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Author Topic: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill  (Read 4262 times)

S. cerevisiae

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New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« on: May 31, 2015, 10:45:18 pm »
I ordered a replacement drive roller for my Model P Malt Mill (see https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=23198.0).   I figured that if I was going to have to disassemble the mill, I might as well machine a new base. I prefer to hand-crank my Malt Mill.  I find cranking several pounds of malt through the mill to be therapeutic.  The only problem with hand cranking is that sweat and MDF do not mix.  I built a base for my 3-Roller Monster Mill out of a product called Seaboard.   Seaboard is an HDPE plastic-based material that is designed for use on boats.   I made the base for my Monster Mill out of 1" Seaboard.  I used 1/2" Seaboard for this base.  I think that am going to replace the hopper with one made from Seaboard and acrylic or Seaboard and phenolic sheet. I am going to replace the side covers with acrylic or polycarbonate, so that I can see what is being crushed.

 








Offline beersk

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Re: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2015, 08:05:28 am »
How long have you had your mill that you needed to replace the roller? I've had my barley crusher for 6 or 7 years now and it's acting up...not feeding grain through like it should. I've turned the non-driveside roller over, added an o-ring to keep the rollers moving, but it sometimes doesn't want to grab the grain to pull it through. Very annoying, it takes 10 minutes to mill 11 pounds of grain with a drill. Ugh. Wondering if I should get a new mill or try to replace the roller.

And also, what was wrong with your original base?
Jesse

Offline testingapril

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Re: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2015, 08:42:30 am »
How long have you had your mill that you needed to replace the roller? I've had my barley crusher for 6 or 7 years now and it's acting up...not feeding grain through like it should. I've turned the non-driveside roller over, added an o-ring to keep the rollers moving, but it sometimes doesn't want to grab the grain to pull it through. Very annoying, it takes 10 minutes to mill 11 pounds of grain with a drill. Ugh. Wondering if I should get a new mill or try to replace the roller.

And also, what was wrong with your original base?

Doesn't the barley crusher have a lifetime warranty? Have you emailed them with your problem?

S. cerevisiae

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Re: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« Reply #3 on: June 01, 2015, 08:46:02 am »
How long have you had your mill that you needed to replace the roller? I've had my barley crusher for 6 or 7 years now and it's acting up...not feeding grain through like it should. I've turned the non-driveside roller over, added an o-ring to keep the rollers moving, but it sometimes doesn't want to grab the grain to pull it through. Very annoying, it takes 10 minutes to mill 11 pounds of grain with a drill. Ugh. Wondering if I should get a new mill or try to replace the roller.

My drive roller was not worn out.  It was damaged when I decided to use a DeWalt DW511 hammer drill to spin it because I was short on time.  The DeWalt DW511 is an incredibly powerful hand drill, and the chuck has amazing holding power.  It was strong enough to pull a piece of foreign debris that was in the malt  through the rollers, which resulted in a handsome gash.  I could have continued to use the roller, but decided to replace it.

Quote
And also, what was wrong with your original base?

I am not a fan of medium density fiberboard (MDF).   I used to use void-free Baltic Birch plywood for tasks such as this one, but I prefer this working with stuff.
« Last Edit: June 01, 2015, 01:12:51 pm by S. cerevisiae »

Offline factory

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Re: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2015, 09:11:07 am »
I have never heard of Seaboard, can you use a router on the edges?  Or did you just sand them down?

Offline macbrews

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Re: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2015, 10:56:08 am »
Speaking of hoppers, what type of Hoppers have Malt Mill owners made?  I have just attached a wastepaper basket to the top and it works fine except that the last bit at the bottom has to be swept into the mill making it a little bit of a hassle.  I have been planning on replacing it for something a bit more functional, but it has been on the back burners for a while.

Anyone care to share their creativity?

Thanks,

Mac

Offline Slowbrew

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Re: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2015, 11:34:23 am »
How long have you had your mill that you needed to replace the roller? I've had my barley crusher for 6 or 7 years now and it's acting up...not feeding grain through like it should. I've turned the non-driveside roller over, added an o-ring to keep the rollers moving, but it sometimes doesn't want to grab the grain to pull it through. Very annoying, it takes 10 minutes to mill 11 pounds of grain with a drill. Ugh. Wondering if I should get a new mill or try to replace the roller.

And also, what was wrong with your original base?

