How to fix burr contact/alignment issues on an OE LIDO hand grinder on fine grinds?

Question

The burrs on my Orphan Espresso LIDO E hand grinder touch/contact and grind each other when dialing into a fine grind, even when the basket is empty of beans.

Is this supposed to happen? Are they misaligned? The burrs only contact on one side - particularly only at one section of the handle turn, and I can't get a finer grind because of this.

Answer 1

For the LIDO grinders, burr drag, grinding, or touching is likely due to misalignment. Misalignment is more likely an assembly issue than a manufacturing issue since the burrs are machined. This means you can fix your Orphan Espresso LIDO on your own, with some handiwork and know-how.

When I received my Lido E, the burrs would contact each other at anything tighter than +3.5 on the adjustment ring. After careful realignment, I got down to -5 from "factory-zero" before any contact, fixing a misalignment of over eight notches! -5 is now my new "recalibrated zero".

My burrs are now much better centered than when it arrived, and I can get them extremely close together while keeping them fully free spinning.

Orphan Espresso's LIDO Maintenance Video is a detailed guide on how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble your LIDO. He only goes as far as to approximately realign the burrs.

In Orphan Espresso's LIDO Grider Burr Alignment Video, he focuses on burr alignment, going more in-depth. The video is very informative, but I believe alignment can be improved further with these additional steps:

To Perfectly Align LIDO 2, LIDO 3, or LIDO E Burrs

1. Do as he instructs in the the alignment video until 7:24
   • He will:
     1. Tighten one adjustment screw while grinder is upside down
     2. Turn the grinder right side up
     3. Fully tighten all screws in opposing X-order
   • Instead, I suggest:
     1. Keep grinder upside down
     2. Lightly & evenly tighten all adjustment screws in opposing X-order
     3. The hopper should be lightly secured, locking in the outer burr's alignment
2. Turn the LIDO right side up and loosen the adjustment ring until the burrs spin freely when the locking ring is locked.
3. Slowly tighten the adjustment ring (and re-lock) bit by bit, turning the handle a full circle and testing for burr contact.
4. When the first burr contact occurs, note the clock position of contact (e.g. 3 o'clock)
5. Slowly tighten an alignment screw at either the same or the opposing clock position (e.g. either 3 or 9 o'clock) until burr spins freely again.
   • It will take some experimentation to figure out which screw to tighten.
   • Sometimes, you may need to slightly loosen a screw to free the burr.
6. If all alignment screws are as snug as possible without introducing more burr contact, you're done. Otherwise, go back to step 4.

If done correctly, the burrs will be so well-centered that when tightening the adjustment ring until first burr contact, the burr contacts in two or more (or all) places at once. The point of first burr contact is your new "recalibrated zero".

What this is doing

The alignment video shows how to align the inner burr and outer burr before screwing in the alignment screws. The problem is that I found the burrs can still get misaligned during tightening of the alignment screws.

My procedure addresses those last 1-2 turns of the alignment screws, between "lightly" and "fully" tightened. Slowly tightening whilst rechecking alignment makes sure that everything stays aligned even as the screws are fully tightened.