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Salt and Pepper Grinders, I have a pair.

AndyP

AndyP

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I've decided to start with the slightly simpler (than the ones Dr Al has done such an excellent job with) to put together kits from here
www.prokraft.co.uk

Salt & Pepper Grinder Kit Set (Ceramic burr)

Description
www.prokraft.co.uk
Only one size drill, 25mm, is required.

Not havng the luxury of enough brain cells to master CAD I've gone with the pen and paper approach. There will be, I hope a Celtic knot in the lower portion of the grinder which does not show up too well in the drawing, sorry
Grinder Drawing 1.jpg

I might have said elsewhere that I am on a deadline with this project, I hate deadlines, of exactly 3 weeks from yesterday.
Hope to get started on the blanks and the Celtic knot making next week.
Oak will be used.
I have 4 sets of parts so enough for the odd C U fairy to make an appearance.
 
Good luck.
I made a bottle-shaped pair a few months back, they were a (late) Christmas present. Last night we went to theirs for dinner (I thought I drank a lot, but I couldn't keep up with the host). Apparently the salt mill has stopped working properly, it doesn't turn.
What's happened, I think, is that is has shrunk a bit as it has dried out, so it is now slightly oval in section. So when the major axis meets the minor axis...
Easy enough to put right, of course.
S
 
Good luck with the turning. I also hate deadlines: they don't suit my glacial work rate!

I'll look forward to seeing how you get on and hearing what you think of those mechanisms.
 
Making progress with the inserts for the celtic knots
20250408_160928_resized_1.jpeg
Sawing through 3” thick oak with a 32tpi saw is hard going taking about 10 mins. Holding that oak block is also a lot harder than the ¾” pen blanks I am used to dealing with.

20250408_160935_resized_1.jpeg
Gluing and clamping 3”oak blocks is also a lot harder than doing the same with pen blanks. Even though I do not cut all the way through the block there is still an opportunity for the two pieces to slip and twist, so much so that I am fearful the knots will not line up perfectly. It takes me 4 days to prepare each block, 8 days for the pair. If they do not turn out right I will not have time to start again.
 
Pepper pot finished but I’m not a happy bunny.

Here is the good side
20250414_185315.jpeg

And the bad side
20250414_185329.jpeg

I’ve made celtic knots in a dozen or more pens and a few kitchen roll holders. This is the first alignment issue I’ve ever had. As i mentioned above clamping a 3” blank is harder that I thought. The blank was perfectly square but somehow while under clamping pressure it managed to slip or twist.
I’ve another being clamped as I type. Will see how that turns out later this week.
 
Keep trying, I'm sure you'll get there.

You'll have to make a heck of a lot more failures before you'll come close to the number I managed 😜
 
Hmmm. Sometimes we're our own worst critics. But I share your pain on something so tiny. But it is also what keeps our grey cells going, trying to improve and set ourselves challenges by solving these problems as we progress in our chosen hobby.
 
4 days to get that far is what really hurts Malc. When the second one gets turned I will know better if I can improve or not.
 
AndyP said:
4 days to get that far is what really hurts Malc. When the second one gets turned I will know better if I can improve or not.
Click to expand...
Sometimes Andy I can go four weeks or more on a project and it still isn't any good. I've been known on such occasions to feed it through the bandsaw and start again - Rob
 
The 2nd grinder is on the lathe and the knot aligns perfectly but, quelle horreur, a crack has appeared top right.
that is just about final size so no opportunity to see if it will turn out. I’ve never been successful with glue and sawdust but have filled as best as I can. Will see what it looks like tomorrow. I really do not have the heart to remake both grinders


20250416_111537_resized.jpeg
 
I know this is a long shot, but could you put some superglue in the crack and squeeze it shut somehow (perhaps getting very aggressive with some strong tape)? Like you I've never had much luck with glue and sawdust, but if you can close the gap then glue should sort it out.
 
Small flaws show that something is hand made. Don't stress too much on it. Oak is not ideal for grinders IMO as both salt and pepper will draw moisture and oak does split and will split more unless it was bone dry to start with. My experience of closing splits in oak with superglue or resin adhesives is that the split just relocates adjacent to the repair. I would make another one. Use beech next time, or boxwood or hornbeam if you can. Did you check the moisture content of the oak? It's very naughty stuff for being wayward. if one is to be a pepper grinder then you could do it out of black walnut, and the knot aspect in a light wood such as holly?
 
Dr.Al said:
I know this is a long shot, but could you put some superglue in the crack and squeeze it shut somehow (perhaps getting very aggressive with some strong tape)? Like you I've never had much luck with glue and sawdust, but if you can close the gap then glue should sort it out.
Click to expand...
I doubt it, the crack is not deep and would probably disappear is I had 2mm to play with. Will see what it looks like tomorrow.
 
AJB Temple said:
Small flaws show that something is hand made. Don't stress too much on it. Oak is not ideal for grinders IMO as both salt and pepper will draw moisture and oak does split and will split more unless it was bone dry to start with. My experience of closing splits in oak with superglue or resin adhesives is that the split just relocates adjacent to the repair. I would make another one. Use beech next time, or boxwood or hornbeam if you can. Did you check the moisture content of the oak? It's very naughty stuff for being wayward. if one is to be a pepper grinder then you could do it out of black walnut, and the knot aspect in a light wood such as holly?
Click to expand...
You are right on all counts Adrian. Availability of suitable sized blanks was determining factor, plus I had made other stuff for the recipients in oak too. I would have loved to do one dark, walnut, and one light, beech but couldn’t find any in time. These have to be delivered in 10 days….or not at all. Another problem with walnut would be making the celtic knot. The veneer used has to be same thickness as the saw kerf, not at all sure where I would find holly veneer at short notice.
I’ll carry on tomorrow let the chief design authority judge acceptability and maybe just present an IOU to the newly weds.
 
I have a pair.
Making one is easy, making the second identical is tough especially as I wanted the knots in the same place. I will sit and look at them for a couple days before I decide of they are good enough.

IMG_4017.jpeg
 
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