Question: Mortar and pestle, end grain or long grain

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I apologize if this has been asked before. It seems this search engine finds more threads the more word you type in, my search for this question was futile.

Okay, obviously, the question is, should I make a mortar and pestle end grain or long grain. This is similar to the cutting board end grain or long grain question. My thought process, I've made cutting boards, and think that they should be end grain if they are to be used, and long grain if they sit on the shelf. Would a mortar and pestle go along the same lines? The boss spotted a very nicely made olive M&P set in the store, and said oh, I think so and so, her friend would love one of these. She would use it every day...... Sigh. I know what that means. So, there's the rub. LOL pun. End grain for durability or long grain for looking nice? Since I don't cook, how much rubbing goes on in there? Enough to worry or not?

TIA.

[Brian Deakin]

I am a retired pharmacist

Ideally a mortar and pestle should be made out of glass not wood ,stone or any other material

Reason glass is nonabsorbent

stone or other man made mortar and pestle are only suitable for white powders or they will stain

[John K Jordan]

I agree the material should be non-absorbent. I use a glass mortar&pestle when preparing medications for the farm animals but I suspect wood might work for kitchen use. Stabilized wood might be good or a hard, heavy fine-grained wood with no open pores. I'd probably use lignum vitate.

My inclination would be to use end grain for both pieces.

[Alex Zeller]

My personal opinion would be that end grain will absorb anything wet. After all that's what trees do. If nothing else I would probably use something like epoxy to seal the end grain. Finding a food safe epoxy is easy but they are usually only certified for contact, like a bar top. Finding one that can withstand being used as a mortar might be a challenge.

[Peter Christensen]

I have a small mortar and pestle made of Olive wood that a buddy brought back from France. He said they use it for mashing the olive oil, herb leaves, garlic etc., to make Bouillabaisse. The grain runs across the pestle. If you think about it you will have end grain in the bottom or at each end when the grain runs across. Do what makes a better looking piece or what makes your Spock logical. It is something you would use for soft things anyway, not salt, pepper, cloves or any other hard dry spice.

[John K Jordan]

My personal opinion would be that end grain will absorb anything wet. ...

That wouldn't be a problem for lignum vitae and some other "oily" woods where the pores are also packed solidly with resins. It was commonly used for water-lubricated bearings and a variety of marine applications where moisture and environmental conditions were harsh.

I prefer true lignum vitae instead of the verawood (argentine lignum vitae).

BTW, Lignum vitae is incredibly tough and easy to machine on the metal lathe and milling machine and makes great brackets - I made a missing part for a used sliding table attachment for my table saw. Naturally lubricating, it made a great little bearing bowl for a supported spindle for hand spinning fibers.

If absorption of anything wet is a show-stopper perhaps the millions of unfinished wood salad/cereal bowls and wooden cutting boards in use should be thrown out! These are commonly washed and dried after use.

In a specialty shop in Athens Greece I saw a number of food processing and handing things made from from unfinished olive wood. I suspect it would be a good choice too, very fine grained, oily. I'll look at the pores in the end grain tomorrow.

JKJ

[terry mccammon]

Don't know if this helps but I made a few by gluing up corian slices to get the desired thickness.

[Don Orr]

Many traditional mortar and pestles are made from wood all over the world. The mortar or bowl is usually made in end grain orientation as is the pestle, meaning in spindle orientation. Dense hardwood like maple, cherry, birch, beech are all acceptable-stay away from porous woods like oak, walnut, ash, hickory, etc. Mostly these are used to grind herbs and spices down for cooking. Using oils such as olive oil is totally fine and even good for the wood. Gentle cleaning like you would do for a wooden salad bowl is all that is required. These tools have been used for centuries and handed down through families and are meant to be used. If wood was a bad material to use, no one would. Try doing an image search or general web search for more info. It's a fun and functional project-good luck and I hope the person likes what you come up with.