218US, so a great deal really.




and remember, once you have a mill you can get bulk grain so it wont take long to pay it off. 

QldKev


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## hsb (5/6/11)

Another great 'homebrew saving'  this hobby is just chockablock with savings!

Hope that's taken with the light brand of humour it's posted, I'm sure many are sitting on mounds of gold saved by mills right at this moment.  

Posted by a twisted mill-less tired and sober poster who only opened this thread as I also am looking to make another great 'homebrew saving' purchase 

The mill looks like a nice investment, 25kg base malt me right up. More kegs and more cubes to follow!


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## Dazza88 (5/6/11)

How much do the monster mills weigh? Have a in law visiting US soon, wonder if feasible to pack in their luggage on the way back.


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## Frag_Dog (5/6/11)

DazDog said:


> How much do the monster mills weigh? Have a in law visiting US soon, wonder if feasible to pack in their luggage on the way back.



I brought 2 back with me, a 2 roller and a 3 roller. I flew with Qantas, I think they had a 22kg limit on bags (think it was 50lbs for the american baggage handelers union or something). They fit and I still had heaps of crap in there.

Word of advise but, you bag WILL get pulled apart about 20 times, so don't put anything fragile in there. I had plastic coffee drip thingo for my mum in there and some dumb-ass put it near the mill which was the end of it...

Thankfully the Peanut Butter M&M's made it unharmed!


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## eamonnfoley (5/6/11)

DazDog said:


> How much do the monster mills weigh? Have a in law visiting US soon, wonder if feasible to pack in their luggage on the way back.



A lot of stuff (including Monster) cannot be purchased in stores. It needs to be shipped to an address. In general more is purchased online in the USA, and prices are better than in retail shops. Your better off buying you mill online, with the good dollar the price is very good even with the postage costs to Aust. As others have said, the base and hopper are brilliant and worth every cent. I was just over there and wanted to buy a good PH meter. Couldn't find one, so ended up buying it online when I got home (what's $20 postage in the scheme of things!)

In saying that homebrew shops stock a lot of cool stuff, such as the Blichmann therminator, which I bought and love!


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## Bada Bing Brewery (5/6/11)

I got a MM3 with hopper and base. Great buy and it has paid for itself.
Cheers
BBB


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## felten (5/6/11)

Crankandsteins are great too, MM and Crank mills are very similar, both a solid piece of kit that is going to last decades whichever one you get.


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## keifer33 (5/6/11)

I have a crankie and it has made a huge difference in cost and freedom to crush whenever I feel like. I just have the basic 2S but it works a treat and crushes great.


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## Dazza88 (5/6/11)

foles said:


> A lot of stuff (including Monster) cannot be purchased in stores. It needs to be shipped to an address. In general more is purchased online in the USA, and prices are better than in retail shops. Your better off buying you mill online, with the good dollar the price is very good even with the postage costs to Aust. As others have said, the base and hopper are brilliant and worth every cent. I was just over there and wanted to buy a good PH meter. Couldn't find one, so ended up buying it online when I got home (what's $20 postage in the scheme of things!)
> 
> In saying that homebrew shops stock a lot of cool stuff, such as the Blichmann therminator, which I bought and love!



I got an address in which i could post to in the us where my in-law is staying late in his trip. 

so, could anyone let me know the approximate weight of the $117 Mill? or the 2s crankenstein? about 5 kg?


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## jbumpstead (5/6/11)

DazDog said:


> I got an address in which i could post to in the us where my in-law is staying late in his trip.
> 
> so, could anyone let me know the approximate weight of the $117 Mill? or the 2s crankenstein? about 5 kg?



The crankandstein is about 3kg.

Cheers,

Justin.


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## peaky (5/6/11)

Bumma said:


> The crankandstein is about 3kg.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Justin.



I imagine the MM-2 would be about the same. I think both mills are fairly similar in size.


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## Brewtus (5/6/11)

My MM2 arrive 2weeks back for $180 shipped with crank handle. All good.


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## Deebo (5/6/11)

How long does shipping usually take from the USA ?


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## Brewtus (5/6/11)

Deebo said:


> How long does shipping usually take from the USA ?


Mine took about 3 weeks from order to arrival.


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## flyinhi (6/6/11)

bevdawg said:


> Hi all. So I'm after a mill, and been looking around on various US sites and can see some nice options for around $150 plus shipping. Problem is a lot do not ship to Australia, or direct you to a distributer who sells the same one for double the price.
> 
> I really want to get a mill, to save some money on grain orders, but don't really want to spend over $200. Can anyone point me to a good mill for around $150?



PM sent RE: qldkev's post


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## Nevalicious (6/6/11)

Frag_Dog said:


> I brought 2 back with me, a 2 roller and a 3 roller.



How much did you pay Frag?? Are they readily available in shops over there?? I'm heading over in a couple of weeks and toying with this idea, but at the end of the day, may not be worth it... Split the purchase with another brewer and half the postage...?

Thanks


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## Jarthy (6/6/11)

I'm also interested in getting one soon (maybe in a month?), so if you're in Brisbane let me know if you want to share shipping.


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## Midnight Brew (6/6/11)

If it works out cheaper, I'll share shipping with anyone in Melbourne.


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## argon (6/6/11)

can't reccommend the MM2 enough... i bought mine a couple of months back when the dollar was 1.09US ended up getting to my door for $153.6AU even after Paypals gouging <_< I just knocked up a base out of some spare MDF i had laying around and a spare water cooler bottle jammed in the cut hole and sealed with liquid nails, over a bucket... not entirely pretty but work a treat. Drive it with an old corded drill. 

I've done 3 double batches so far with it and i'd be getting pretty close to breaking even with buying grain in bulk... maybe another 100L or so and i'll be about on par.


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## Malted (6/6/11)

Here are the links to the two companies refered to:

http://www.crankandstein.net/index.php?mai...dex&cPath=7

http://www.monsterbrewinghardware.com/products_main.html


It seems as though people who bought a crankandstein mill love them.
It seems as though people who bought a moster mill love them.


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## bum (6/6/11)

Malted said:


> It seems as though people who bought a crankandstein mill love them.
> It seems as though people who bought a moster mill love them.


You never see anyone complaining about the mill they buy (except for the odd owner of a long-in the tooth marga). I think it is pretty hard to go get a shit mill.

For the record, I have a JSP MaltMill and I love it.


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## argon (6/6/11)

bum said:


> You never see anyone complaining about the mill they buy (except for the odd owner of a long-in the tooth marga). I think it is pretty hard to go get a shit mill.


.. and even then it's usually caveated by, "oh well i bought a small cheap mill that was never intended for crushing x hundred kilo of grain for x amount of years. It was great, but now it's time to buy another, or a designed for purpose grain mill"


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## Bribie G (6/6/11)

My second hand Marga does a great job in about 20 mins with little or no effort. However it was already modded and dynabolted for me when I got it, no complaints for $30. To all intents and purposes it looks and runs like brand new, despite the odd bit of Golden Promise field flint that jams it up now and again


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## Florian (6/6/11)

If you want something for your kids to inherit or with a great resale value, go the mashmaster millmaster. I know it's about double your budget, but at least, being fully geared, you can be certain it will never stuff up like some of the single geared mills might do over time. Not saying they all definately will, but there is a very fair chance. Why not get the best mill now and don't have to worry about it anymore for the rest of your life. 
Plus, it's a 12kg beast to be proud of.

No need to motorise it either, I crack 5kg with the crank handle in (seriously) 2,5 minutes with absolute ease, no sore arm.


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## Bribie G (6/6/11)

Hand cranked mills are actually very easy. I was at Winkle's brew day and he just has a hand cranked Marga. I had a go and imagined it would be a world of pain like some medieval treadmill. Actually the action was surprisingly light. I was going to convert my Marga back to hand crank to avoid buying a drill but couldn't dismantle it however.


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## Paul H (6/6/11)

bum said:


> You never see anyone complaining about the mill they buy (except for the odd owner of a long-in the tooth marga). I think it is pretty hard to go get a shit mill.
> 
> For the record, I have a JSP MaltMill and I love it.



I have a barley crusher & would warn anyone considering doing large volumes of milling to look elsewhere. Over time the free roller loses its ability to grip the grain leading to frustration.

Cheers

Paul


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## flyinhi (6/6/11)

Midnight Brew said:


> If it works out cheaper, I'll share shipping with anyone in Melbourne.



I'm in Geelong, and keen to get a MM2 if the price and shipping is what qldkev mentioned at the top of this thread.


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## peaky (6/6/11)

Paul H said:


> I have a barley crusher & would warn anyone considering doing large volumes of milling to look elsewhere. Over time the free roller loses its ability to grip the grain leading to frustration.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Paul



Could you get it re-knurled maybe?


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## Paul H (6/6/11)

peakydh said:


> Could you get it re-knurled maybe?



Not sure how one would go about it, given some of the others are available for $150 might be easier to buy a new one.

Cheers

Paul


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## Hatchy (6/6/11)

Paul H said:


> I have a barley crusher & would warn anyone considering doing large volumes of milling to look elsewhere. Over time the free roller loses its ability to grip the grain leading to frustration.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Paul



My barley crusher is precisely the reason I'm reading this thread.

I was looking at the MM site yesterday & wondering if there's any point in getting the 3 roller or the 2" roller upgrade. I was probably leaning towards the 3 roller 1.5" but I'm willing to save some money if there's no value in the 3rd roller. I'll be ordering mine on Thursday once I get my bonus pay.


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## Brewtus (6/6/11)

Here is my mill with my happy harlequin hopper. About $20 in bits including a set of coloured cutting mats.


