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I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

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I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Chris101 » 30 May 2021, 14:08

I have a marble pestle and mortar. I use it all the time. Every time I use it I curse one part for being too small and the other part for being too short. For some reason I have grown used to accepting it's shortcomings and bowed my head while it laughs derisively in my face. For some other unknown reason I've Never Quite Got Round to buying a bigger one. (This is not a thinly veiled feminist attack on marriage btw, It's a genuine woodworking thread).

I was just (angrily) grinding some rosemary to sous vide a leg of lamb for the bank holiday and a tiny light went on. If only I was vaguely in touch with a load of fellas who do woodturning for a lark. I bet one of them fellas might take on a paid commission to make a pestle and mortar,... I could pay a fair price to cover time, materials and post etc and receive (in time) a big a*se hardwood mortar and pestle. Whoever made it would have covered their costs and made a couple of quid too as this needs to be a reasonable and fair deal.
Now I understand economies of scale and I don't expect anyone to turn in AliExpress levels of pricing and delivery.
But if anyone is interested and can turn a pestle with a bowl with a 5ish" internal diameter and a long pestle to suit I'd love to hear. I'm happy to pay fair price and would far rather pay someone on here than buy online. I have some idea of wood prices, tooing costs etc so won't be dead surprised to find you actually need renumeration and payment for materials and time.
I'm not sure if it is a viable option for the turners to be able to make a fair profit so I won't be offended if i get no replies or even several in short order lol.
But I thought it would be worth a shot.
Best regards as always
Chris
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Chris152 » 31 May 2021, 08:16

I could make a mortar with lots of splits and held together by a bit of rope, but haven't turned between centres since the first couple of lessons I had at a turning club, so it'd be a pestleless mortar and pestle. Sound good? :eusa-think:
Hope the leg of lamb was good - sounds delicious! (eta - I see you can marinade it 24 hours - is it for today?)
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Lurker » 31 May 2021, 10:17

If you ask this question in late October, I would do it for you.
Too busy until the days get shorter and colder .
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Woodster » 31 May 2021, 11:24

They seem to be quite a popular project for wood turners. Most Pestle & Mortars seem to be made from hard materials like porcelain, cast iron or granite though so is wood really hard enough?

I rather like the look of this unusual cast iron one. ;)

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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Lons » 31 May 2021, 13:13

I'm the same as Lurker Chris, just too much to do at the minute sorry.
It's a very simple project and any food safe dense hardwood works very well, I wouldn't personally use yew or laburnam for example but oak, beech, fruitwoods etc are all suitable.

I made one a couple of years ago from worktop offcuts of Mistral solid surface material, cut rings out of the 25mm thick material and glued them together using epoxy coloured to match then turned them down, dusty stuff to work withy but came out pretty well, the joints are virtually invisible.
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Chris101 » 31 May 2021, 20:26

Thanks for replying chaps. It's much appreciated. I fully understand that it might be a bit more involved than is
easily convenient. Maybe I'll raise the issue again come the autumn!
I have got a bowling ball tucked away but I'm not at all sure lignum vitae is food safe.
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Andyp » 01 Jun 2021, 06:42

I would have thought that LV was too oily and might impart that oil into the stuff being ground.

edit
Having said that a quick google finds hundreds of examples.
I do not think therefore I do not am.

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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Tiresias » 01 Jun 2021, 11:38

Just trying to be helpful here.

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This is what I use for making som dtam (other transliterations are available) and other Asian salads. It also works surprisingly well for any wet paste. There is a sort of lip or recurve on the brim that stops things escaping or slopping all over you. The depth helps a lot (I stuck a ruler in the picture to give some scale).

So if you want a hard wood one, consider incorporating that as a design feature.

Or you could just buy one of those to tide you over – I think it was around £20.

Dunno how it would do with hard spices like fenugreek though. I use a ridged suribachi with a home made surikogi for that sort of thing (apologies to all Nipponese whose language I have undoubtedly mangled).
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Woodbloke » 02 Jun 2021, 21:18

I’ve got a suitable bit of yew which is part turned, ready to be finished and I’m pretty sure I could find a bit of something hard n’nasty to use for a pestle. I’ve just got back from from ‘oop narth’ having nipped in today to see Trim for a brew so am fairly cream crackered after an epic drive down the M6, but I’ll take a pic of the yew blank tomorrow so you can cast the Mk1 eyeball over it - Rob

Edit:
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby CHJ » 03 Jun 2021, 16:10

I would be cautious about using Yew wood in intimate contact with food products.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/2892869/wood-toxicity-table

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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Chris101 » 03 Jun 2021, 17:36

Sorry chaps, I've missed a couple of replies and there's Been A Development.
Andyp wrote:I would have thought that LV was too oily and might impart that oil into the stuff being ground.
edit
Having said that a quick google finds hundreds of examples.

