Build/buy a wooden grain mill base "For Dummies"?

[QldKev]

No worries Kev, it now has a 30A supply on it rather than the battery.

Mine's still ticking away somehow with the 8amp psu, one day it will go into melt down and get a decent amperage.

 

[Edak]

I note that a couple of guys have just straight attached their drills to the mill shaft. What does the end of the shaft look like? I was going to hook up my mill to a bicycle-powered setup, but think I'll just get a hammer-drill from Aldi this weekend and set that up. I was picturing lovejoy couplings, etc, etc.

Do I just get someone to cut off the end of the round part of the shaft so the flat is exposed and the drill will clamp on? I got a mill with a tiny handle so it is VERY hard work to mill a batch of grain.

Hey Angus,

It's got a small flat near the end, in text as a cross section it looks a little like this [_-_____]
Sorry I don't have my camera handy, the SD card is in my raspberry pi.

 

[angus_grant]

OK, so here is a photo of end of my mill shaft:

Are people taking off that little lip at the end to power them by a drill? This would mean that you would one complete flat side for the drill to clamp on to.

I doubt that clamping the drill onto the round shaft would work all that well once you threw grain into the mix.

 

[MaltyGoodness]

OK, so here is a photo of end of my mill shaft:

Are people taking off that little lip at the end to power them by a drill? This would mean that you would one complete flat side for the drill to clamp on to.

I doubt that clamping the drill onto the round shaft would work all that well once you threw grain into the mix.

Yeah that looks the same as my mill shaft. I just directly attach the drill to that. As long as the chuck is done up tight it will work fine. I havnt had any problems with it slipping while milling.

 

[slash22000]

Mine looks similar to that as well, I just shove the drill on there, never had it slip.

 

[angus_grant]

huh, I'll be buggered then. I would have thought clamping the drill straight onto the round shaft would just slip when you started munching through the grain.

Huh, guess I'll just borrow the father in laws impact drill on Friday night to munch the grain. I doubt my cordless 12V drill would be able to power the mill. Will have to hurriedly fabricate a mill and drill stand.

Will look at buying a decent impact drill next month when I am a bit more financial. Aldi have a Taurus 1200W impact drill for sale this Saturday but the fact I can find no official Taurus website or manuals for it worries me a fair bit.

Sweet, thanks guys.

Edit: well I actually ended up finding the official Taurus website which is a big group of purchased companies but I still can't find the Taurus-branded drill. Think I'll give it a miss. If it seems to good to be true.....

 

[slash22000]

Many of us (myself included) use one of these: http://www.bunnings.com.au/products_product_ozito-1050w-spade-handle-drill_P6290127.aspx

Cheap (relatively) and has enough torque to use your first mill to crush a second mill. 120Nm of torque where most drills have something like 10 - 15.

 

[bum]

huh, I'll be buggered then. I would have thought clamping the drill straight onto the round shaft would just slip when you started munching through the grain.

What shape do you reckon drill bits are?

 

[angus_grant]

Bam, quick 15 minute job tonight to knock up a base and mount the mill

Borrowed the father in laws impact drill to crush the grain for tomorrow mornings Belgian Triple. 8kg of grain.

Just clamped the drill straight onto the mill shaft. Have yet to run grain through it, but turns the mill pretty easily. Hope it works.... :-O

Will leave buying the drill until next month and grab an Ozito from Bunnings. I can't find the official website or any user manuals for the Taurus from Aldi so think I'll give it a miss.

 

[Florian]

you generally won't find any official website or manual for aldi products as they're generic, rebranded products, or produced specifically for aldi.

Taurus is their tools brand, and it's unlike that all those products are made by the same manufacturer.

Doesn't mean they're bad. As someone else mentioned, as long as you still have the receipt they take anything back within 90 days, no matter what state it is in when you bring it back. And then there's the warranty.

 

[TidalPete]

Angus,
My old Cranker has an hexagonal slot in the end of the shaft to facilitate an hexagonal bit that fits into the drill chuck.
If you don't have that then file/grind two flats opposite each other on the end of the shaft for your drill chuck to grip onto. Too easy mate.
Sorry in advance for the different old pics.
A holesaw bit for a standard door-knob set is a perfect size to accommodate one of thing spring water container thingos.

 

[mash head]

Average drill chucks have 3 jaws so if you need to file the shaft to get more grip make it a multiple of 3 triangle or hexagon.

 

[TidalPete]

Average drill chucks have 3 jaws so if you need to file the shaft to get more grip make it a multiple of 3 triangle or hexagon.

Going by experience I find that 2 x flats is enough to get the chuck to grip onto round shafts.
Of course, 3 x flats is more practical as mash head says. :icon_cheers:

 

[Aydos]

My ozito drill grips onto my malt muncher drive shaft no dramas. Doesn't slip at all.

 

[angus_grant]

Borrowed father in laws impact drill and gripped on to shaft. Blasted through 7kgs of grain in about 6 minutes. Took me longer to refill small hopper with grain than to mill it. Saweet!!!!!!!

 

[angus_grant]

Just ramping up to boil on Nick JDs killer triple. Belgian triple. Should end out at 1080 or so. 1062 pre boil with 750 grams sugar still to add during boil so may end up over. Will wait until boil is finished before crunching numbers.

 

[slash22000]

Keep in mind mate you can mill too fast. You only want a few hundred RPM so it doesn't just turn to powder.

 

[angus_grant]

yeh, I the drill borrowed has no speed control so I was very conscious of keeping the speed low on the drill. Came out looking like other grains I have had milled at HBS and hand-cranked on my mill.

The Ozito has the speed control so it will be easier to use. I can turn the speed controller on and just feed grain into the hopper.

 

[sp0rk]

Keep in mind mate you can mill too fast. You only want a few hundred RPM so it doesn't just turn to powder.

unless you're biab-ing and want to get rediculous efficiency (and a ton of trub)

 

[Endo]

OK, so here is a photo of end of my mill shaft:

Are people taking off that little lip at the end to power them by a drill? This would mean that you would one complete flat side for the drill to clamp on to.

I doubt that clamping the drill onto the round shaft would work all that well once you threw grain into the mix.

Bugger was hoping it would be more of a hex shape. Could have used the 150nm torque dewalt impact driver then... Guess its the drill instead..

Of course it is possible all that torque is the reason why im going to kegking to get a new malt mill tonight... Cracked the plate on my corona style mill :blink:

Wouldn't routing in a gap for the bucket be more elegant a solution to keep the mill table in place?