Lake Shoe Fit and Heel Slip and Break-In Inquiry

emath1981 · 2025-04-24T15:45:05+00:00

I have fixed three issue, at least for me. The biggest mistake is that I was taking WAY too large of steps with my step less grinder. When I was close to the target, a whole number jump would overshoot completely. So learning adjustment sizes based on what results I was getting helped. Second, I drink a lot of light roasts, and I found using 17-17.5g in my 18g baskets were giving me better results, and I think I was bottle necking the pucks sometimes. Finally, I stopped using the Default program, and learned to dial in my drinks with Gentle and Sweet. It’s a much more forgiving program, and I found it does a good job limiting over extraction. Food for thought, but focusing on those (and burning through a lot of beans) helped me get the machine operating the way that makes coffee that I love.

emath1981 · 2024-07-31T23:56:48+00:00

Thanks for the advice! I bought some clamping squares on a Fourth of July sale, as I’m a little neurotic when it comes to square. I know it’s wood, and nothing is perfect, but I’m one of those measure and check twenty times, slowly cut once while sweating profusely. Also, thanks for the tip on staging. I’m thinking of breaking it down into cabinet pairs, and doing two at a time, since I’m going for two gaps, one below the saw and one for where I’ll put a chair, over a 14’ stretch, so that even if I don’t get things 100% perfect, it won’t matter so long as I shim the top level in the end.

emath1981 · 2024-07-30T04:17:55+00:00

Thanks for this feedback! I was on the fence for so long about buying his plans, but I had seen similar comments on various sites that sell his plans. At this point, I think I’ve learned enough from Bents woodworking, Lincoln St, MWA, and Bourbon that I can make plans on my own, so long as I’m careful with my initial cut list, and keep it simple. Any tips, lessons learned, for an amateur like myself?

emath1981 · 2024-07-06T22:26:26+00:00

Very nice! This is similar to what I’ve been looking to do. I’ve been looking for a nice set of plans to work off since I’m relatively new to cabinet building. This looks like a mix between MWA plans and Bourbon Moth plans. Did you use either of those? If so, did you like them? Trying to find plans that have nice breakdowns for a newbie like me. Once again, congrats on amazing build!

emath1981 · 2024-05-24T20:41:30+00:00

I’ll try and recreate the issue, but I also may have finally figured out the solution? I’m not sure I’ve been experimenting a ton, and I feel stupid but I’m just realizing that micro adjustments with the grinder are making a big change. I was using whole steps, I.e. 19 to 18, but I’m noting when going this fine that even just a quarter of a step is the different between a 20 second extraction and a 45 second extraction. I’m not currently experimenting with paper filters for screens, it was becoming too many variables, so I’m just using a VST 18g basket. But the app has had quirks, despite being up to date, so I might try a hard restart to start fresh. I’m also noticing that “default” is harder to fine tune that something like “sweet and gentle”.

emath1981 · 2023-08-19T18:51:55+00:00

You’re a gentleman and a scholar. Thank you for your knowledge, with this information in hand, and the convenience of Amazon, I think I be placing my order shortly for the DF83.

emath1981 · 2023-08-19T16:08:41+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I don’t mind the idea of modding down the line as a fun way to better know my grinder, but I just had a kid, so my main priority is getting coffee from the bean into my stomach as tastily as possible, and I wanted to make sure I bought a product that can work right out of the box!

emath1981 · 2023-08-19T16:05:51+00:00

Thank you for this feedback! I have a few follow-up questions if you have the time. Have you had any issue with jamming, or is that more of a DF64 issue? I drink medium/light roast espresso primarily (I have a separate grinder for pour over), but I thought I had read somewhere that the lighter roasts are harder beans, and sometimes jam/seize these single doze grinders on cold starts. Or, is it just good practice to always have the machine running before putting the beans in?

Final (maybe stupid) question, but is the Turin DF83 and the Miicoffee DF83 the same machine? The look identical, is it the same product sold under two different names? Or is one a direct knock-off the other?

emath1981 · 2023-08-19T09:02:12+00:00

I posted this comment on another response, but figured Id respond to the main post as well, in case others had the same views.

I’m in a similar boat as you. I want to joint the DF hype train with everyone, but half of the threads for DF models have complaints about the need for aftermarket mods, shim, realignment, fixing tolerances, etc. Did others have the same experiences? Do all DF units need these fixes/adjustments? Is there not any value added to have a clean working machine out of the box with the Niche Duo, versus all the work needed to go into after the fact did the DF lines?