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## Hatchy (6/6/11)

Looks like I was too slow to edit that post by precisely the time it took me to edit my post so sorry about the double post.

Due to a PM about the barley crusher I figured I should mention that it does still work, just not as well as I'd like. I'm going to be giving it to a mate who expects to be using it for years to come. I got it 2nd hand for $50 & have cracked enough bulk grain with it that I'm sure I'm in front. My mate that I got it from feels the same I'm sure. We've estimated that we've probably put about a tonne of grain through it between us so it's not like it's an unreliable mill, I just reckon I'd prefer a monster mill.


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## tallie (6/6/11)

Paul H said:


> I have a barley crusher & would warn anyone considering doing large volumes of milling to look elsewhere. Over time the free roller loses its ability to grip the grain leading to frustration.



+1 it can really sour your brewday when it starts taking 20-30 minutes just to crush your grain. I'm in the upgrade market at the moment for this very reason.

Cheers,
tallie


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## Hatchy (6/6/11)

tallie said:


> +1 it can really sour your brewday when it starts taking 20-30 minutes just to crush your grain. I'm in the upgrade market at the moment for this very reason.
> 
> Cheers,
> tallie



Do you know what you'll be upgrading to?


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## felten (6/6/11)

BribieG said:


> Hand cranked mills are actually very easy. I was at Winkle's brew day and he just has a hand cranked Marga. I had a go and imagined it would be a world of pain like some medieval treadmill. Actually the action was surprisingly light. I was going to convert my Marga back to hand crank to avoid buying a drill but couldn't dismantle it however.


Oh yeah it's not too hard to hand crank at all, but it can get a bit tedious if you're crushing 7.5kg of malt, or some of the tougher non-malt grains. I tried hooking up an old hammer drill to my mill and it worked well, super fast, but I preferred the crush with a hand crank. That would be due to the drill being too fast though.


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## tallie (7/6/11)

Hatchy said:


> Do you know what you'll be upgrading to?



No, not yet.

Something I've wondered is whether or not any of the higher-end mills are designed so that both rollers will turn when you turn the handle (without grain in it), 'cause I think current mill would still work fine if it was geared that way. Or is it just wear and tear combined with the smaller diameter rollers.

Cheers,
tallie


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## Sprungmonkey (7/6/11)

are all the moster mills geared?


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## Ross (7/6/11)

Sprungmonkey said:


> are all the moster mills geared?




Monsters & Cranks are not geared, they all suffer from slipping after time, though some seem to have had much better longevity than others.

Cheers Ross


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## Florian (7/6/11)

tallie said:


> Something I've wondered is whether or not any of the higher-end mills are designed so that both rollers will turn when you turn the handle (without grain in it)



Hey Kris, 
The millmaster is exactly designed that way, the biggest reason why I chose it after looking at the american mills. Have a look at one when you get a chance, there is no way this mill will fail the way it is geared. Not sure if there are any other mills designed that way. 
IMO if you can somehow afford one now it's definately worth the money in the long run. 

As I said before, something your kids will inherit and still use for decades.


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## bconnery (7/6/11)

Florian said:


> Hey Kris,
> The millmaster is exactly designed that way, the biggest reason why I chose it after looking at the american mills. Have a look at one when you get a chance, there is no way this mill will fail the way it is geared. Not sure if there are any other mills designed that way.
> IMO if you can somehow afford one now it's definately worth the money in the long run.
> 
> As I said before, something your kids will inherit and still use for decades.


Kris. 
You are welcome to have a sticky beak at mine if you want. Combine a look at the mill with picking up your CPBF perhaps?
PM or drop me an email or give me a call...


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## QldKev (7/6/11)

Paul H said:


> I have a barley crusher & would warn anyone considering doing large volumes of milling to look elsewhere. Over time the free roller loses its ability to grip the grain leading to frustration.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Paul



I wonder what causes this, was it just poor heat treatment of the rollers and they did not end up hard enough? I would try and use a o-ring around one of the rollers, this would help turn the second roller and may be enough to make it good again. Only cost less than $1 to try. 

QldKev


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## mckenry (7/6/11)

Hatchy said:


> My barley crusher is precisely the reason I'm reading this thread.
> 
> I was looking at the MM site yesterday & wondering if there's any point in getting the 3 roller or the 2" roller upgrade. I was probably leaning towards the 3 roller 1.5" but I'm willing to save some money if there's no value in the 3rd roller. I'll be ordering mine on Thursday once I get my bonus pay.



Here we go again Hatchy :lol: 
I am the public defender of the Barley Crusher!
Mine works like new, after hundreds of kgs. Hatchy has done tons too, but its wearing out.
Maybe I am just lucky with this one as not many people give it a wrap.


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## Hogan (7/6/11)

mckenry said:


> Here we go again Hatchy :lol:
> I am the public defender of the Barley Crusher!
> Mine works like new, after hundreds of kgs. Hatchy has done tons too, but its wearing out.
> Maybe I am just lucky with this one as not many people give it a wrap.




I'll give the BC a big thumbs up mckenry. Had mine for five years and its still going strong. Hand cranking gives me just the right crush.


Cheers, Hoges.


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## QldKev (7/6/11)

The way I see the MM2 (or any equiv American mill) Vs Millmaster is; if I crushed large volumes of grain I would have gotten the Millmaster. I average about 5kg of grain per week, and after crushing about 500kg of grain when I put the motor on it and it still looked in perfect condition. I expect the MM2 to last out my brewing time, even if it dies in 20 years time I wont complain. Could even be a good time to try the 3 roller version. Should you get a decent hard rock/metal in the grain I think it could as easily stuff either mill. I know I've had a couple of rocks pass through mine (without damage to it, touch wood). Also if either should get wet somehow and stored I think both will have issues. If you want a Merc get a Millmaster, if your happy with a Commodore the MM2 looks great.

QldKev


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## amarks5 (7/6/11)

Anyone know where to buy a Millmaster these days? Craftbrewer's site shows out of stock and it's no longer on the Mashmaster website at all.

Cheers,

Tony


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## Malted (7/6/11)

I have a *three roller monstermill *and the first roller really *does* *pull the husk off* and leave it fairly intact whilst the second roller pass crushes the grain guts. I am rather happy with this.

I reckon the 3 roller crankandstein mill would be just as good at pulling the husks off.

However, if you use wheat, rye and barley it probably would be good to have a system that you can EASILY adjust the roller gap - the Mashmaster mill is about the only geared roller (both rollers spin) that you can easily adjust the gap by one or two clicks as you go along. 

Even though some Monster Mills and Crankandsteins can be adjusted _relatively_ easily you will need a feeler guage to set the gap. Mashmaster has a big knob and you can click it around a couple of positions. 

But then again plenty of people get 80+ effeciency from grain crushed with the bottom of the line budget models. I suppose it depends on how much bling you want and what features you THINK you need...


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## Paul H (7/6/11)

QldKev said:


> I wonder what causes this, was it just poor heat treatment of the rollers and they did not end up hard enough? I would try and use a o-ring around one of the rollers, this would help turn the second roller and may be enough to make it good again. Only cost less than $1 to try.
> 
> QldKev



I emailed the manufacturer who offered to send some orings (as the size needed is not readily available) if I provided SSAE with postage. Manufacturer has not sent said orings, nor replied to follow-up emails. I hope he enjoyed the $9 in postage vouchers I sent.

Cheers

Paul


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## Paul H (7/6/11)

I am currently making use of a mashmaster mill that has been left idle by a fellow brewer & can't complain at all.

Cheers
Paul


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## Ross (7/6/11)

el tono said:


> Anyone know where to buy a Millmaster these days? Craftbrewer's site shows out of stock and it's no longer on the Mashmaster website at all.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Tony



Current Millmaster is discontinued, as the demand for what was basically a commercial mill was not great enough against the current crop of cheap imports.
On the good news front, a new mill is on its way. Basically the same size rollers as the Monsters etc, but fully geared. I don't have news on the pricing yet, but i'm assured it will compete 
very favourably with the current imports. I'm hoping less than a month away, but will confirm & announce formally when I have something definate.
I would recommend anyone wanting a new mill to hold fire & weigh this one up against the USA imports before making a decision.

Cheers Ross


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## Paul H (7/6/11)

Ross said:


> Current Millmaster is discontinued, as the demand for what was basically a commercial mill was not great enough against the current crop of cheap imports.
> On the good news front, a new mill is on its way. Basically the same size rollers as the Monsters etc, but fully geared. I don't have news on the pricing yet, but i'm assured it will compete
> very favourably with the current imports. I'm hoping less than a month away, but will confirm & announce formally when I have something definate.
> I would recommend anyone wanting a new mill to hold fire & weigh this one up against the USA imports before making a decision.
> ...



Consider fire held & scales purchased  

Cheers

Paul


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## Batz (7/6/11)

QldKev said:


> I wonder what causes this, was it just poor heat treatment of the rollers and they did not end up hard enough? I would try and use a o-ring around one of the rollers, this would help turn the second roller and may be enough to make it good again. Only cost less than $1 to try.
> 
> QldKev




Must be something along those lines Kev, I own the now discontinued Valley Mill and have had it for around 8-10 years. During this time I must have crushed a shit load of grain, and I've never had a problem with rollers slipping or not pulling grain through. The knurling is still nice and sharp like when it was new, it's a two roller non-geared mill.
I don't think I've heard brewers complain about the Monster Mill having slipping issues?


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## tavas (7/6/11)

Paul H said:


> I emailed the manufacturer who offered to send some orings (as the size needed is not readily available) if I provided SSAE with postage. Manufacturer has not sent said orings, nor replied to follow-up emails. I hope he enjoyed the $9 in postage vouchers I sent.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Paul




Clark Rubber has a selection of rings which will suit. If not, you can get an o ring kit and make your own, though I would be very surprised if off the shelf o rings are not available.

