Wheat Grinder Mechanization

This is my Family Grain Mill attached to their hand crank base.  I got this unit a few months ago and have been generally pleased with my purchase.  I was attracted to it because of the price and the supposed easy cranking and fine flour production.  At first it a novel and I enjoyed cranking by hand but then it soon became a chore.  I began to think of ways to ease my pain.  I considered purchasing an electric grinder and just using this as a back up.  I considered buying a Bosch or food processor (they sell attachments for the grinder part).

Then, I decided to try my cordless drill.  I purchased a bit of hexagonal metal from www.Speedymetals.com and see if I could get it to work.  It's a 10mm bit.

It's the exact same size as the crank bit that goes into the unit.
Wala!  It works great.  One battery is enough to do just slightly less than 4 cups of wheat.  I have 2 batteries, so that grinds me about 8 cups of wheat.  That's enough to make four loaves of bread.  I did try my craftsman corded drill, but it wasn't strong enough to do the job (started smoking!).  So,  this way I can easily knock out 8 cups of wheat in just a fraction of the time.

*Disclaimer- I called the company about my method and they don't recommend it.*  I've done about 5 batches this way and haven't noticed any problems.  I actually think this method puts less stress on the cranking unit as there is no rotational forces moving it around.  Be sure to clean the grinder good after each use.  Wash the metal parts of the grinder in the sink and air dry.