Mortar & Pestle

[Lee Koepke]

A gift for a friend of mine, she asked for a mortar & pestle to grind up spices and such ... not having done one before, thought I'd try. I used maple, no finish on the pestle or the inside, BLO and Mylands Friction Polish on the outside. I didnt do any research and went off my gut instinct (and memories from high school chemistry class) for the design.

Comments welcome!

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[tom martin]

Nicely done. Maple is an excellent choice for wood for this project-your friend should be pleased! Is the indent carved or off center turned?
Thanks for sharing,
Tom

[Donny Lawson]

Nice job on the set. I think it will do a good job on the spices.

[Baxter Smith]

My grandparents had a big mortar and pestle that was a lot older than them. I always thought I would turn one but have yet to get it done. Nice work on this one Lee. She will love to get it and put it to use!

[John Keeton]

Sure has been a while since I have seen one of these! Nice work, Lee. I think the only consideration is to have the curvature of the interior of the pestle match the rounded end of the mortar.

[Greg Just]

Nice job Lee. Should make a great gift. Happy Holidays

[Michelle Rich]

super gift.. I luv seeing useful items posted.

[Lee Koepke]

Nicely done. Maple is an excellent choice for wood for this project-your friend should be pleased! Is the indent carved or off center turned?
Thanks for sharing,
Tom
Thanks everyone ...

Tom, I will be honest ......... the indention is what wood turners call a "nasty catch". I was trying to shape the bottom to more closely fit the pestle like John K suggested, but I was looking more at the spinny piece than the gouge and BOOOM. After I caught my breath, I saw an opportunity the make it more of a 'pouring spout'. So that part I dremeled out so it looked more uniform.

She LOVED it by the way, so its worth it! I did tell her if it didnt grind correctly or leaves spices unground, I will fix it for her. It actually fits better in the bottom than it looks.

I really like making useful items. I have another request for a butter mold, so that may be a new challenge for me!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Really a nice piece Lee. I made one for a friend of mine who owns a pharmacy.

[Steve Schlumpf]

I've thought of turning one of these sets but just never seem to follow through on the idea! Hopefully, when I do, it will turn out as nice as yours did! By the way - I like the custom pouring lip idea!!