Other places to try would be Enzed, Pirtek or any hydraulic shop.


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## Paul H (7/6/11)

tavas said:


> Clark Rubber has a selection of rings which will suit. If not, you can get an o ring kit and make your own, though I would be very surprised if off the shelf o rings are not available.
> 
> Other places to try would be Enzed, Pirtek or any hydraulic shop.



Thanks will try..

Cheers

Paul


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## Howlingdog (7/6/11)

Paul H said:


> Thanks will try..
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Paul



Paul,

A & B Seals PTY LTD‎ , 3 welch st, Underwood will have any seal you need.

HD


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## felten (7/6/11)

Malted said:


> Even though some Monster Mills and Crankandsteins can be adjusted relatively easily you will need a feeler guage to set the gap. Mashmaster has a big knob and you can click it around a couple of positions.


No feeler gauge required on the crankandstein 2d and 3d, they have detented adjusters with set increments, the same as the mashmaster I guess. It looks like the 2s, 2a and 3e would require a gauge though. Not sure if the monstermills have the same feature.


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## stux (7/6/11)

MonsterMill's have straight eliptical adjusters (ie no clicking/notches)

So, it sounds like the lucky sod's with the stainless steel MillMaster's will have an indestructable rarity 

A good tip I heard was just to use a credit card to set the mill gap, not sure what that equates to though


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## tavas (7/6/11)

A hacksaw blade is about 40" or 1 mm, give or take a bit. Or a set of feeler gauges is pretty cheap. Credit card is probably about the same but would you want the knurled roller scratching your card?


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## QldKev (7/6/11)

tavas said:


> A hacksaw blade is about 40" or 1 mm, give or take a bit. Or a set of feeler gauges is pretty cheap. Credit card is probably about the same but would you want the knurled roller scratching your card?




Use the wife's c/card. Saves buying feeler gauges and saves her buying more crap


credit cards, set the points in a distributor, set the gap on a mill, even buy things, is there anything it can't do

QldKev


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## Batz (7/6/11)

Stux said:


> So, it sounds like the lucky sod's with the stainless steel MillMaster's will have an indestructable rarity




It does sound I like should have snapped one up in case the old Valley dies, and one day it will I suppose.




> Current Millmaster is discontinued, as the demand for what was basically a commercial mill was not great enough against the current crop of cheap imports.
> On the good news front, a new mill is on its way. Basically the same size rollers as the Monsters etc, but fully geared. I don't have news on the pricing yet, but i'm assured it will compete
> very favourably with the current imports. I'm hoping less than a month away, but will confirm & announce formally when I have something definate.
> I would recommend anyone wanting a new mill to hold fire & weigh this one up against the USA imports before making a decision.
> ...



It sounds like the new ones will be build for a price to compete with imports rather than a commercial quality unit. Bad luck for us brewers happy to pay that bit more for a mill that would have lasted life, who's fault? Ours!

Still mine stills works a treat and I maybe dead tomorrow..... especially as Tidalpete's paying the Cave a visit.


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## Ross (7/6/11)

Batz said:


> It does sound I like should have snapped one up in case the old Valley dies, and one day it will I suppose.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Quality won't be comprimised, it's just the original mill had over 12kg of S/S in it with it's huge rollers, this impacted on material & freight costs.
There will be a new commercial mill even better specked than the current Millmaster, but it's a while off from production.

cheers Ross


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## Batz (7/6/11)

Ross said:


> Quality won't be comprimised, it's just the original mill had over 12kg of S/S in it with it's huge rollers, this impacted on material & freight costs.
> There will be a new commercial mill even better specked than the current Millmaster, but it's a while off from production.
> 
> cheers Ross




Good to hear Ross, mines still crushing ATM but when it dies I'll be over for a mill and a beer, maybe two.....beers that is!


----------



## kymba (7/6/11)

hey paul, i bought my o-rings from porters industrial sales - they have quite a range

i drive a home made wooden roller mill with 2 o-rings no worries. I put one o-ring each on each end of one roller then lever the the opposite roller into it, otherwise i get slippage


----------



## Peteoz77 (7/6/11)

Ross said:


> Quality won't be comprimised, it's just the original mill had over 12kg of S/S in it with it's huge rollers, this impacted on material & freight costs.
> There will be a new commercial mill even better specked than the current Millmaster, but it's a while off from production.
> 
> cheers Ross




Ross, if they had just kept making the original mill instead of only offering the stainless model, they would still be selling a lot of mills. I bought one a few years ago, and I consider it to be better than any other non commercial mill available (except the stainless model) I bought mine, made a table, motorised it and set up a hopper for less than $375. I am 110% happy and know I will be for as long as I make beer. Not sure why Mashmaster made the mistake of stopping the hardened steel version.. but as i said.. if they still offered them , they would still be selling them.


----------



## tallie (7/6/11)

Florian said:


> Hey Kris,
> The millmaster is exactly designed that way, the biggest reason why I chose it after looking at the american mills. Have a look at one when you get a chance, there is no way this mill will fail the way it is geared. Not sure if there are any other mills designed that way.
> IMO if you can somehow afford one now it's definately worth the money in the long run.
> 
> As I said before, something your kids will inherit and still use for decades.



As I was begining to suspect, it sounds like a geared mill is the way to go. Holding fire at the moment until the latest offering from Ross comes in.



bconnery said:


> Kris.
> You are welcome to have a sticky beak at mine if you want. Combine a look at the mill with picking up your CPBF perhaps?
> PM or drop me an email or give me a call...



Thanks Ben, would be good still to see the alternatives out there. I might even have a batch of grain that wants to have a closer look at the mill too - you know, to get a better idea on how it performs  . Will be in touch once the weekend plans are known.

Cheers,
tallie


----------



## Hatchy (13/6/11)

I ended up going with the 2" MM2. I was planning on getting the 1.5" MM3 but had a chat with a few brewers at brewboys last Thursday & ended up deciding that the bigger rollers were the way to go over the 3rd roller. I'm not sure how much difference it's likely to make.

Malted, maybe an experimental brewday one day? 2 batches with the same gear & same recipe, one batch milled with yr 3 roller & one milled with my 3 roller once I get it? Then we get drunk, forget which batch is which & decide that it doesn't matter which mill we use.


----------



## argon (13/6/11)

Batz said:


> I don't think I've heard brewers complain about the Monster Mill having slipping issues?



Timely bump to this thread... Crushed some grain last night with my mm2 which is about 3 months old and has had maybe 25kg through it. I am getting very frequent slippage on the non-driven roller. Essentially thgrain won't go through and the sriven roller just spins. Frustrating as he'll... Not sure what is gong on. Had to give the whole thing a bit of a shake/bump to get it going again. This happened a few times. 

Assuming it's my gap set at 0.038? = too narrow? Or the amount if grain hitting the rollers. The hopper is a cooler bottle stuck in a piece of mdf with the whole at full bore of the neck of the bottle. Perhaps a combo of each? Too wide a feed and and too narrow a gap?

Anyone have any ideas?


----------



## QldKev (14/6/11)

argon said:


> Timely bump to this thread... Crushed some grain last night with my mm2 which is about 3 months old and has had maybe 25kg through it. I am getting very frequent slippage on the non-driven roller. Essentially thgrain won't go through and the sriven roller just spins. Frustrating as he'll... Not sure what is gong on. Had to give the whole thing a bit of a shake/bump to get it going again. This happened a few times.
> 
> Assuming it's my gap set at 0.038? = too narrow? Or the amount if grain hitting the rollers. The hopper is a cooler bottle stuck in a piece of mdf with the whole at full bore of the neck of the bottle. Perhaps a combo of each? Too wide a feed and and too narrow a gap?
> 
> Anyone have any ideas?




With 0.038 do you mean 38 thou ? Cause that is not too narrow. Let use metric its easier 38 thou = 0.9652mm

I'm run my mm2 at 0.8mm and get no slippage at all, I start with a loaded hopper and push batches of about 20kg of grain through it and never have issues. 

The key thing for the Monster mills is when mounting them they have to be perfectly square; and you need to ensure the free roller can spin freely. If it is tight to turn by hand you don't have it mounted square and you will have issues with feed.

QldKev


----------



## sanpedro (14/6/11)

QldKev said:


> The key thing for the Monster mills is when mounting them they have to be perfectly square; and you need to ensure the free roller can spin freely. If it is tight to turn by hand you don't have it mounted square and you will have issues with feed.



I can second this I have only recently got an MM2 with their hopper and base. When I put it together the free roller wouldn't turn, but I re-torqued the mill onto the base more carefully, testing the free roller as I went and this fixed the problem


----------



## argon (14/6/11)

QldKev said:


> With 0.038 do you mean 38 thou ? Cause that is not too narrow. Let use metric its easier 38 thou = 0.9652mm
> 
> I'm run my mm2 at 0.8mm and get no slippage at all, I start with a loaded hopper and push batches of about 20kg of grain through it and never have issues.
> 
> ...




Thanks for that... yes 0.038thou via feeler gauge (had it set to 0.035thou originally but then opened up in an effort to rectify - no difference) The free roller turns fine by hand, from memory. Will have another look when i'm home. The other things i can think of is the speed of the driven roller... perhaps my drill is running too fast? When power is applied the driven roller spins and doesn't 'feed' the grain into the gap.


