Spice up your turning repertoire with this pepper grinder/salt cellar combo in contrasting woods. Shopmade jigs lend a hand if you’re thinking of making multiples.
A couple of years ago, I began making pepper grinders to give as Christmas presents. The grinders were glued up from small pieces of maple and walnut, which was a great way to use up all the offcuts I had saved. But instead of laminating them straight and vertical, I devised a way to glue them together at an angle. I found that by making a few jigs, I could produce a number of these grinders at one time, and easily duplicate my process later. The following year, I made salt cellars to match. Many of the procedures for the salt cellars are similar to those used for the grinders, with the added challenge of turning a separate fitted lid with a small knob.Stock preparation
When turning projects on the lathe, you can save time by knocking the corners off square blanks. This is usually done by tilting the table saw blade to 45° or tilting the band saw table. In both cases, the saw must be realigned back to 90°, which of course takes time. When cutting small pieces, these methods can bring your fingers dangerously close to the table saw blade.
To solve both problems, I created this jig (Fig. A & B) to hold my pepper grinder blanks while knocking off the corners. It consists of a sled with a 90° V-notch cut along its length. The notch holds the work like a round-stock-drilling clamp on a drill press. The clamp holds the work in the notch. The sled provides a secure base for the stock and slides freely. Meanwhile, your fingers are a safe distance from the blade and the blade stays set at 90° to the table.
On the last cut, I add a scrap to make up for the short travel of the clamp (Fig. C). Note the stop at the back of the jig to prevent the work from sliding.
Using the rip fence and miter gauge, finish trimming the blank to its final dimensions of 4¼" x 3" x 3".The remaining pieces of the blank are a collar (3" x 3" x 3/8" maple) and a top (3" x 3" x 17/8" walnut). Glue and clamp both the collar and top to the body of the grinder. Finally, glue a 3" x 3" x ¾" waste block to the top of the blank (Fig. 8).
A Time When You’ll Want to Cut Corners
When turning projects on the lathe, you can save time by knocking the corners off square blanks. This is usually done by tilting the table saw blade to 45° or tilting the band saw table. In both cases, the saw must be realigned back to 90°, which of course takes time. When cutting small pieces, these methods can bring your fingers dangerously close to the table saw blade.
To solve both problems, I created this jig (Fig. A & B) to hold my pepper grinder blanks while knocking off the corners. It consists of a sled with a 90° V-notch cut along its length. The notch holds the work like a round-stock-drilling clamp on a drill press. The clamp holds the work in the notch.
The sled provides a secure base for the stock and slides freely. Meanwhile, your fingers are a safe distance from the blade and the blade stays set at 90° to the table.
On the last cut, I add a scrap to make up for the short travel of the clamp (Fig. C). Note the stop at the back of the jig to prevent the work from sliding.
Turning the grinder
Locate the center of the blank on both ends and lay out the diameter of the grinder. Knock off the corners of the blank before mounting it in the lathe (see sidebar).
Mount the blank in the lathe with the waste block toward the drive spur end. Turn the waste block to fit in your lathe chuck (Fig. 9). Remove the drive spur and replace it with a chuck (Fig. 10). Check the directions for your grinding mechanism to choose the proper size bits and then drill through the grinder body as instructed (Fig. 11). The holes can also be drilled on a drill press and the blank returned to the lathe for finishing. Put a reference mark on the blank to ensure accurate repositioning of the blank after drilling for the mechanism. I used a jig (Fig. 12) to provide support for the grinder throughout the remaining turning, sanding and finishing steps (see sidebar on last page of this article). It fits into the bored-out blank and provides support at the tailstock end. It also holds the grinder together after the top is parted off.
Fig. 13 shows the chuck end of the grinder blank with the jig installed. Re-chuck the blank in the lathe (Fig. 14). Part off the grinder top by turning the tenon to the size specified in the grinder mechanism instructions. Remove the jig and lower portion of the grinder body. Re-chuck the top of the grinder and clean up the tenon (Fig. 15).