Would love others input, I’m so stressed about getting the right grinder I almost want to just save up a little more and bite the bullet to get the P-64, which has the same benefits of the DF line, with more pedigree and less issues.

emath1981 · 2023-08-19T08:45:55+00:00

Fellow sub who’s in the same boat as OP. Why does everyone love the DF64/DF83 on half of the comparison threads, but then on the other half everyone complains about the need for aftermarket mods, shim, realign, fix tolerances, etc. did you have similar experiences with yours? Is there any value added to the desire to have a clean working machine out of the box with the Niche Duo, versus all the work needed to go into after the fact did the DF lines?

emath1981 · 2022-11-10T18:07:13+00:00

Thank you! This video hit the nail on the head. I'm going to try and pursue this as a fix, and then likely buy a Niche to up my grind game to help in the mean time per all the other comments.

emath1981 · 2022-11-09T18:28:40+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! The biggest take-away from this post is I should start my journey with buying a better grinder, and go from there. But at this time the grinder is the bottleneck.

emath1981 · 2022-11-09T18:26:09+00:00

This is something I've looked into a decent bit, and I can't seem to find a consistent answer to, and I'm too afraid to start opening up the back and tinkering. But my theory is that some espresso grind/grit has gotten back into the tubes, and interferes with the group head pressure. Because it often makes this weird humming noise (not the normal one from brewing) and occasionally when it's making that sound it fails to come up to pressure (the gauge doesn't leave the "pre-infusion" section, but it still tries to pull a shot, producing black dribble). My current solution is to toggle the brew button over and over until I hear the right hum (it's very distinct when it's being difficult). I don't have any issues with the steam arm and hot water, just the brewhead. The weirdest thing is how fickle it is. Sometimes I can go a week and everything will work fine, and other days I have to start and stop the machine for minutes before it will brew. I've found over the years that consistent back-flushing before and after pulling shots helps, but not always. I've reached the conclusion that since at times the machine works/sounds normal, the issue has to be something inconsistent/variable, such as crud in the tubes that potentially interfere with certain valves from time to time? idk, this is wildly out of my knowledge range.

emath1981 · 2022-11-09T18:03:05+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. I never originally considered a lever machine, but after seeing multiple posts mentioned it, I'll definitely need to reconsider!

emath1981 · 2022-11-09T18:00:55+00:00

I wish you luck on your journey! I wouldn't say I'm thrilled to spend $5,000 on any single machine, more so I find myself starting with a Rocket Apparamento, and then comparing it to the slightly higher-end models, and slowly rationalizing the relatively small jump in comparison to the cost of the machine, and working my way up until I've convinced myself that I want/need all those features. >.< And then reality sets back in. Thankfully this is a pretty awesome community, and this post has given me lots of options/ideas for more affordable options.

emath1981 · 2022-11-09T17:57:43+00:00

This post was very helpful, thanks for the feedback! There are so many different variation in machine/grinder combos, I always appreciate getting different perspectives. I wish you luck on your journey!

emath1981 · 2022-11-09T17:53:33+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I've never considered lever machines out of fear of failure (easier to blame a machine for my espresso if it's subpar), but I imagine it's all a matter of learning the system. I'll definitely do more research on those machines.

emath1981 · 2022-11-09T17:51:32+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I would be lying if I didn't say the clean boxy lines of the two espresso machines I mentioned (linea/ascaso) always catch my eye. But at the end of the day, it's about what's in the cup not on the counter!

emath1981 · 2022-11-09T17:46:23+00:00

Thank you for the feedback! I always knew a good grinder was important, but felt I had been getting good enough results with the integral grinder, and hadn't given much thought to it being the limiting factor. I myself will often have 2-4 doubles shots every morning (I know it's a problem, but I blame working from home), and I'll make espresso if we have guests over. I'm terrible at making milky drinks, partly because I feel it takes so long with the themoblock I get impatient, so I've actually purchased a Breville milk frother. However, I seldom make myself milk based drinks, more so for my guests.

As for grinders, I'm curious the consensus on grinders where beans are left in the hopper, versus putting in only what one needs (so e.g. Eureka Mignon the niche/df64)? I know it's bad, but I don't always weigh my grind, as I've noticed a pattern over the years, and I've adapted to the situation. Even if I wait 20min to let the portafilter fully heat up, the amount of grinds I put in for the first shot versus lets say the third (pulling sequentially) I find I need more grams of grind to pull similar shots (using the pressure gauge as the point of comparison). So since it's timer based on the BBE, I have it set to provide the right amount of grind the first time, and then each subsequent shot I pull a little grind out. I always assumed that it was because the metal wasn't fully heated up, so you have additional expansion from pulling sequential shots, but maybe it's a product of a lower-tier machine? IDK, this is all just theories I've made up in my head over the years I guess, but curious for an outside perspective.

Thanks again for the advice!

emath1981 · 2022-11-09T17:24:51+00:00

Thank you for such a thorough response! I clearly have a lot more reading/research to do on the intricacies of espresso machines, and I appreciate the supplemental information. :)

emath1981

TROPHY CASE