Doesn't the barley crusher have a lifetime warranty? Have you emailed them with your problem?

I had the same problem with my BC.  Contact the manufacturer.  He had me send it to him and he rebuilt.  No charge and as good as new.

Paul
Where the heck are we going?  And what's with this hand basket?

Offline beersk

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Re: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2015, 12:50:58 pm »
How long have you had your mill that you needed to replace the roller? I've had my barley crusher for 6 or 7 years now and it's acting up...not feeding grain through like it should. I've turned the non-driveside roller over, added an o-ring to keep the rollers moving, but it sometimes doesn't want to grab the grain to pull it through. Very annoying, it takes 10 minutes to mill 11 pounds of grain with a drill. Ugh. Wondering if I should get a new mill or try to replace the roller.

And also, what was wrong with your original base?

Doesn't the barley crusher have a lifetime warranty? Have you emailed them with your problem?

I had the same problem with my BC.  Contact the manufacturer.  He had me send it to him and he rebuilt.  No charge and as good as new.

Paul
How long did this take you? I'm worried I won't be able to brew for like 3 months.

I may upgrade to a Monster Mill anyway. But I should get this fixed so I have a backup or sell it to someone who needs a mill.
Jesse

S. cerevisiae

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Re: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2015, 01:11:55 pm »
I have never heard of Seaboard, can you use a router on the edges?  Or did you just sand them down?

I did not rout the edges on this base, but the material routs beautifully.  I did use the old base as a routing template to perform the final pass on the replacement base after cutting it a little over size.  However, I sanded the edges after shaping the base because the curved portion on the old base is not quite symmetrical, and I am a little anal retentive about my work.

Here's the base and motor sub-base that I built for my 3-roller mill:







« Last Edit: June 01, 2015, 01:25:22 pm by S. cerevisiae »

Offline beersk

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Re: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« Reply #9 on: June 01, 2015, 02:00:34 pm »
Very nice work, Mark. And thanks for saying the full phrase "anal retentive". I always get a little weirded out when people say, "I'm anal"...uhhhhh okay.
Jesse

Offline Slowbrew

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Re: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« Reply #10 on: June 01, 2015, 03:07:12 pm »
How long have you had your mill that you needed to replace the roller? I've had my barley crusher for 6 or 7 years now and it's acting up...not feeding grain through like it should. I've turned the non-driveside roller over, added an o-ring to keep the rollers moving, but it sometimes doesn't want to grab the grain to pull it through. Very annoying, it takes 10 minutes to mill 11 pounds of grain with a drill. Ugh. Wondering if I should get a new mill or try to replace the roller.

And also, what was wrong with your original base?

Doesn't the barley crusher have a lifetime warranty? Have you emailed them with your problem?

I had the same problem with my BC.  Contact the manufacturer.  He had me send it to him and he rebuilt.  No charge and as good as new.

Paul
How long did this take you? I'm worried I won't be able to brew for like 3 months.

I may upgrade to a Monster Mill anyway. But I should get this fixed so I have a backup or sell it to someone who needs a mill.

I think it took about 2 1/2 weeks.  3 or so days shipping each way and week or so in line at the shop.

Paul
Where the heck are we going?  And what's with this hand basket?

Offline macbrews

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Re: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« Reply #11 on: June 01, 2015, 03:25:44 pm »
I like the drive you have set up.  Less bulky than the fly wheel I have.  Any problems with it?

S. cerevisiae

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Re: New base for my Schmidling Malt Mill
« Reply #12 on: June 01, 2015, 07:01:40 pm »
I have never completed the build.  The motor and motor sub-base are not attached in the photos.  I drilled the holes for mounting the motor to the sub-base and the sub-base to the base a week or two after I shot the photos.  I hardwired the mill to a power cord with wire nuts to see how well it ran, and then promptly disassembled everything, so that I could build a stand and attach the base.  I have never gotten around to building the stand.  The motor only spins at one revolution per second, but it has a significant amount of torque. The crush is beautiful because of the slow rotational speed.

To be completely honest, the 3-roller is just too much mill for my needs.  It was an impulse purchase that I made at NHC 2014.   The Schmidling Model P is a better fit, a lot more portable, and easier to keep clean.  I crush between 5.5 and 8 pounds of grist per batch because my standard kegged volume is 3 gallons.  I brew the occasional 5 kegged gallon batch, but it takes me around nine weeks to go through 5 gallons of beer.