----------



## Malted (14/6/11)

Hatchy said:


> Malted, maybe an experimental brewday one day? 2 batches with the same gear & same recipe, one batch milled with yr 3 roller & one milled with my 2 roller once I get it? Then we get drunk, forget which batch is which & decide that it doesn't matter which mill we use.



I like your logic! :super:


----------



## QldKev (14/6/11)

argon said:


> Thanks for that... yes 0.038thou via feeler gauge (had it set to 0.035thou originally but then opened up in an effort to rectify - no difference) The free roller turns fine by hand, from memory. Will have another look when i'm home. The other things i can think of is the speed of the driven roller... perhaps my drill is running too fast? When power is applied the driven roller spins and doesn't 'feed' the grain into the gap.




Check out the roller, it should spin very freely. I used to use a drill to run my mill, but in low range it was a 0-350rpm unit. Funny thing is ever since I've had the mill it has only ever slipped once. It happened to be when a mate was crushing his crain for the first time on it. That was over a year ago and it has never done it since. 

QldKev


----------



## argon (14/6/11)

QldKev said:


> Check out the roller, it should spin very freely. I used to use a drill to run my mill, but in low range it was a 0-350rpm unit. Funny thing is ever since I've had the mill it has only ever slipped once. It happened to be when a mate was crushing his crain for the first time on it. That was over a year ago and it has never done it since.
> 
> QldKev




ok sweet... will check that... as i reckon that could easily be the culprit. (fingers crossed) Hopefully it's just holding a little more friction than it should. Hopefully realigning it will fix it up.


----------



## tavas (14/6/11)

argon said:


> ok sweet... will check that... as i reckon that could easily be the culprit. (fingers crossed) Hopefully it's just holding a little more friction than it should. Hopefully realigning it will fix it up.




By spin freely, it should actually spin a couple of times without assistance (if that makes sense). Any friction from either the hopper, base or other will stop it. I found out my hopper was restricting the floating roller and nothing owuld go through. A couple of spacers under the hopper and she's sweet as bro.

If that doesn't work, try a couple of O rings around your driven roller. Clark Rubber or any hydraulic/bearing shop should be able to supply for a bit over a buck.


----------



## Hatchy (23/6/11)

I only just realised that I don't have a tracking number for my mill. Do they normally send one? I got an email from paypal saying that the payment went through & that next time I should use paypal but there's no tracking number on it.


----------



## goomboogo (23/6/11)

Hatchy said:


> I only just realised that I don't have a tracking number for my mill. Do they normally send one? I got an email from paypal saying that the payment went through & that next time I should use paypal but there's no tracking number on it.



They'll send the tracking number after it's been shipped. I bought one quite a while ago and it was almost 2 weeks between receiving the receipt and receiving the shipping/tracking details. About a week after receiving the shipping e-mail, it arrived at the door.


----------



## Hatchy (23/6/11)

Cool, thanks mate. That's good to know.


----------



## tavas (23/6/11)

@ Hatchy

I found the guys at Monster Mill pretty good. If you email them they should provide the tracking number. Can't remember the guys name off hand.


----------



## goomboogo (23/6/11)

tavas said:


> @ Hatchy
> 
> I found the guys at Monster Mill pretty good. If you email them they should provide the tracking number. Can't remember the guys name off hand.



Fred Francis


----------



## Hatchy (23/6/11)

Love yr work fellas, I'm glad I asked.


----------



## drsmurto (23/6/11)

Question re driving a mill with a drill.

What power should i be looking at?

Found a few drills (corded) for less than $100 new that have 550 or 710W.

My 24V cordless Dick Smith drill is rubbish when it coms to driving the MM2, possibly due to a very small gap (need to buy some feeler guages to check it) and crushing large amounts of rye to near dust so i want something with the balls to do the job and not requiring recharging every 100g or so.

I'm guessing my drill is seriously lacking in torque even though i am using it on it's highest torque setting.


----------



## stux (23/6/11)

DrSmurto said:


> Question re driving a mill with a drill.
> 
> What power should i be looking at?
> 
> ...



Want to do it properly?

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=782636


----------



## seamad (23/6/11)

I used a "proper" hitachi heavy duty drill and worked no problems. Tried a cheap B&D when my dad had borrowed mine and was crap. Had to run through twice with tiny amounts in hopper. Have since pinched Qld Kev's set up and works fantastic, much slower rpm, ended up with increase in effeciency too..Igot the chinese 24V motor,came with bracket and bolts as well. Pretty easy to set up. Would recommend going this way over a drill.

cheers

sean


----------



## drsmurto (23/6/11)

Stux said:


> Want to do it properly?
> 
> http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...st&p=782636






seamad said:


> I used a "proper" hitachi heavy duty drill and worked no problems. Tried a cheap B&D when my dad had borrowed mine and was crap. Had to run through twice with tiny amounts in hopper. Have since pinched Qld Kev's set up and works fantastic, much slower rpm, ended up with increase in effeciency too..Igot the chinese 24V motor,came with bracket and bolts as well. Pretty easy to set up. Would recommend going this way over a drill.
> 
> cheers
> 
> sean



Both of these options require an ability with tools.

I don't have such an ability. Every time i pick up a hammer i get hurt and the nails laugh at me.

If someone sold a motor that was plug and play and required no more work for me than taking a drill out of a box then I'd be interested. 

And please don't reply or PM me telling me how easy it is. I got a fellow brewer to wire up my fridgemate/tempmates. One look at the hop drying screen i 'built' would be evidence enough that i am completely useless with tools and I'm comofrtable with that.


----------



## seamad (23/6/11)

Best bet then probably would be to go to a tool shop (like trade tools direct) and get some advice from them. Any cheap drill won't handle the required torque. Better off spending a little more a get one that will last.
Most makita tools I've found to be good quality, also hitachi and festool.
cheers

sean


----------



## tavas (23/6/11)

DrSmurto said:


> Question re driving a mill with a drill.
> 
> What power should i be looking at?
> 
> ...



Depends on what speed you want to run. Monster Mill suggest 1/4hp (180W) as a minimum. I started with a 1.5kw hammer drill which has 6 speed settngs. So 1/6th of 780 rpm (max speed) is 130rpm, but also only 250w. And it struggled, sometimes failing to start under load (which is a PITA to empty a full hopper of 5kgs of grain). It doesn't have capacitor start which I think is essential. 

So I ended up buying this bad boy: 0.5hp, capacitor start and run, 10:1 reduction gearbox. Mind you, if a rock or something gets through, she ain't gonna stop, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.


----------



## seamad (23/6/11)

Have a look at this one



[codebox]http://www.tradetools.com/Catalogue/ProductView.aspx?ProductCode=TTD800D[/codebox]


----------



## Mayor of Mildura (23/6/11)

DrSmurto said:


> Both of these options require an ability with tools.
> 
> I don't have such an ability. Every time i pick up a hammer i get hurt and the nails laugh at me.
> 
> ...


mate it's really easy  
my shitty battery ryobi from bunnings drives my mm2 no worries at all. However a corded drill would be good for when you forget to charge it.


----------



## drsmurto (23/6/11)

mayor of mildura said:


> mate it's really easy
> my shitty battery ryobi from bunnings drives my mm2 no worries at all. However a corded drill would be good for when you forget to charge it.



Have you tried crushing rye on a gap small enough to turn it to flour? :lol: :icon_drool2: 

It takes all my strength just to hang on to the drill as it starts and once it got away from me and sent the mill and hopper full of grain flying and showered me in rye (mmmmm, rye shower).

It could be that i am plain retarded (and that's a definite possibility) but i suspect i am asking too much of my drill when it comes to the torque required to get the mill started with a hopper full of grain. Draining a fully charged battery in 20 seconds also tells me i am asking a lot if it. When using it for it's designed purpose - drilling holes in walls etc it lasts ages.


----------



## seamad (23/6/11)

Have a look at the link I posted, I would think that drill would handle the rye.

cheers

sean


----------



## Mayor of Mildura (23/6/11)

DrSmurto said:


> Have you tried crushing rye on a gap small enough to turn it to flour? :lol: :icon_drool2:
> 
> It takes all my strength just to hang on to the drill as it starts and once it got away from me and sent the mill and hopper full of grain flying and showered me in rye (mmmmm, rye shower).
> 
> It could be that i am plain retarded (and that's a definite possibility) but i suspect i am asking too much of my drill when it comes to the torque required to get the mill started with a hopper full of grain. Draining a fully charged battery in 20 seconds also tells me i am asking a lot if it. When using it for it's designed purpose - drilling holes in walls etc it lasts ages.


That's piss funny. I've run rye through mine no prob. I reckon your gap might need a little bit of adjusting.


----------



## lastdrinks (23/6/11)

I was using a 18v cordless Ryobi drill to power my Barley Crusher but i would go through both batteries on a 9kg malt bill for a APA or lager. When i made my first wheat beer i only got through 4 kg of the 9kg crush before both batteries ran out. 

I then pulled out the newly purchased AEG drill, turned it to the slowest speed and it powered through it. It is a little tricky as i had to just feather the trigger so it didnt go too fast but i am happy with process of using the AEG drill and use it all the time now. Cant see myself setting up a purpose built motor drive for the mill until i run out of other projects.


----------



## QldKev (23/6/11)

My old 18v Ryobi could crush about 15kg from 1 battery. 

But the electric motor is soo much easier. 

QldKev


----------



## lastdrinks (23/6/11)

QldKev said:


> My old 18v Ryobi could crush about 15kg from 1 battery.
> 
> But the electric motor is soo much easier.
> 
> QldKev



My Ryobi is fairly new so i am guessing yours is an older model back when they made them better.


----------



## Hammo7 (23/6/11)

DrSmurto said:


> Question re driving a mill with a drill.
> 
> What power should i be looking at?
> 
> ...