Reinsert the jig and tighten securely (Fig. 16). The jig will now align the top and body during the shaping and sanding process.
With the blank re-chucked in the lathe, lay out the transition points according to the illustration on page 35 or to your own specifications. Turn the grinder and sand through 320-grit (Fig. 17). Part off the grinder from the chuck and touch up the top. Finish with several coats of gloss water-based polyurethane.
Don’t forget the salt
But what about the salt? One obvious option is to turn a matching shaker. Snap-in, stainless steel shaker tops are available (with plastic plugs for the bottoms). But I decided to make salt cellars instead, small lidded vessels perfect for storing the chunky sea salts and kosher salts that are popular with cooks these days.
The salt cellar doesn’t fulfill exactly the same function as a shaker, although you can use it for table salt during a meal with a small spoon if you like. Centuries ago, when salt was an expensive commodity available only to the upper classes, it was displayed in ornate gold, crystal or porcelain cellars on the dining table. People really wanted to show off their valuable salt! These days, you’ll more commonly find a salt cellar right by the stove, where its coarse contents can easily be measured out or pinched. A cellar is a handy way to store any frequently used seasoning, such as a savory spice mix.
Preparing the blank
Square the blank on one of the large surfaces and an adjoining side before proceeding. A piece of ¾" scrap forms a glue block for the lathe work that will follow (Fig. 19). The block is sized to the blank’s width and the distance between the lines, which should come out to about 5" x 5". Glue and clamp the scrap block in place on the jointed, flat bottom of the blank.
After the block dries, locate the center and drill a pivot hole for a circle-cutting jig (Fig. 20). I also returned to the jointer and flattened the “top” of the blank – the end opposite the glue block that will be the top of the cellar – slightly so it would be easier to locate the center point for the lathe’s live center.
Cut the blank into a cylinder on the bandsaw. At this point, you can start to see the swirl design that will emerge as you turn the salt cellar (Fig. 21).
Turning the cellar body
Turn the glue block to a diameter that will fit into your lathe chuck and remount the blank in the chuck. Again, place a reference mark locating the work in the chuck.
Now form the outside of the salt cellar (Fig. 25). Move right along to the inside. The wall thickness follows the outer contour and is about ¼" thick (Fig. 26).
Sand the inside and outside of the cellar through 320 grit. Part off the vessel from the glue block (Fig. 27). The overall finished size is about 4½" in diameter and 2½" tall.
After the block dries, locate the center and drill a pivot hole for a circle-cutting jig (Fig. 20). I also returned to the jointer and flattened the “top” of the blank – the end opposite the glue block that will be the top of the cellar – slightly so it would be easier to locate the center point for the lathe’s live center.
Cut the blank into a cylinder on the bandsaw. At this point, you can start to see the swirl design that will emerge as you turn the salt cellar (Fig. 21).Turning the cellar body
Remove the blank from the band-saw and locate the center of the top of the blank. Finally, we’re ready for the lathe. Set the lathe’s drive spur into the glue block and mount the piece on the lathe. For reference, I marked the location of the drive spur on the workpiece.
Turn the glue block to a diameter that will fit into your lathe chuck and remount the blank in the chuck. Again, place a reference mark locating the work in the chuck.
Now form the outside of the salt cellar (Fig. 25). Move right along to the inside. The wall thickness follows the outer contour and is about ¼" thick (Fig. 26).
Sand the inside and outside of the cellar through 320 grit. Part off the vessel from the glue block (Fig. 27). The overall finished size is about 4½" in diameter and 2½" tall.
Making the lid
I prepared the ¾" maple stock for several lids at once. Start with a 4½" circle; the finished diameter will depend on the dimension of each lid’s mating salt cellar. The glue blocks, as before, are ¾" scrap pine. Glue and clamp the lid blank to the glue block (Fig. 28).
