Peppermill Blank Question

Pete Jordan

Member
Messages
455
Location
Mason Michigan
I would like to try my first peppermill. Can I use green wood or burl or does the wood have to be dry? If it does have to be dry, how could I dry some of the burl I have?

thanx,

Pete
 
Pete I have did several Peppermills. Dry wood iis the way to go and I do use kiln dried wood. I would say the burl should be as dry as the kiln dried stock but that is just my opinion. If the wood moves it could jam up the mill. Yep I tried it. Make sure when you make go to make the mills, drill your holes first then turn them.
 
Because you're going to want to maintain a tight fit where the top piece of the mill fits the lower piece, you'll want something that isn't going to warp or distort. You could try roughing the pieces down to something close to finished size and then do the DNA soak or even some 60 second rides in the microwave until it doesn't boil anymore. The burl wood I've turned so far doesn't seem to crack or warp so much as some wood but does shrink as it dries. That would mess up a peppermill I think.
 
i have a heat vent in the basement that comes off and just happens to have some wood strips befind it. i lay wood i want to dry on the strips and let the furnace do the rest, usually only a couple days. beale has a good booklet out on making peppermills. like bernie says, drill your holes first.
dale
 
I rough my blanks round and oversize before I drill... mostly so they will fit in my scroll chuck for the drilling.. then use jam chucks to turn to shape.
If you drill them square then put on the jam chucks they have a tendency to slip some..

But definitely agree the wood needs to be dry..
 
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