Hey Mate.
I got the ozito 1150w 2 speed corded hammer drill from Bunnings. It rips through the grain on my mm3-2.0 at a gap of .038". But it really struggles with raw wheat, so I'd assume rye would be similar.

My advice would be to get a motor similar to the one than motiondynamics are selling (sorry, no link - on iPhone), and get someone local to help you set it during a brewday. 
If I was closer, I'd put my hand up to help you out! My thanks to you for the golden ale recipe!!


----------



## Malted (23/6/11)

DrSmurto said:


> Have you tried crushing rye on a gap small enough to turn it to flour? :lol: :icon_drool2:
> 
> It takes all my strength just to hang on to the drill as it starts and once it got away from me and sent the mill and hopper full of grain flying and showered me in rye (mmmmm, rye shower).
> 
> It could be that i am plain retarded (and that's a definite possibility) but i suspect i am asking too much of my drill when it comes to the torque required to get the mill started with a hopper full of grain. Draining a fully charged battery in 20 seconds also tells me i am asking a lot if it. When using it for it's designed purpose - drilling holes in walls etc it lasts ages.


Do you really have to crush it super fine in one pass?

Have you tried a larger gap with running the rye through the mill several times? It may take longer but could be easier on everything? Instead of straining the drill and draining the battery quickly, maybe a little less pressure on it and the battery will hold up longer? Try setting the roller gap to the thickness of a credit card since you don't have feeler guages.

For example: I seem to be able to get a progressively finer crush by multiple millings, less damage to the husks this way too. Wheat really bogs down for me and will stall my motor so I trickle a bit through and after it has had one crush I can just chuck the whole lot in. 

What sort of hopper do you have Smurts? Maybe you could put something in it to restrict the amount that gets through first time around? Buzz it through slowly with the credit card gap, then just buzz it all through however many times you think is neccessary for the crush you want?


----------



## Deebo (23/6/11)

lastdrinks said:


> My Ryobi is fairly new so i am guessing yours is an older model back when they made them better.



I just ran my first 5kg of grain through the monster mill 2 with my 18v ryobi (not that old, maybe 4 months?) and had no problems (I ran it through twice as I noticed a few whole looking grains on the first run).
Had 2 batteries charged just in case but didnt need the other one.

Would like to get a motor one day but not sure what I need to connect the electric motor posted in another thread connected to the monster mill 2


----------



## stux (24/6/11)

I ran 12 KG of 50% wheat malt through my mm2 with a ryobi 18V. 

It burnt the drill out 

No shit, it was smoking. Now I needed a new ryobi AND a better solution to run the MM


----------



## seamad (24/6/11)

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*TTD800D* *TRADETOOLS DIRECT 13MM CHUCK ENGINEERS DRILL* 



An industrial duty low speed 13mm engineers drill from the same factory that makes our highly successful jackhammer range. Has a low speed range of 0-600rpm making it ideal for most larger steel drilling & mixing applications. These drills have extremely high torque & are fitted with a variable speed reversing trigger. It is worth noting that these drills have a solid steel gearbox assembly - not as common as you might think in machines of this type!
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13mm Heavy Duty Keyed Chuck
Big 800 Watt Motor
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----------



## argon (25/7/11)

QldKev said:


> Check out the roller, it should spin very freely. I used to use a drill to run my mill, but in low range it was a 0-350rpm unit. Funny thing is ever since I've had the mill it has only ever slipped once. It happened to be when a mate was crushing his crain for the first time on it. That was over a year ago and it has never done it since.
> 
> QldKev



Sorted out the mill yesterday... the free roller was certainly not moving as freely as it could. Bits of crushed grain had been getting stuck between the roller and the mill body as i was crushing. So i just made the mounting holes on the mdf board i use for the hopper a little longer... like slotted holes so i could adjust how close the body was to the roller. Now the mill works beautifully without stuff getting stuck in there. Crisis averted.


----------



## QldKev (25/7/11)

argon said:


> Sorted out the mill yesterday... the free roller was certainly not moving as freely as it could. Bits of crushed grain had been getting stuck between the roller and the mill body as i was crushing. So i just made the mounting holes on the mdf board i use for the hopper a little longer... like slotted holes so i could adjust how close the body was to the roller. Now the mill works beautifully without stuff getting stuck in there. Crisis averted.




Glad you got it sorted out. I remember when fitting mine up I had to mount it twice to get it perfect, but touch wood it has been great since. 

QldKev


----------



## banora brewer (25/7/11)

Just wondering with these mills, do they come with a crank handle?


----------



## stux (25/7/11)

You can purchase a crank handle as an option if you get the 3/8" shaft monster mill


----------



## WarmBeer (25/7/11)

seamad said:


> *TTD800D* *TRADETOOLS DIRECT 13MM CHUCK ENGINEERS DRILL*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice and cheap unit. 70 Nm of claimed torque should power through any grain I can throw at it.

Postage is less than $15 to Vic, as well. 

Anybody had any first hand experience with these drills?


----------



## QldKev (25/7/11)

WarmBeer said:


> Nice and cheap unit. 70 Nm of claimed torque should power through any grain I can throw at it.
> 
> Postage is less than $15 to Vic, as well.
> 
> Anybody had any first hand experience with these drills?




No first hand experience with that drill. But the speed rating is still 0-600rpm. You only want about 150rpm. My old cordless I used to use was 0-350rpm and I still found it a bugger to get a good constistent speed / crush. 70nm at 600rpm would be a lot less at 1/4 of it speed at 150rpm, but I think it would still be heaps. For the same $ you can get the 12v DC motor up and running at the correct speed. The 12v setup is set and forget, you don't get stuck with holding the drill. But I guess you don't get a new drill out of it. The choice is yours.

QldKev


----------



## davewaldo (25/7/11)

WarmBeer said:


> Nice and cheap unit. 70 Nm of claimed torque should power through any grain I can throw at it.
> 
> Postage is less than $15 to Vic, as well.
> 
> Anybody had any first hand experience with these drills?




I've used one of these drills. My brother owns one. I was drilling 20mm holes in hardwood sleepers and it hardly sounded like the drill was under load. I had to really brace myself when using it as it would break my wrists without much difficulty.

So yes, a very powerful low-speed high torque drill. Not quiet though and whether or not its suited to milling I'm not sure...


----------



## Maheel (25/7/11)

davewaldo said:


> I've used one of these drills. My brother owns one. I was drilling 20mm holes in hardwood sleepers and it hardly sounded like the drill was under load. I had to really brace myself when using it as it would break my wrists without much difficulty.
> 
> So yes, a very powerful low-speed high torque drill. Not quiet though and whether or not its suited to milling I'm not sure...



would it be good for driving in screws an bolts as well into stuff?

my battery (torque) drill is stuffed and thinking this thing might be a cheap multi use tool with plenty of grunt 
i have a higher speed but it has shite torque...


----------



## davewaldo (25/7/11)

After playing with my brothers, and if I could only choose one cheap drill, I'd be choosing this one. Who needs high speed anyway? 

EDIT: and yes, it would drive screws awesomely! But you'd need to be careful as I don't think it has torque settings so you could either drive screws way too deep or end up with kicking bronco of a drill!


----------



## Bizier (25/7/11)

I would suggest that it could be too good at driving screws and strip threads in wood and thin steel if it has that much torque. If you are driving screws, you really want a clutch.


----------



## humulus (25/7/11)

A little bit :icon_offtopic: but just ordered a MM2 for US$165 which works out $150 something Australian im stoked!!!,bet you Swambo wont be when she finds out!! :icon_cheers:


----------



## Lord Raja Goomba I (25/7/11)

humulus said:


> A little bit :icon_offtopic: but just ordered a MM2 for US$165 which works out $150 something Australian im stoked!!!,bet you Swambo wont be when she finds out!! :icon_cheers:



As Jim Belushi said "it's easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission"

Goomba


----------



## WarmBeer (25/7/11)

WarmBeer said:


> Nice and cheap unit. 70 Nm of claimed torque should power through any grain I can throw at it.
> 
> Postage is less than $15 to Vic, as well.
> 
> Anybody had any first hand experience with these drills?


Just ordered one.

Will report back to this thread once I've received it and tried it out.


----------



## Hammo7 (25/7/11)

What I have now done is pulled all the gust out of my old corded drill, so all that remains are the stator, gearbox and chuck and casing.
I then screwed the drill case to a few bits of mdf to get the old drill chuck to the same height as the mill driveshaft. 
Attached the chuck (old drill) to the mill, then drive the end of the stator with my new drill. the new drill does not raise a sweat at all and a very slow crush speed (as the new drill is effectively driving a 10:1 gearbox)
In low range, the new drill rpm is 1000 no load, so I crush at 100rpm, there is hardly any husk damage. 
Not the neatest solution - actually very ugly, but oh, so effective. and will do until late august!
Would show pics, but a bit embarrassing atm, will clean it up and post pics!


----------



## Malted (25/7/11)

Maheel said:


> would it be good for driving in screws an bolts as well into stuff?
> 
> my battery (torque) drill is stuffed and thinking this thing might be a cheap multi use tool with plenty of grunt
> i have a higher speed but it has shite torque...




Multi use, yes! :lol:


----------



## QldKev (25/7/11)

Hammo7 said:


> What I have now done is pulled all the gust out of my old corded drill, so all that remains are the stator, gearbox and chuck and casing.
> I then screwed the drill case to a few bits of mdf to get the old drill chuck to the same height as the mill driveshaft.
> Attached the chuck (old drill) to the mill, then drive the end of the stator with my new drill. the new drill does not raise a sweat at all and a very slow crush speed (as the new drill is effectively driving a 10:1 gearbox)
> In low range, the new drill rpm is 1000 no load, so I crush at 100rpm, there is hardly any husk damage.
> ...




