1st pepper mill

[Greg A Jones]

8" in Ash sanded to 400 and finished with EEE and Behlen's. Comments and criticisms welcome. Thanks.

[Ricc Havens]

Looks great!

[Roger Chandler]

Nice job for your first!

[Daniel Gross]

nicely done

[Lawrence Tarnoff]

Looks great. I'm thinking of trying my first as well. What mechanism did you use? What was the most challenging facet? Any other advise will be appreciated.

Larry

[Greg A Jones]

Thanks for the kind words. Absolutely most challenging part is getting the bore throughs absolutely centered. After a couple of screw ups it dawned on me that I was off center because my blank was wobbling a bit. Once I set it in the jaws and very lightly worked it up and down with my spindle master until the slightest wobble was gone and it was spinning as true as I could make it, the bore was slick all the way through. I use a Jacobs chuck withe the lathe set at 500-550 rpm and go SLOWLY to avoid scorching the wood and burning the bit. The 3/8" deep 1 5/8" countersink for the bottom if the hardware is the one that requires dead center. The 1" through cut is a piece of cake. Drill 1/2 through and flip it around. Also, you must have your ends ABSOLUTELY square or it will wobble when you set it down and the body and cap will not fit flush. Shape the body slowly and plan your cuts ahead of time. Also, when you mark it up, you must allow for your parting cuts or you'll end up a few 16ths short. Also, don't forget that your lengths are in addition to the spigots/tenons you turn. Not a difficult project but does require a good bit of stopping and thinking.

ETA--I keep the jet nozzle of my compressor in my free hand and continuously squirt blasts of air into the cavity as I'm boring. Def keeps the hole clear and seems to help keep the bit cooler.

[Richard Madden]

Nothing to criticize...just compliments on a great job!

[Tom Sherman]

That's a nice mill, first or otherwise. I like your design not clunky like some.