Mortar and Pestle

[Ben Werner]

I got an order for a mortar and pestle (utilitarian) and I have never made a pair so I was wondering about dimensions and if any specific would is better. I have a nice piece of cherry that I was hoping to use that is 2 in high and prob about 5 in wide... would that work?? Are there plans anywhere online?

Thanks for the help :D :D
Ben

[Andy Hoyt]

I'm not sure which component is which - so I'll just refer to them as the bowl and bonker.

The bowl should actually be more cup-like in shape with high sides to preempt spillage and keep the grindables concentrated in the bottom. The diameter of the ball on the end of the bonker part should be about a third of the diameter of the vessel.

This highly scientific answer is solely based on the ceramic one in our kitchen, which I last saw maybe a year ago.

[Keith Burns]

Ben, here is a link, look under the projects, they have a plan http://www.sawg.org.nz/

[George Tokarev]

Couple of things to consider. One is the wood and one the design. In the ones I've made, I used end-grain configuration, though a close-grained diffuse porous wood should be as good. My concern was for the crushing force placed on the annual rings of ring-porous woods, which could make them more ragged in use. Since you'll be using something to soak the end grain, like shellac, it shouldn't have much problem with absorbing the oils from things being crushed. No woods high in extractives, of course, as they carry their own flavor.

Second is the diameter. Spices certainly don't want a big piece like the one in the plan presented. You're not using much, and they'll get lost inside a four inch mortar. You'll want to contain them a bit more closely so you can get some grind on them. Even if you do need a larger vessel, consider making a narrower portion of the foot that the user can grip between the thumb and forefinger. Keeps the thing from running on the surface of the counter or table and possibly tipping, dumping the contents.

When you look at the price of spices for what you get, you don't want to spill them. Easy to see why Columbus was willing to risk so much when you see those prices, isn't it?

[Mark Pruitt]

My wife has two mortar and pestle sets. One is for use and the other is purely decorative. The "for use" set has a bowl about 3.5" inside diameter by about 2" deep, and is perfectly round on the inside. The foot is a pedestal type, and overall height is about 3.5". The "bonker" is about 4" long; 1" diameter at the business end and .75" at the opposite end. I'm not home at the moment so I can't give exact measurements. I'll try to remember to check it when I get home this evening.

The "decorative" M&P is about 2.25" diameter by about 2.25" overall height. Bonker piece is about .75" business end, .25" other end.

[John Shuk]

I've made a couple. I like an end grain orientation as well. I finish mine with walnut oil. The pestle should be big enough to grab onto and work stuff like peppercorns. Lignum Vitae would be nice. Hard Maple, Locust(Honey or Black), and Osage Orange are good choices since they are all very hard and durable with good heft.

[Ernie Nyvall]

Well Ben, did you tell'em that you can't shoot a mortar from a pestle? Takes a bigger gun.:rolleyes:

[Ben Werner]

Thanks guys!!

I kinda forgot about the pedestal when I made the outside so.... looks like a normal bowl.... but it will be about the marks i think....hmmm... ha ha
Its a cool looking piece of maple with some odd stuff going on... not a burl by any means though... donno what i'll use for the bonker though... would apple be alright? or should I stick with maple??


Well Ben, did you tell'em that you can't shoot a mortar from a pestle? Takes a bigger gun.:rolleyes: very funny... ha ha :D:p I'll let her know :D

Ben

[Mark Pruitt]

Ben, I still can't find my wife's M&P, so I obviously couldn't get back to you with exact dimensions. It looks like you've gone ahead with the project; if you still need the dimensions I'll ask SWMBO to search for it.

[Gary DeWitt]

For anyone searching this thread in the future, I'll chime in with my .02.
I'd use the hardest wood I could find! Lignum would be good but perhaps too oily with its own taste.

[John Shuk]

Apple would make a nice bonker. It can be a little splitty though.

Lignum is used very often in kitchen implements around the world. Not sure about the oily taste being imparted to food or not but a google search might answer that.

[Burt Alcantara]

I have 3 sets. One from a Thai store which is about 8" deep. This lets me pound enough ingredients for a curry to serve 4. The pestle is shredding from use but fortunately I found another store that has replacement pestles. The other two are marble or marble like.

One thing to keep in mind. If they are to used they should have enough depth so the spices wont jump out all over the place. When using my tiny set I use a grinding motion rather then pounding.

A nice feature is to add small ridges on the bottom to facilitate pulverizing and grinding.

Look at Japanese sets. They are different in that they are made for grinding. The inside of the mortars are ridged. They are very attractive and very functional.

Burt