Easy small scale grain threshing.
Terri Matthews
Posts: 469
Location: Eastern Kansas
4
posted 3 years ago
Simply take a stalk of grain by the straw and pull it through the tines of a fork. The grain will squirt out so a bucket would be best. This is about as tedious as snapping beans, but no worse than that.
If the fork has a very narrow gap between the tines the straw is more likely to break: the ideal gap is just smaller than each kernel of grain.
I can envision a wide metal comb, well secured down, so that grain can be threshed by drawing handfuls of grain stalks across it but I have never seen suck a thing! But, one stalk at a time will give me grain for cracked wheat bread!
If the fork has a very narrow gap between the tines the straw is more likely to break: the ideal gap is just smaller than each kernel of grain.
I can envision a wide metal comb, well secured down, so that grain can be threshed by drawing handfuls of grain stalks across it but I have never seen suck a thing! But, one stalk at a time will give me grain for cracked wheat bread!
R Scott
Posts: 3347
Location: Kansas Zone 6a
32
posted 3 years ago
There is such a thing, or you can build your own using nails into a board (drill the holes so you don't split the wood). They were used for preparing flax.
"You must be the change you want to see in the world." "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." --Mahatma Gandhi
"Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words." --Francis of Assisi.
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Terri Matthews
Posts: 469
Location: Eastern Kansas
4
R Scott
Posts: 3347
Location: Kansas Zone 6a
32
posted 3 years ago
flax
Example in metal. To do it from wood would take careful grain selection but could be done. We have had tools built similarly that lasted quite a while, some abused even.
I know I have seen new tools that would work as-is, but can't for the life of me remember what they were supposed to be for.
Example in metal. To do it from wood would take careful grain selection but could be done. We have had tools built similarly that lasted quite a while, some abused even.
I know I have seen new tools that would work as-is, but can't for the life of me remember what they were supposed to be for.
"You must be the change you want to see in the world." "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." --Mahatma Gandhi
"Preach the Gospel always, and if necessary, use words." --Francis of Assisi.
"Family farms work when the whole family works the farm." -- Adam Klaus
Cynthia Last
Posts: 24
posted 3 years ago
http://possumjimandelizabeth.com/xhtml/spinning_flax_combs.html
Scroll down page - it appears they may have offset the nails in some of these tools to help create smaller openings between them.
I've never worked flax, but have always wanted to try. Wool has been my experience.
Best of luck with your endeavor.
Scroll down page - it appears they may have offset the nails in some of these tools to help create smaller openings between them.
I've never worked flax, but have always wanted to try. Wool has been my experience.
Best of luck with your endeavor.
John Polk
steward
Posts: 8019
Location: Currently in Lake Stevens, WA. Home in Spokane
287
posted 3 years ago
Our family used to raise show dogs (afghans), and we had such combs. They come in various degrees from coarse to fine.
Go to your big box pet store and see what you can come up with. See sample below:
Dog grooming comb
I guess you could get various gauges for different grains. Great idea, thanks for posting it.
I can envision a wide metal comb, well secured down, so that grain can be threshed by drawing handfuls of grain stalks across it but I have never seen suck a thing!
Our family used to raise show dogs (afghans), and we had such combs. They come in various degrees from coarse to fine.
Go to your big box pet store and see what you can come up with. See sample below:
Dog grooming comb
I guess you could get various gauges for different grains. Great idea, thanks for posting it.
Terri Matthews
Posts: 469
Location: Eastern Kansas
4
Peter Ingot
Posts: 129
7
posted 2 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYfy72lrqqU
Something I made for the job, from an old washing machine. I've also seen devices made from cable reels with nails in them.
I find it helps to keep the sheaves neat, with all the grain heads as close together as possible.
Some people get horses or donkeys to trample the grain. I would suggest that if you try this for human consumption try very hard to keep grit and dirt out of the grain: A clean threshing floor, clean the hooves of the animals before hand. Winnowing and sieving gets rid of chaff but it is harder to remove grit
Something I made for the job, from an old washing machine. I've also seen devices made from cable reels with nails in them.
I find it helps to keep the sheaves neat, with all the grain heads as close together as possible.
Some people get horses or donkeys to trample the grain. I would suggest that if you try this for human consumption try very hard to keep grit and dirt out of the grain: A clean threshing floor, clean the hooves of the animals before hand. Winnowing and sieving gets rid of chaff but it is harder to remove grit
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