What a great idea. Reuse the old bits from the broken drill and allow your new drill crush at a decent controlled speed. Now you just need a mount system for the drill to hold it in place when you are milling, but can remove the drill when needed. :beerbang: 


QldKev


----------



## banora brewer (26/7/11)

Just can't decide, but I'm thinking of getting the mm2 with the base and hopper set.


----------



## bignath (26/7/11)

Just ordered a mashmaster mini mill from Ross.

Can't wait to get it and try it out. Selling my Crank' to a brewing mate who's just started to get into all grain. Really wanted the easy ability to change or adjust gap settings on the fly so to speak. 


Come on postie, come on.......


----------



## banora brewer (27/7/11)

I'm going to order a monstermill tomorrow, unless there is a better option


----------



## bignath (27/7/11)

Keep in mind that i have not used the mashmaster mini mill that i ordered this week yet, but the thing that i like about the mashmaster is the simplicity with adjusting the mill settings.

From what i can gather, different grains depending on where they are from - typically England, Europe, USA, or Aussie maltsters, the grain size can differ within the same "type" of grain. ie: an English ale grain kernel could quite easily be a different size grain to an australian ale grain, or usa ale grain....

I have (soon to be sold) a Crankandstein (spelling?) 2 roller mill. It's based very closely (almost identical) to the monster mills. Didn't the guy who started Crank use to work for monster mill???

IT'S A FANTASTIC MILL.
I have no complaints about using it to crush my grain. However, the single most thing that got me over the line to buy the mashmaster was that you undo a lock screw, change "setting" on the side of the mill, then lock the lock screw again and your good to go with a different gap setting if required. To me, the ability to chase consistency from one batch of grain to the next, is important for my personal journey through brewing.
To change the gap setting on the Crank, you have to disassemble the mill. Remove the idle roller, remove the brass eccentric bushing, change it's position in the mill chasis, and then reassemble the mill. Check your results, and maybe repeat the process until your happy with the crush consistency.
If you only use one type of grain, or a specific manufacturer, this is fine. In most cases actually, this is fine and more than acceptable. But i personally would love the opportunity to be able to change gap settings and test resulting brews really quickly and easily.

I have a feeling that most of the monster mills are probably adjusted in a similar fashion to the cranky's....

As i said, i haven't received the mill yet, (only ordered it yesterday) but i'm expecting a top notch mill, and i feel that Ross's price on this mill for the end of the month apparently is a pretty good deal for me...

No affiliation....just excited to get my mill hopefully in the next day or two.

All i need to do now is sort out a motor setup for it. 

Nath


----------



## tavas (27/7/11)

banora brewer said:


> I'm going to order a monstermill tomorrow, unless there is a better option



They are all good options. I have an MM2 but would be just as happy with a Crank or a Mashmaster minimill. Just comes down to what you want to pay and what you are paying for.


----------



## peaky (27/7/11)

Big Nath said:


> Keep in mind that i have not used the mashmaster mini mill that i ordered this week yet, but the thing that i like about the mashmaster is the simplicity with adjusting the mill settings.
> 
> From what i can gather, different grains depending on where they are from - typically England, Europe, USA, or Aussie maltsters, the grain size can differ within the same "type" of grain. ie: an English ale grain kernel could quite easily be a different size grain to an australian ale grain, or usa ale grain....
> 
> ...



The monster mill has screws on the back which can be loosened and then the gap adjusted using knobs on the sides of the mill body. Sounds like the same set-up as the mashmaster. Monster mills need no dismantling to adjust the gap. The mashmaster will be a great mill I reckon.


----------



## bignath (27/7/11)

Aaaah, thanks for that mate.

Happy to stand corrected, as i don't want to tarnish the name of a reputable company with incorrect information.


----------



## peaky (27/7/11)

Big Nath said:


> Aaaah, thanks for that mate.
> 
> Happy to stand corrected, as i don't want to tarnish the name of a reputable company with incorrect information.



No worries :icon_cheers: 

Post a report on how you go with the mashmaster mini mill. Not sure if anyone has yet? It should be a ripper


----------



## adniels3n (27/7/11)

My 1st mill is the Mashmaster Mini. Did my 1st crush last night (BB ale malt) based on the credit card gap theory. Came out too fine so I dialled it back one mark. Initially the marks didn't line up (one roller different to the other) but a few winds of the dials got them to line up. The stock it's made from isn't finished at all, but a polished mill would get knocked around pretty quick anyway. Tightening the gap set screws does seem to tighten up the rollers a bit. I like the nice mechanical whirr from the geared rollers though.


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## bignath (27/7/11)

Muddzy said:


> My 1st mill is the Mashmaster Mini. Did my 1st crush last night (BB ale malt) based on the credit card gap theory. Came out too fine so I dialled it back one mark. Initially the marks didn't line up (one roller different to the other) but a few winds of the dials got them to line up. The stock it's made from isn't finished at all, but a polished mill would get knocked around pretty quick anyway. Tightening the gap set screws does seem to tighten up the rollers a bit. I like the nice mechanical whirr from the geared rollers though.




Now i just want the postie to hurry the **** up even more now. :icon_cheers: 

Not worried about the finish, my Crank was more what i call brushed finished. Certainly was a long way from polished.

mmmmmmmm, mechanical whirr.....(homer simpson moment....)


----------



## pk.sax (30/7/11)

6" long, 2-Roller knob adjustable gap drill drive grain mill
SKU: MM-2	Drive Shaft Size: 1/2"
Roller Material: 303 SS

Shipped for USD 220

---------------------------------------------

CrankandStein 2D
303 Stainless Steel rollers for the 2S, 2A, and 2D 
1/2" Driveshaft

Shipped for USD 224.50

---------------------------------------------

Mashmaster Minimill

Shipped for AUD 238.75

---------------------------------------------

Now, I see from descriptions that the Crankandstein 2D and the Mashmaster are gear driven.
I can have a hopper and base shipped from Crank for no extra shipping if I can believe their website calculation. MM-2 Hopper increases postage! Mashmaster don't have one available by the looks of it?!

Bending towards ordering a crank with hopper.... Not sure though, is the Mashmaster minimill really that much better quality? Working out the exchange rate, I can get that Crankandstein spec'd similar to mashmaster and a hopper added + shipping for about the same price as I'd pay for a mashmaster shipped to me locally without a hopper!!!


----------



## humulus (30/7/11)

Monster mill on the way for around $140 delivered!!!!!!!!!!!! GO THE AUSSIE DOLLAR :icon_drunk:


----------



## pk.sax (30/7/11)

CrankandStein 2D
303 Stainless Steel rollers for the 2S, 2A, and 2D 
1/2" Driveshaft

+ Hopper & Base

Shipped for USD 264.50, which should end up ~240-245 AUD

Ordered


----------



## pk.sax (31/7/11)

practicalfool said:


> CrankandStein 2D
> 303 Stainless Steel rollers for the 2S, 2A, and 2D
> 1/2" Driveshaft
> 
> ...



Cancelled the dam hopper!!! They emailed back saying the hopper will cost 40 bucks extra to post!!!! Wow. Oh well, back to the drawing board to make one here


----------



## felten (31/7/11)

practicalfool said:


> Cancelled the dam hopper!!! They emailed back saying the hopper will cost 40 bucks extra to post!!!! Wow. Oh well, back to the drawing board to make one here


IIRC I remember seeing some comments saying that the monstermill hopper fits in the box along with a monstermill, so you don't have to pay any extra shipping. I have a crankandstein 2d though so don't quote me on that.



> Now, I see from descriptions that the Crankandstein 2D and the Mashmaster are gear driven.


BTW both the monstermill and crankandstein mills are all grain engaged on the non-driven wheel. The description for the 2d model says "grain engaged gear teeth", the gear won't turn the non driven roller by itself. It doesn't seem to be a problem for people that own them though.

The mashmaster mills are the only ones I know of (discussed here) that are gear driven on the idle roller.


----------



## jonw (31/7/11)

felten said:


> IIRC I remember seeing some comments saying that the monstermill hopper fits in the box along with a monstermill, so you don't have to pay any extra shipping. I have a crankandstein 2d though so don't quote me on that.



Correct. I've just received my MM2 with base and hopper. All in one flat-rate shipping box. I'm glad I bought the base and hopper - nicely made and will save me quite a bit of time knocking up my own.


----------



## banora brewer (31/7/11)

jonw said:


> Correct. I've just received my MM2 with base and hopper. All in one flat-rate shipping box. I'm glad I bought the base and hopper - nicely made and will save me quite a bit of time knocking up my own.


I'm just about to order one I think, how much was it in total? And how long did it take to arrive


----------



## pk.sax (31/7/11)

Crap. Ok, so that means the ply advantage I get from buying the crank is the 30-35 bucks saved off the mashmaster, but no gear drive... You say it's never been a problem. So, what's so special with the grain engaged gears? I basically picked the 2D over a MM2 just for that reason :S I plan to use a 36v drill to drive it and was concerned about slipping rollers, hence wanted to just play safe and get gear drive.
Btw, monster's website increases the freight if I add the hopper on there... Do we have to email them to get the no extra charge postage?

Thanks for your info though, wish I knew b4 I ordered.

@jonw did you mail them to fix their postage? I tried their website a few times and it always increases the postage


----------



## felten (31/7/11)

Geared or not geared, honestly I have no idea. I haven't had any problems with my mill in regards to slipping or husk tearing, but it's probably got lower mileage compared to others' mills.


