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Author Topic: what mill would you recommend?  (Read 5059 times)

Offline darvyle

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #15 on: June 29, 2011, 11:06:55 am »
hey guys thanks for all the input, I've found a few other mills to look at because of your recommendations.  Keep'em commin

Offline richardt

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #16 on: June 29, 2011, 11:15:24 am »
Time is money.  
I like how the BC I bought came with a 15 lb hopper and hand crank and for a very good price.  
All I needed was a 5 gallon Homer Bucket and I was good to go.  
I don't have the time or resources to construct hoppers and belt-driven motors/tables.

I used the hand crank a few times in near 100 degree heat and humidity here in FL, but quickly realized that using a corded power drill to run the rollers is a much easier way to do this task.
Plus, when you are grinding harder grains (e.g., crystal or roasted malts), the power drill works harder, not you.

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #17 on: June 29, 2011, 11:42:03 am »
I have a MM and love it.  I got the hopper but built my own table for it.

As others have mentioned though, everyone seems to love the mill that they have.  I have heard of a few people wearing out their Barley Crusher, but for most people they last several years at least.  I've crushed on one and it worked great, I think it is a good product, especially for the price.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline tom

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #18 on: June 29, 2011, 11:53:00 am »
I'm very happy with my adjustable JSP MaltMill.  I ordered a barebones version and made my own deck and use an inverted 5 gallon plastic water jug as the hopper.
http://schmidling.com/bbordpp.htm
Brew on

Offline darvyle

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #19 on: June 29, 2011, 12:26:48 pm »
I'm looking to put together my own table and add a electric motor to help make things easier.  Does anyone have any pictures of their motorized setup?  The cost of the bare bone JSP MaltMill is very enticing, taking a few extra steps to make my own hopper seems like a fun project.

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #20 on: June 29, 2011, 12:53:41 pm »
The hopper seemed like fun until I did it.  Then I realized how much it sucked.  The hopper that MM makes is way better and totally worth it.  I can't speak to the JSP hopper.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline darvyle

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #21 on: June 29, 2011, 01:28:31 pm »
I don't understand how different hoppers are better/worse.  if they funnel their contents to where they need to go isn't that good enough?

Offline jeffy

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #22 on: June 29, 2011, 01:33:46 pm »
I'm looking to put together my own table and add a electric motor to help make things easier.  Does anyone have any pictures of their motorized setup?  The cost of the bare bone JSP MaltMill is very enticing, taking a few extra steps to make my own hopper seems like a fun project.



This is a photo of my JPS mill on a home made stand with a home made hopper and a 12 volt treadmill motor driving a very large pulley.  It is very slow, but works great.
« Last Edit: June 29, 2011, 01:40:48 pm by jeffy »
Jeff Gladish, Tampa (989.3, 175.1 Apparent Rennarian)
Homebrewing since 1990
AHA member since 1991, now a lifetime member
BJCP judge since 1995

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #23 on: June 29, 2011, 03:28:16 pm »
I don't understand how different hoppers are better/worse.  if they funnel their contents to where they need to go isn't that good enough?
Yes.

Provided it doesn't spill grain through the sides or over the tops of the rollers, and you have a decent way of mounting it on the mill or the table.  My first one sucked, and I decided it wasn't worth the time or money to redesign it so I bought one.  Well worth it.
Tom Schmidlin

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #24 on: June 29, 2011, 05:08:01 pm »
At NHC, I looked at the large diameter tripple roller Monster Mills and had grain mill envy.  Then I thought of my 11 year old JSP basic mill, and said if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

I do like Jeff's mill stand and motor.  I use a drill.  Might be nice to do something else while crushing.
Jeff Rankert
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Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!

Offline BarleynYeast

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #25 on: June 29, 2011, 05:55:52 pm »
I wore out my BC in about 50 10 Gal batches.  :'(  I need to take it apart and clean it every time I use it. (The knurling is worn down and the back roller doesn’t catch.) I am limping through until I can afford to get a new mill. Great hearing all the opinions here to help me decide on what to buy for my next mill.

Offline nateo

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #26 on: June 29, 2011, 06:06:26 pm »
I have the MM 2 with the 1.5" rollers. It works well and the hopper and base they make for it work fine. I have a Dewalt drill with just a hand-tightened chuck, not the kind of chuck with a key, and sometimes I'll get some slipping on the driveshaft. That's just an FYI, it's in no way a knock on the mill itself. I seriously considered the MM2-2.0 but I couldn't justify the price to myself at the time, though that's the one I'd probably buy if I were to buy another one.
In der Kürze liegt die Würze.

Offline passlaku

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #27 on: June 29, 2011, 06:07:21 pm »
I wore out my BC in about 50 10 Gal batches.  :'(  I need to take it apart and clean it every time I use it. (The knurling is worn down and the back roller doesn’t catch.) I am limping through until I can afford to get a new mill. Great hearing all the opinions here to help me decide on what to buy for my next mill.
Have you emailed the company about this situation?  It doesn't seem right and if I had known of you situation I would have reconsidered my BC purchase.  

Offline BarleynYeast

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Re: what mill would you recommend?
« Reply #28 on: June 29, 2011, 06:21:26 pm »
I wore out my BC in about 50 10 Gal batches.  :'(  I need to take it apart and clean it every time I use it. (The knurling is worn down and the back roller doesn’t catch.) I am limping through until I can afford to get a new mill. Great hearing all the opinions here to help me decide on what to buy for my next mill.
Have you emailed the company about this situation?  It doesn't seem right and if I had known of you situation I would have reconsidered my BC purchase.  
Yes I E-Mailed the company and did quite a few fixes and still have problems, rather than go into that, here is an earlier post about the BC.
 http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=6774.0