Thanks for looking Andy. Actually I dug the bowls ball out but I think it's too small anyway. And also, it's L.V. and maybe deserving of a more fitting end.

Tiresias wrote:Just trying to be helpful here.

The attachment M&P.jpg is no longer available


This is what I use for making som dtam (other transliterations are available) and other Asian salads. It also works surprisingly well for any wet paste. There is a sort of lip or recurve on the brim that stops things escaping or slopping all over you. The depth helps a lot (I stuck a ruler in the picture to give some scale).


That's interesting thank you. I have never used a mortar and pestle 'wet' I have to say and find that intriguing. I will have to look into that and try to expand my capabilities.

Woodbloke wrote:I’ve got a suitable bit of yew which is part turned, ready to be finished and I’m pretty sure I could find a bit of something hard n’nasty to use for a pestle. I’ve just got back from from ‘oop narth’ having nipped in today to see Trim for a brew so am fairly cream crackered after an epic drive down the M6, but I’ll take a pic of the yew blank tomorrow so you can cast the Mk1 eyeball over it - Rob

Rob that's really kind of you (as ever). But I was a bit tardy in replying to this thread and a kind member PM'd me to offer to make me one from beech which ticks all the boxs for me at least because the main limitation of my current one is size. We've gone for a 5"ish (ID/Depth) so I can really give it a mash about.
Now I'm far from a tall bloke but I do have curiously large hands...
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(And, alas, the hairline).
So I'm hoping I'll find that more comfortable to use.
Many thanks again for your kind offer though and sorry for being a bit lapse in updating this thread.

As to Chas's cautionary note about the wisdom of using Yew in relation to toxicity with direct food contact I would guess that although I've read various differing accounts of how relevant that is when directly related just to seasoned uncut timber as here, I have to say, discretion is probably the better part of valour. Preparing food for others carries a certain raft of responsibility that errs to caution just in case.

Thanks all as always for your help and advice.
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Woodbloke » 03 Jun 2021, 22:05

Woodbloke wrote:I’ve got a suitable bit of yew which is part turned, ready to be finished and I’m pretty sure I could find a bit of something hard n’nasty to use for a pestle. I’ve just got back from from ‘oop narth’ having nipped in today to see Trim for a brew so am fairly cream crackered after an epic drive down the M6, but I’ll take a pic of the yew blank tomorrow so you can cast the Mk1 eyeball over it - Rob


Rob that's really kind of you (as ever). But I was a bit tardy in replying to this thread and a kind member PM'd me to offer to make me one from beech which ticks all the boxs for me at least because the main limitation of my current one is size. We've gone for a 5"ish (ID/Depth) so I can really give it a mash about.
Now I'm far from a tall bloke but I do have curiously large hands...
2.png

(And, alas, the hairline).
So I'm hoping I'll find that more comfortable to use.
Many thanks again for your kind offer though and sorry for being a bit lapse in updating this thread.

As to Chas's cautionary note about the wisdom of using Yew in relation to toxicity with direct food contact I would guess that although I've read various differing accounts of how relevant that is when directly related just to seasoned uncut timber as here, I have to say, discretion is probably the better part of valour. Preparing food for others carries a certain raft of responsibility that errs to caution just in case.

Thanks all as always for your help and advice.


Chas is pretty much up to speed with this stuff so I’d go with his advice, but I seemed to have read somewhere that it’s only the berries that are toxic, not the wood, though I could be wrong and frequently am. I just had that bit of yew ruff turned and thought it might be just the ticket. What you have missed out on though, is a pestle made from Toa or Polynesian Ironwood from the Cook Islands in the middle of the Pacific. It’s dark brown and sinks like a stone in water. I managed to snaffle a few lumps home but it made my luggage allowance very close to the mark for the flight. I guess it’ll be allocated for something else now when SWIMBO needs a new rolling pin :lol: - Rob
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby CHJ » 03 Jun 2021, 22:45

Woodbloke wrote:Chas is pretty much up to speed with this stuff so I’d go with his advice, but I seemed to have read somewhere that it’s only the berries that are toxic, not the wood,

Rob, the only part that is not toxic is the aril (red seed flesh) the seeds themselves are the most toxic, some birds get away with eating them because their stomach acid is not strong enough to break the seed shell down.