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## pk.sax (31/7/11)

felten said:


> Geared or not geared, honestly I have no idea. I haven't had any problems with my mill in regards to slipping or husk tearing, but it's probably got lower mileage compared to others' mills.


Gah. I'll just stick to the 2D then, it's already ordered. Dam hard deciding between just 3!! I'm prolly never gonna get close to any mileage. Once a month maybe. Will get the sheeties at work to 'assist' in making a hopper  probably draw one up and give em a drawing and some under the table beer


----------



## jonw (31/7/11)

banora brewer said:


> I'm just about to order one I think, how much was it in total? And how long did it take to arrive



US$218 = AU$210, thanks to PayPal. Ordered 21st June, delivered 20th July.


----------



## banora brewer (31/7/11)

I've just bought a drill and socket, I will try and power my corona mill, if it dosent work, at-least I will have a drill, then I will get a monstermill.


----------



## DU99 (1/8/11)

crankenstein mills will deliver..you can get the 2A or 2S for under $100 postage is about $45..but if you get a mate that wants one you can share the post,thats just for mill
From Crankandstein


> Even three 2-roller or two 3-roller homebrew mills can go in one box for the same postage.


----------



## Maheel (1/8/11)

so i just read this whole thread again....

should i just go see Ross and buy the mashmaster ?

sure i could ship something in from OS for about $80 cheaper but will i just think "i should have bought a mashmaster"? 

Ross is the special staying on this week .....


----------



## Ross (1/8/11)

Maheel said:


> so i just read this whole thread again....
> 
> should i just go see Ross and buy the mashmaster ?
> 
> ...



I'll extend the offer for August.

IMO (& yes I'm biased, but that's why i stock them & not the others) the Cranks & Monsters, though perfectly good while working, don't come close to the Mashmaster Mill which will last you a lifetime.
I've owned (& have for sale) a top of the range 3 roller S/S Crank, so speak from experience. not owned a monster, but they are basically the same.

Cheers Ross


----------



## banora brewer (1/8/11)

Ross said:


> I'll extend the offer for August.
> 
> IMO (& yes I'm biased, but that's why i stock them & not the others) the Cranks & Monsters, though perfectly good while working, don't come close to the Mashmaster Mill which will last you a lifetime.
> I've owned (& have for sale) a top of the range 3 roller S/S Crank, so speak from experience. not owned a monster, but they are basically the same.
> ...


I'm ready to get a mill, I would like the mashmaster, but I don't have the tools to build a hopper for it, are there any other options?


----------



## Jarthy (1/8/11)

banora brewer said:


> I'm ready to get a mill, I would like the mashmaster, but I don't have the tools to build a hopper for it, are there any other options?



you could always make one out of cardboard and tape it together, the base however will need to be strong as these are heavy little ....rs


----------



## banora brewer (1/8/11)

Jarthy said:


> you could always make one out of cardboard and tape it together, the base however will need to be strong as these are heavy little ....rs


So basically just some wood with a hole cut in it, do you know if they come with bolts?


----------



## Ross (1/8/11)

banora brewer said:


> So basically just some wood with a hole cut in it, do you know if they come with bolts?




no bolts, but they come with the threaded holes for attaching a hopper. 
I'm very dissappointed they didn't come with a ready made hopper, but guess you can't have everything  Hopefully there's one taking shape soon....


----------



## Jarthy (1/8/11)

the bolts that fit the holes are 1/4" for everyone's reference.


----------



## RobW (1/8/11)

Jarthy said:


> you could always make one out of cardboard and tape it together, the base however will need to be strong as these are heavy little ....rs



This is a simple hopper to build that fits a Monster/Crank mill.

I built mine from cardboard first (get all the mistakes out of the way  ) and then mdf.

Can't recall who posted it originally.


View attachment Hopper_Detailing_01.pdf


----------



## Wolfy (1/8/11)

RobW said:


> This is a simple hopper to build that fits a Monster/Crank mill.


No ... simple means I'd be able to understand the plans ... and then build it.
My hopper-building skills are still at the duct tape, plastic and cardboard level.


----------



## bignath (1/8/11)

Maheel said:


> so i just read this whole thread again....
> 
> should i just go see Ross and buy the mashmaster ?
> 
> ...



You most certainly should get the mashmaster in my opinion. See below.....



Ross said:


> I'll extend the offer for August.
> 
> IMO (& yes I'm biased, but that's why i stock them & not the others) the Cranks & Monsters, though perfectly good while working, don't come close to the Mashmaster Mill which will last you a lifetime.
> I've owned (& have for sale) a top of the range 3 roller S/S Crank, so speak from experience. not owned a monster, but they are basically the same.
> ...



To everyone that is considering a new mill at this stage, my Mashmaster Mini arrived today from Ross. I would seriously consider buying this mill if you want something that's built tough (but smart). 

Cheers mate, what a kick ass mill.

Don't know why they call it a mini, as it looks like it's a bigger mill than my last 2 roller crankandstein which i've just sold to a mate.

These mills are built like a brick shithouse....I see what Ross means when he says they will last a lifetime. I am very impressed with it. I thought my Crankandstein was a good mill, but it's not even in the same ballpark as this mashmaster. 

I've just got back from buying a drill to power it as my current drill was a 10mm chuck, and this mashmaster needs a 13mm, but i was in the market for a new drill anyway.

the mashmaster has geared rollers, (stainless too) and the adjustment couldn't be easier.



banora brewer said:


> I'm ready to get a mill, I would like the mashmaster, but I don't have the tools to build a hopper for it, are there any other options?



Lots of options. My last crankandstein i had a water bottle from a water fountain dispenser as a hopper and it worked very well. Bugger all tools and brains required to utilise this design. 
Do a google search for grain mill hopper designs and have a look at what some people have come up with. Doesn't need to be fancy by any stretch.

No affiliation (obviously as i'm in South Australia) but **** am i happy with this mill. Thank you again Ross, it's a cracker!

And if your holding that price for august, it's a pretty sweet deal considering the quality of this mill. 

cheers,

Nathan


----------



## Maheel (1/8/11)

Big Nath said:


> Lots of options. My last crankandstein i had a water bottle from a water fountain dispenser as a hopper and it worked very well. Bugger all tools and brains required to utilise this design.
> 
> Nathan



with the water bottle hopper is there any issue with grains all going through the "middle" of the mill ?
putting stress in one area ? 

but i think Big Nath has talked me into one


----------



## booargy (1/8/11)

Only thing that surprised me about the mashmaster is the threads are imperial.


----------



## argon (1/8/11)

Maheel said:


> with the water bottle hopper is there any issue with grains all going through the "middle" of the mill ?
> putting stress in one area ?
> 
> but i think Big Nath has talked me into one


I use a water bottle hopper jammed into a piece of mdf kept in place with everyones friend, "No more nails" works a treat. When the grain hits the rollers it kind if spreads out a little across the rollers. I doubt there would be much issue doing this.


----------



## adniels3n (1/8/11)

Behold my fine craftsmanship. Still waiting on my Motiondynamics motor till I make a neat one, but Dad's 18V Milwaukee drill runs this abomination no worries. Had a PM asking for pics, so I'll post a few.








Edit: I use Liquid Nails to hold it on it's side like that


----------



## banora brewer (1/8/11)

Muddzy said:


> Behold my fine craftsmanship. Still waiting on my Motiondynamics motor till I make a neat one, but Dad's 18V Milwaukee drill runs this abomination no worries. Had a PM asking for pics, so I'll post a few.
> View attachment 47415
> 
> View attachment 47416
> ...


What is the white collar made from, and is the wood surrounding the mill glued on


----------



## adniels3n (1/8/11)

White collar is some poly pipe (about 130mm) that was lying around. It's job is to be tall enough to keep the bottle opening off the rollers. Mill is bolted (1/4") to the bottom board only. No glue, only screws.


----------



## banora brewer (1/8/11)

Muddzy said:


> White collar is some poly pipe (about 130mm) that was lying around. It's job is to be tall enough to keep the bottle opening off the rollers. Mill is bolted (1/4") to the bottom board only. No glue, only screws.


Cool, what is the board it is sitting on?


----------



## adniels3n (1/8/11)

A piece of board that was behind the bench.


----------



## crozdog (2/8/11)

3 quick questions re the mashmaster mini:
1. how long does it take you to mill 5kg of malted barley?
2. What is the biggest gap the mm mini can be set at?
3. Anyone tried milling corn? If so how did it go?

Cheers


----------



## NickB (2/8/11)

Just got around to making up a proper, decent hopper for my MM2 today, during the 'quiet patches' at work. Used some offcuts from some Perspex and and old shelf, plus some powder coated Galv for the brackets, as well as inside the hopper itself to funnel the grain into the mill and not around the outside of the rollers. 

I'm very pleased. Amazing what you can do when you have access to decent tools! Just have to silicone up the small gaps around the screws where the mill is mounted, and then attach to a board for now. Eventually looking to build an enclosure for this and drive it with an old dryer motor.













Cheers!


----------



## felten (2/8/11)

since everyone else is doing it..


All parts sourced from bunnings. 20mm pine base, storm water diverter and reducer shoved into another piece of pine ontop. I've modified it since then with a piece of hardwood between the rollers and the hopper base, the pine was being worn away by the grain.


----------



## banora brewer (4/8/11)

Just bought my self a mashmaster mini mill, now to make a hopper.


----------



## bignath (4/8/11)

banora brewer said:


> Just bought my self a mashmaster mini mill, now to make a hopper.




Yeah i'm about to start on my hopper/milling station this weekend hopefully. Got a great idea for it too.

