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It depends on your design. For mine, I start with a min. of 10" blank, make the bottom 6" and the top 2" + 1/4" tenon that fits into the bottom.
Good luck.
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It also depends on your kit. The kit usually comes with exact instructions. Which kit did ya get? 2 inches is really too small. Good luck with that one
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a 2" square blank isn't going to give you much margin for error when the bottom of the kit is 1 1/5/8" wide. You'll have 3/8" left over, or 3/16" around the bottom of the mill. that's going to require near perfect centering so that you aren't taking more off than you have to to make it round. . Can you glue contrasting wood segments to the bottom 2" or so of what you have? It's only one end that has to be that wide.
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(02-26-2018, 08:21 AM)joemac Wrote: I haven't done much woodworking or turning over the past few years due to illness. I am feeling better now and would like to turn a pepper mill and salt mill for one of my daughters. To that end I bought 8' kits and some really nice figured walnut and maple. The walnut was imported from Turkey and is 2" square. I know this will be a bit thin, but it was the largest piece that I could get. I will have to be careful when turning it round, not to loose much of the diameter.
Anyway, to my question: How long should the top and bottom be for 8" kits?
TIA, Joe
Joe
If you felt it was small you could add a 1/4" to the outside on all 4 sides at the bottom maybe half way up . most would be turned away leaving you figured wood that would give you 2-1/2" at the widest
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