Salt Shaker & Pepper Mill

By Ken Burton April 23, 2024

Two seasonings, one container

There are certain combinations that just naturally go together: Batman and Robin, Fred and Ginger, peanut butter and jelly, and bacon and eggs to name a few. And, of course, there’s salt and pepper. There aren’t many kitchen tables in this country without these seasonings. And while I’m quite content to sprinkle regular salt on my meals, I do prefer the flavor provided by freshly ground pepper. So here’s what makes this project so great. It has a regular salt shaker on top coupled with a pepper mill below. The perfect one-two punch. Turn one for your table, or a bunch for those discerning gourmets on your gift list.

A single blank becomes the top and bottom

Start with a 3 × 3 × 7” blank mounted between centers. Turn it round with a 3/8” long tenon on both ends, sized to fit your 4-jaw scroll chuck. Measure 2” from the shoulder at the headstock end and make a 3/4” deep parting cut to separate the upper from the lower section. Turn both sections roughly to shape, then cut the two sections apart with a handsaw. With a Forstner bit, drill 1-1/16” diameter holes through both sections. Also drill a 1-1/2” diameter hole in the top of the lower section. Grip a 2-1/4” diameter × 2-1/2” long scrap in your chuck and turn a 1-1/16” diameter × 1” long tenon to serve as a jam chuck. Seat the upper section on the jam chuck and turn away the tenon. Then drill a 1-1/2” diameter hole 1/4” deep. Sand and finish the upper section before mounting the lower section on the jam chuck. Turn away the tenon, then drill a 1-1/2” diameter hole 1/2” deep. Sand and finish the lower section. To assemble, screw the white, stepped salt plug to the bottom of the upper section and the grinder assembly into the hole in the bottom of the lower section. Stack the sections and lock them together with the salt strainer and the nut.

Turn to shape. I used three chisels to make my mill. A spindle roughing gouge to turn the blank to diameter, a parting tool for the tenons and parting cut, and a 1⁄2” spindle gouge for the shaping.

Drill through. With a drill chuck in the tailstock, bore a 11⁄16” diameter hole through both sections. I used masking tape to indicate how far to drill so the hole would stop in the tenon and the bit wouldn’t hit the chuck.

Shallow hole. After drilling the through hole in the lower section, switch to a 11⁄2” diameter bit and drill a hole 1⁄4” deep in its top end. Here I put masking tape on the tailstock spindle so I could measure how far the bit had advanced.

Jam and reverse. Make a jam chuck to hold the pieces as you turn away the tenons. If you need a tighter fit, wrap masking tape around the chuck’s tenon.