Found an old bedside set of drawers that we didn't need for the kids rooms. I've taken the drawers and sliders out, turned it upside down, and i'm gonna put in a hinged lid on the base which is hollow. The hinged lid will make access to adjust gap width easier.

I'm gonna use the drawers to create a hopper box, with a raised and sloped bottom to guide the grain down through the hinged lid and through the mill which will be attached under the lid, grain will fall into a bucket sitting inside the upside down chest of drawers.

Gonna put some casters on it too. I'm also gonna make a door to replace the drawer fronts to keep the dust isolated inside the station.
Bought a nice drill to run it on as power out in the shed is taken up with two elements heating my HLT, the tv for the footy (crucial for brewdays) ipod docking stations, and the obligatory three fridge setup. Didn't want to add to the power drain by motorising it. Also, the drill option means i can go around to my brewing mate's house for brewdays and use his (my old) mill to crush my double grain bills...

Will post pic's if i actually get it done, also working on my stirplate this weekend so it will be one or the other....


----------



## Maheel (4/8/11)

banora brewer said:


> Just bought my self a mashmaster mini mill, now to make a hopper.



+1 today .... :lol: 

seems a solid bit of kit


----------



## wakkatoo (4/8/11)

A MM2 is the heart of my Stealth Mill h34r: 

Never had a problem


----------



## pk.sax (4/8/11)

Can I con someone for exterior dimensions of a Crankandstein 2D (a 2 roller basically, I think they are all the same).

I basically need gap between mounting bolt holes. Dimensions of the two Aluminium plates and outside length of the mill along the rollers.

Plan is to draw up a plan for the sheetie before the mill arrives, I got shipping confirmation already 

Would love to be a bit exact with things as we have sheetmetal bending machines so it can turn out quite pretty as long as I design it right.


----------



## banora brewer (5/8/11)

Sorry on iPhone, ment to say just picked up one of those drills from trade tools direct for $78. Sweet!!!


----------



## DKS (5/8/11)

banora brewer said:


> Sorry on iPhone, ment to say just picked up one of those drills from trade tools direct for $78. Sweet!!!




haaaha..Thats funny bb, like,
Hello ladies, Im a premeture eje ....Oh! Oh! no I meant.Um. Hi Im daz. :lol: 
Good luck with the build.
You may want to try delete button.
Daz


----------



## Maheel (8/8/11)

i started building my grain mill stand for my new millmaster minimill on the weekend 
went the ozito spade handle 1050W 500rpm 13mm and it seems to handle it ok, has 3yr warranty from the big green shed....
will need to set the mill / drill up a bit better as when it cranks up it tries to use the mill as luanch pad and flip it over...

one issue i need to resolve in my current design is that grain can get around behind the rollers, i will glue in a bit of timber or use some ally to form a "grain guide" to stop this. but will maybe just redesign the whole thing as this was a bit dodge and used the hopper i knocked up for my pasta maker mill.
think i might go with a water cooler hopper or a thinner opening to the mill rollers.

third pic shows the crush 
left side is the gap set to "just start to grab a little" my credit card 
right side was a bit wider.


----------



## banora brewer (8/8/11)

I received my mini mill today, nice bit of kit, just got to get on and try and build a hopper


----------



## crozdog (8/8/11)

Maheel said:


> third pic shows the crush
> left side is the gap set to "just start to grab a little" my credit card .



There's your problem. You should have used your wife's or girlfriend's card instead of your own ! Lol


----------



## crozdog (8/8/11)

Maheel said:


> third pic shows the crush
> left side is the gap set to "just start to grab a little" my credit card .



There's your problem. You should have used your wife's or girlfriend's card instead of your own ! Lol


----------



## banora brewer (9/8/11)

I'm just wondering if it would be a a waste of a mini mill if all the length of the rollers were not used, I'm thinking of using the water bottle hopper method which would only let out a small amount of grain. 
Thanks Jason


----------



## mccuaigm (9/8/11)

Hey Jas,

Shouldn't be too hard to knock up a hopper mate.

real basic, there are some post here somewhere about it all. Get one of those water bottles, a piece of timber & put a hole in it, piece of piss


----------



## pk.sax (9/8/11)

banora brewer said:


> I'm just wondering if it would be a a waste of a mini mill if all the length of the rollers were not used, I'm thinking of using the water bottle hopper method which would only let out a small amount of grain.
> Thanks Jason


Taking a guess, I reckon the trouble would be using a torqued up enough motor/drill to run slow enough for that much crushing. i.e., greater amount of grain weighing down on the rollers will need a more powerful drive. I bet the resistance to being milled will cause the grain to spread on the rollers anyway. Might be fine though, I'll experiment when it gets here... USPS website says it was shipped on 04 august.


----------



## felten (9/8/11)

banora brewer said:


> I'm just wondering if it would be a a waste of a mini mill if all the length of the rollers were not used, I'm thinking of using the water bottle hopper method which would only let out a small amount of grain.
> Thanks Jason


 
I use 2 pieces of wood. One is a piece of hardwood with my desired rectangular grain gap cut into it, and that screws into the top of the mill. And the second piece has a circle cut out of it to hold the hopper, and it screws into the top of the other piece.

I had to do this because my hopper was larger than the rollers, but you might not even have an issue with a smaller water bottle.

I'd post pictures but I'd have to take my mill apart, hope that helps.


----------



## banora brewer (9/8/11)

felten said:


> I use 2 pieces of wood. One is a piece of hardwood with my desired rectangular grain gap cut into it, and that screws into the top of the mill. And the second piece has a circle cut out of it to hold the hopper, and it screws into the top of the other piece.
> 
> I had to do this because my hopper was larger than the rollers, but you might not even have an issue with a smaller water bottle.
> 
> I'd post pictures but I'd have to take my mill apart, hope that helps.


It does, I've got a fairly good picture in my head


----------



## under (9/8/11)

http://www.screwfix.com/p/makita-bdf452rfe...ll-driver/80152

This is what I use and its lasts a fair few batches.


----------



## WarmBeer (10/8/11)

seamad said:


> You are here View Product (TTD800D)
> *TTD800D* *TRADETOOLS DIRECT 13MM CHUCK ENGINEERS DRILL*
> 
> 
> ...





WarmBeer said:


> Just ordered one.
> 
> Will report back to this thread once I've received it and tried it out.


As promised.

Tried this out for the first time on the weekend. It's a brute! Absolutely no problems crushing grain with my MM2, this has just sooooo much torque. Pull the trigger full on and you feel the drill jump sideways in your hand.

Crushed 5.5kg for an Oatmeal Stout, and it didn't struggle or get even a fraction warm, unlike my Ryobi. The trigger mechanism is smooth enough to be able to maintain a nice, slow crush by just pulling it in a little. Probably around the 150-200 rpm, but that's just a guestimate. 

A good-value alternative to setting up a Oatley or Motiondynamics motor, plus you get a high-torque drill in the bargain.


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## Jarthy (10/8/11)

Here is a mock up of the hopper and base arrangement I'm planning on doing for my mini mill. Mainly for Jas to see how it'll fit together
I'm planning on running the Oatley motor, hence the hole above the shaft.


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## Wolfy (10/8/11)

WarmBeer said:


> A good-value alternative to setting up a Oatley or Motiondynamics motor, plus you get a high-torque drill in the bargain.


And it seems they just opened a store in Dandenong.


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## cat007 (15/8/11)

Thanks for everyone's comments on here. I've just ordered the MM2 with SS rollers.
I think I have an old electric motor with some pulleys stashed at my parents place so will track that down. Not so fond of the drill setup as it could be tricky to get the drill at the exact same speed every time and two batches that should be the same could end up being quite different.

If you run your grain through the mill and it's not crushed as much as you'd like - could you pass it through a second time without damaging the husks too much?

Is it better to run the grain through once on a narrower setting, or twice on a wider setting? 

Cheers
Hunt


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## Malted (15/8/11)

Hunt said:


> Thanks for everyone's comments on here. I've just ordered the MM2 with SS rollers.
> I think I have an old electric motor with some pulleys stashed at my parents place so will track that down. Not so fond of the drill setup as it could be tricky to get the drill at the exact same speed every time and two batches that should be the same could end up being quite different.
> 
> If you run your grain through the mill and it's not crushed as much as you'd like - could you pass it through a second time without damaging the husks too much?
> ...


From what I have observed, I think that running through twice on a larger setting damages the husks less than running through once on a smaller setting. I am able to get my crush progressively finer by running it through a number of times without changing the gap setting. On repeat passes the husks mostly pass through without being torn anymore. Less damaged husks, i.e. larger and more intact pieces of husk will keep the mash lighter, spongier and less compacted thus ensuring a better sparge.

I have a MM3 and a 1/4hp motor is not sufficient for a large quantity of grains - I can only trickle it into the hopper. I would advise not to use a motor unless it was 1/2hp or greater.

Pulleys should be of sufficient size to run the mill at 150-250 rpm "What rpm should I run my mill at" Monster Brewing Hardware LINK
I run a 1.5" pulley on the clothes dryer motor (too weak at 1/4 hp) and a 10" pulley on the mill - this gives me ABOUT 200 rpm of the mill rollers.


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## pk.sax (18/8/11)

Arrived today 




I'd planned to mount it under the board but realised that I need it ABOVE the board to power it with my drill. Well, I can always just flip the thing around to the other side in the future if I motorise it...

Board is a 5 Dollar job from the green shed, sawed in half and doweled together, haven't cut the slot out for the grain to go into bucket yet, will do once hopper desig is ready, then I'll take it apart, cut the slot and finally glue the dowels in place.

I even gave it a name.. see...




Next job, make a hopper!


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