Pepper mill advice

[joemac]

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

[sniper]

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.

[Wipedout]

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

[joemac]

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

I bought it from Chefwarekits.  It came with no instructions. E-mails to the seller have not been answered.

[FrankAtl]

Here ya go:

http://www.chefwarekits.com/woodturning-...ctions.pdf

[joemac]

Here ya go:

http://www.chefwarekits.com/woodturning-...ctions.pdf

Thanks!!!!

[crokett™]

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.

[joemac]

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.

I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and leave this special walnut for another project and go get the right size turning blanks.  I sure don't want to spend a lot of time and ruin beautiful wood trying to do something that has little room for error.  I need LOTS of error and wiggle room in my projects.

[Woodshop]

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

[iclark]

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

+1

I have seen this done very effectively with contrasting wood. The down side is that you need to be careful to be well-centered. Like any four-cornered turning, being off-center shows up quickly.

An extra plus of adding the wood is that you can add the pieces quarter-sawn out of wood with good fleck or chatoyance on all 4 sides.