Grain Mill (Prototype)

Under the covers of the grain mill is The MaltMill® from Jack Schmidling Productions. This is a newer model gear-driven MaltMill® with knurled rollers.

I purchased my first MaltMill® back in April 1993 ($124). In January 1996, I decided to add the gear-drive option in anticipation of adding a motor. I sent a note to Jack (Schmidling) asking for the gear-drive upgrade kit ($35) and he informed me that I would need a new roller and a new end plate ($20). The new roller was knurled, much nicer than the original roller which had linear grooves. But now I had two different rollers. I sent Jack a second note asking how much it would cost for a second knurled roller and a second end plate. I don't remember exactly how much it cost, but what I ended up with was a brand new, gear-driven MaltMill® (less the base and hopper which I wasn't going to use anyway) for about $80. This model normally sells for almost $200.

[grain mill hopper drawing]

The hopper holds over 15 pounds of grain. The grain mill can easily crush 10 pounds of grain per minute.

The motor is a ½ H.P., 1140/1725 R.P.M. dryer motor. But I actually find that the use of a cordless drill is more convenient. It's nice to be able to crush grain anywhere without the need for an electrical outlet. The drill has more torque than the dryer motor. The drill can be started with the hopper full of grain, as where the dryer motor must be running before the grain be added (I may have just chosen the wrong motor).