Sugar Shakers

[Bill Wiggins]

These are my prototype Sugar Shakers. There is no finish on the inside of any of the shakers, based on advice I got from fellow Creekers. On each unit, there is a cork "gasket" to attach the top (antique) or bottom (bullet and barrel).

I've attached a picture of three prototypes.

Left to Right, the styles are:
Bullet Style - my first prototype. This unit is taller than production models will be. It's currently 5 3/4" tall, but production models will be 1" shorter. It's unstained and made of spalted maple with a poly gloss finish.
Antique Style - this is based on an antique model that is for sale on the Internet for $150 to $250. The prototype is 6" tall to the tip of the finial on top. It's made of spalted birch and has a cherry stain over an orange dye, to give it an antique look. The only finish in this picture, other than the stain and dye, is Boiled Linseed Oil.
Barrel Style - This unit is similar in shape to today's plastic or glass sugar shakers. This style comes with a cover (not shown in photo). The only finish, in this picture, is Boiled Linseed Oil.

I welcome any comments or suggestions on future units. I expect to sell these at my sugarhouse (and craft fairs, etc.) for $20. Does that sound like an appropriate price?
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[Bill Wiggins]

After reading some posts on Sawmill Creek regarding the potential danger of using spalted wood for food products, especially unfinished/untreated spalted wood, I will be making some new prototypes from unspalted wood. Thank goodness for Sawmill Creek.

I'm also going to try to perfect my use of the skew, so I can get some cleaner lines. My 11-year old grandson designed the "Bullet" style. That design might be tweaked abit.

[Marty Eargle]

Wonder if freezing/cooking the wood to kill the fungus would make them wood safe....or if the wood is just susceptible to fungus once it has any spalt. After looking at these, I need to make a few shakers too...very handy in the kitchen.

Also, if you're looking to practice with your skew, looking up Bob Hamilton (user:bobham5) on Youtube. He has a seven or eight part set of videos that cover how to work with the skew wonderfully. It really helped me not hate mine. :)