A handful of leaves can kill a horse or cow but deer can break down the toxins.

The wood dust can (and does with me) cause severe skin and respiratory reactions if handled without care, I suspect released volatiles are involved to some extent.

I have experienced a group of young children starting to go hyper when sitting in the shade of a large Yew planting for a picnic during very hot weather.
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby sunnybob » 04 Jun 2021, 04:33

Admittedly (being inner city born and having had to walk a mile to find ANY tree), I'm not the worlds expert on this subject, but I dont think I have ever seen a yew tree.

I've just looked up the pictures and those leaves and berries are distinctive enough I should have remembered. Presumably then, a Yew is a scarce item?
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Lurker » 04 Jun 2021, 06:49

Bob,
Most church graveyards have them, there is/ was a reason but I forget what.
The Victorian cemetery next door to us has lots including one that is just the other side of the fence, but at around 30 foot it’s only a baby compared with some.
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Woodbloke » 04 Jun 2021, 07:15

Lurker wrote:Bob,
Most church graveyards have them, there is/ was a reason but I forget what.
The Victorian cemetery next door to us has lots including one that is just the other side of the fence, but at around 30 foot it’s only a baby compared with some.

A very dense, dark and sombre tree that the Victorians thought appropriate for graveyards, but I think they’ve been planted in them for centuries.

Chas - thanks for the update on Yew; I’ll take a little more care with it now, but it doesn’t seem to upset my system unduly - Rob
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Andyp » 04 Jun 2021, 07:30

Lurker wrote:Bob,
Most church graveyards have them, there is/ was a reason but I forget what.
The Victorian cemetery next door to us has lots including one that is just the other side of the fence, but at around 30 foot it’s only a baby compared with some.


The two reasons that I am aware of for yew trees being so prevalent around churches are:-

1) As a deterrent to farm animals roaming around the cemeteries that surrounded most rural churches

2) As the long bow was traditionally made from yew the tree was planted in churchyards as a form of protection for the tree.
I do not think therefore I do not am.

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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby StevieB » 04 Jun 2021, 07:31

I always thought Yew was used to stop livestock grazing in graveyards in ye olden days of yore :eusa-think:
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby CHJ » 04 Jun 2021, 08:55

Woodbloke wrote:.
Chas - thanks for the update on Yew; I’ll take a little more care with it now, but it doesn’t seem to upset my system unduly - Rob


Most early indication of problem is likely to be itchy eyes or face and the 'snuffles'

This synopsis from Pete Robinson is worth a read for all woodworkers.

http://www.quest42.co.uk/woodwork/html/toxicwoodreactions.html
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Dalboy » 04 Jun 2021, 10:32

I am inline with what Chas has stated with the reference to toxicity of yew. I have turned a bit and always take precautions when dealing with it.

I think that going with Beech as you have decided is the best option as it is hard enough to be used as a pestle and mortar, Beech is also well know as a good wood for use as kitchen utensils as it has some bacterial benefits when food comes into contact with it.
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Chris101 » 30 Jun 2021, 19:28

As an update, thank you and post mortem to this thread, the very nice Greg Mcateer (contrary to popular belief there is only one) volunteered to make this for me and I couldn't be happier. Woodworkers are good sorts generally no? :D

I'm dead happy with the results. Exactly what I wanted so thanks to Greg. A proper Gent. All three of them. (And Dogtanion) ;)

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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby AJB Temple » 30 Jun 2021, 19:29

Very nice. You are indeed lucky and Greg is indeed skilled.
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Andyp » 30 Jun 2021, 19:36

Indeed.
So which woods were used to make them?
I do not think therefore I do not am.

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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Chris101 » 30 Jun 2021, 20:09

Well the black marble one is my original Andy. Greg used beech to make the big boy new one. I've given it a couple of thin wipes with rape seed oil.
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Re: I wonder if anyone wants to make me a pestle and mortar?

Postby Mike G » 30 Jun 2021, 20:09

Andyp wrote:Indeed.
So which woods were used to make them?


I'll take a stab at elm.
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