Author Topic: Grinding grains for flour and meal?  (Read 639 times)

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Offline Hit or Miss

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Grinding grains for flour and meal?
« on: March 27, 2011, 12:15:55 PM »
What's your flour mill?  What's the pro's and con's of it?  It'll be my next major purchase so.....I'm trying to make up my mind.  Spend less than $200 or more than $400.  Hand powered please.
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Offline Zcarp2

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Re: Grinding grains for flour and meal?
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2011, 04:11:43 PM »
Buddy recommends the kitchenaid mixer with flour grinding attachments.  I've tried his flour and I have one on my want list, but haven't gotten it yet.  He loaned me a cast iron "backup" grinder that didn't do much but aggravate me.  Good for cracking corn for chickens, not cooking with.  Too course.  Ebay has tons of these.  I don't recommend that.  He got his loaner back and I'm saving pennies.

Good luck to you!
Zcarp2

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Offline Hit or Miss

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Re: Grinding grains for flour and meal?
« Reply #2 on: March 27, 2011, 05:54:32 PM »
Further research has lead me to the family grain mill.  You can get an attach point to run it off of the Kitchenaid mixer for when we have electricity.  It's gotten me really interested now.
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Offline bilmac

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Re: Grinding grains for flour and meal?
« Reply #3 on: March 27, 2011, 07:59:17 PM »
That's the German made outfit right? I have one. I got the electric power base for it. We have a Kitchen Aid mixer, but it isn't a big enough model to pull it. I also got the meat grinder. It's small, but I ground 9 deer and antelope year before last and 6 last season. It ground them all up without complaint. I haven't ground that much corn, but it seems to work alright. I also got the hand crank and have ground some grain with it. It's a lot of work, but if a guy was hungry it would be better than a couple of rocks.

I bought it from Pleasant Hill Grain, seemed about the best price. I dropped a part and it broke so I queried PHG about a replacement part. I told them the damage was my fault, but they sent a replacement for free.

Offline Couger

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Re: Grinding grains for flour and meal?
« Reply #4 on: March 28, 2011, 08:10:53 AM »
Don't buy anything.  Before you do your research!



I don't know what kind of grinder we have, but we have a good (and expensive) one.   ::)

Grinders are even more critical than a rifle scope (you "get what you pay for" - or can afford).

Grinders sometimes have gears and grinding wheels that are too "soft" and don't last long.  If you need to ask someone, try Walton (Waldon?) Grains located in Montpelier, Idaho.  Not necessarily recommending what they might have to sell, but if you could chat with anyone there who's knowledgeable, maybe they could give you some pointers.  Just some thoughts.

Offline Bugflipper

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Re: Grinding grains for flour and meal?
« Reply #5 on: March 28, 2011, 08:31:50 AM »
Wondermill jr. is supposed to be the best cheaper hand crank model. With a pulley they can be easily converted to bicycle or electric power. Ebay had one for $170 shipped, but I don't like linking them up because their pages die after a little while. Here's the website for the mill. Just search for reviews. http://www.thewondermill.com/
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