Locate the center of the lid blank and drill a 1/32" pivot hole 1/8" deep into the maple lid. The same hole will be used later to locate the lid’s knob. Cut the lid blank and glue block on the bandsaw with a circle-cutting jig. Next, locate the center of the glue block side of the blank, which will be used for the lathe’s drive spur.
With the blank mounted in the lathe, I turned the glue block to the correct diameter for my chuck. Remove the blank from the drive spur and mount it in the chuck, make another reference mark, then begin forming the lid. Match the dimensions of each lid to its salt cellar mate. The bottom of the lid is tapered, which helps center it on the salt cellar.
I gave the lid a dome shape. At the tallest point it is about 5/8" thick. The tapered section is about ¼" thick and the diameters are sized to fit. Once you’re satisfied with the lid’s shape, sand the top through 320-grit with the lid still in the chuck. I used my random orbit sander. Part off the lid (Fig. 29).
The final piece of lathe work is turning the small knob for the lid. I turned a ¾" x ¾" piece of walnut into a dowel and shaped the knob freehand.
Size the tenon with a ¼" open-end wrench (Fig. 30). The finished knob should be about 5/8" in diameter and ¾" tall with a ¼"-long tenon.
Finishing up
With a ¼" Forstner bit, drill the hole for the knob slightly deeper than ¼" (Fig. 32). The pivot hole used to cut the lid is the pilot hole for this operation.
I made a jig to hold the lid and salt cellar when sanding the rough areas left by the parting tool. The top is slightly scooped-out and a ¼" dowel protrudes about 3/16" from the center (Fig. 33). The sides are tapered and the diameter at the top is slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the salt cellars. To sand the bottom of the lid, place it on the jig with the hole for the knob over the pin (Fig. 34).
To sand the body of the salt cellar, I placed a rubber jar opener over the jig and placed the cellar upside down on the jig (Fig. 35). The combination of the taper and the thin rubber held the workpiece while I sanded the bottom. A little touch-up sanding and several coats of water-based polyurethane later, my Christmas shopping was done (Fig. 36)!
Pepper grinder mechanism: Woodcraft, #126638, woodcraft.com
Lewis Kauffman
Lewis Kauffman is a semi-retired schoolteacher in Chambers-burg, Pa. He taught electronics and computers for 33 years in the local vocational-technical school and still substitutes regularly. He learned woodworking from his grandfather.
Support When You Need It
This simple jig is invaluable for supporting your pepper mill as you turn and sand the outer silhouette. To make it yourself, you just need a little time and a few pieces of hardware.
Cut two pieces of a hardwood such as maple into 2" squares. Piece A should be 3/4" thick and B at least 11/8" thick. Clamp the pieces together, locate the center of the blanks and drill a 3/32" hole through both pieces. This hole will help align the pieces during final glue-up and assembly. Unclamp the pieces and drill a 7/8" hole 1/8" deep in piece B, using the 3/32" hole as the center. Drill further with a 9/32" bit to accommodate the threaded sleeve of a 1/4" x 20 T-nut fastener. It’s important to drill only deep enough for the fastener, not all the way through B. Install the T-nut fastener, making sure the its flange is below the surface of the wood.
Glue and clamp the two pieces of wood together. Place a 3/32" bit or heavy piece of wire through the holes you drilled earlier to align the two pieces. After the glue dries, turn the blank to the dimensions shown. During the turning process, piece A should be toward the tailstock. This will prevent the enlargement of the original 3/32" hole.
After turning and sanding, remove the piece from the lathe and finish drilling the 9/32" hole. Drill in from the end of B, taking care not to drill into the T-nut fastener threads. Thread a 1/4" x 20 threaded rod into the small end of the jig until it just bottoms out on piece A. Use two 1/4" x 20 nuts, a lock washer and a flat washer to hold the jig securely in the turning blank.
