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Crushgrind mechanisms: anyone using? Need advice

Mark Hepburn

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Is anyone using the Crushgrind click-in shaftless pepper mill mechanisms? I've made a couple of mills with them and the recommended shaft size to drill is 1 1/2" but it seems that this is just a tad loose.

Woodcraft has a sheet that shows it as a 38mm shaft, which is something like 1.495 inches. I'd buy the metric Forstner bits if that makes a real difference but don't know. I'm using the Colt bits with the Rota-stop shafts and they don't seem to make metric equivalents so I'd have to go a different direction it looks like.

I'd like to get a good snug fit that doesn't require a bunch of epoxy to hold the mill in the housing, so if anyone has any tips I'd appreciate it!

Mark
 

Dennis J Gooding

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Is anyone using the Crushgrind click-in shaftless pepper mill mechanisms? I've made a couple of mills with them and the recommended shaft size to drill is 1 1/2" but it seems that this is just a tad loose.

Woodcraft has a sheet that shows it as a 38mm shaft, which is something like 1.495 inches. I'd buy the metric Forstner bits if that makes a real difference but don't know. I'm using the Colt bits with the Rota-stop shafts and they don't seem to make metric equivalents so I'd have to go a different direction it looks like.

I'd like to get a good snug fit that doesn't require a bunch of epoxy to hold the mill in the housing, so if anyone has any tips I'd appreciate it!

Mark

Mark, a bit of a coincidence; I just finished roughing out a blank for a crush grind mill WITH a shaft. Have never heard of the shaftless variety. Seems to me the simple solution to your problem is to bore the hole using the next smaller available bit and use a small side-cutting scraper to enlarge it to fit. A gouge turned its side with a scraping pull cut using the bottom wing will do the trick
 

Mark Hepburn

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Mark, a bit of a coincidence; I just finished roughing out a blank for a crush grind mill WITH a shaft. Have never heard of the shaftless variety. Seems to me the simple solution to your problem is to bore the hole using the next smaller available bit and use a small side-cutting scraper to enlarge it to fit. A gouge turned its side with a scraping pull cut using the bottom wing will do the trick

Well duh. You're right of course. A 1 3/8 bit is just the thing Dennis. A touch of scraping will do just right. Thanks!
 
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It is the common mill we turn here in South Africa. You will need a 38mm forsner bit, the mechanisms are made in Scandinavia so will be metric. Here is a link to some Power-point presentations done by the South African agent for Crush grind
https://www.peppermills.co.za/powerpoints I have also attached a pdf with the instructions
 

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Mark Hepburn

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It is the common mill we turn here in South Africa. You will need a 38mm forsner bit, the mechanisms are made in Scandinavia so will be metric. Here is a link to some Power-point presentations done by the South African agent for Crush grind
https://www.peppermills.co.za/powerpoints I have also attached a pdf with the instructions

Thanks Richard. That PowerPoint and instruction set were very, very helpful downloads! BTW, my late uncle Randy was a lifelong resident of S.A. and taught entomology at university there until he passed away some years ago.
 

Mark Hepburn

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Google 38MM forstner bit and you get several sources including Rocklers.
Another solution would be to get a machinist's boring head to accurately enlarge the hole if it maters.
This link to Amazon is a 2" head with a MT2 shank then you would need to purchase the appropriate 1/2" shank boring bar https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WLLNVY...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Thanks Don. Just want to mention that I love the piece in your avatar photo. Really nice work!
 

hockenbery

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Ron Browning has a nice article in the AAW journal 24.4 winter 2009
he does a combination salt shaker/pepper Mill in the article.

he uses metric bits for the holes.
You can use his article for a number of adaptions.

I’ve known Ron for a long time. Excellent turner and great guy to be around.
 

Mark Hepburn

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Ron Browning has a nice article in the AAW journal 24.4 winter 2009
he does a combination salt shaker/pepper Mill in the article.

he uses metric bits for the holes.
You can use his article for a number of adaptions.

I’ve known Ron for a long time. Excellent turner and great guy to be around.
Thanks Al,
I'll go grab the article. How can you possibly remember stuff like that ? :-D
 

Mark Hepburn

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Al,
I just grabbed that issue and printed the article. Amazing resource on the AAW website. I highly recommend joining to those of you who haven't already. Just the back issues alone are worth far more than the annual dues.
 

brian horais

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Is anyone using the Crushgrind click-in shaftless pepper mill mechanisms? I've made a couple of mills with them and the recommended shaft size to drill is 1 1/2" but it seems that this is just a tad loose.

Woodcraft has a sheet that shows it as a 38mm shaft, which is something like 1.495 inches. I'd buy the metric Forstner bits if that makes a real difference but don't know. I'm using the Colt bits with the Rota-stop shafts and they don't seem to make metric equivalents so I'd have to go a different direction it looks like.

I'd like to get a good snug fit that doesn't require a bunch of epoxy to hold the mill in the housing, so if anyone has any tips I'd appreciate it!

Mark
I have been using the 'Pro Grind Variable Length Peppermill' mechanism for quite a while and it was originally made for metric sizes. The mechanism is internal and the vendor (Penn State Industries - pennstateind.com - PKGRINDTL) has instructions on how to handle this. I've attached a copy of the instructions. Where the body of the ceramic grinder mechanism fits, they specify a 1 1/2 inch forstner bit. The instructions state:
Assembly Instructions

· Note: The mechanism is designed to fit in metric holes. In order to fit in standard holes, some modifications to the mechanisms are necessary

· Remove the 6 (plastic) ribs over the surface of the grinding mechanism (using a sharp knive) and the knob mechanism

With these ribs removed, the difference between the metric dimension and the 1 1/2 inch forstner bit hole are done away with and the mechanism is a nice snug fit (with a little force)
Hope this helps,
Brian
 

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I use the Mill Drill which is made for the crush grind mills. This Mill Drill is made by Woodcut Tools. I reviewed it in More Woodturning Magazine a few years ago. Works very well.
 

Mark Hepburn

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I use the Mill Drill which is made for the crush grind mills. This Mill Drill is made by Woodcut Tools. I reviewed it in More Woodturning Magazine a few years ago. Works very well.

Bill, does it work for the shaftless mechanism as well as the one with a shaft?
 

Mark Hepburn

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I have been using the 'Pro Grind Variable Length Peppermill' mechanism for quite a while and it was originally made for metric sizes. The mechanism is internal and the vendor (Penn State Industries - pennstateind.com - PKGRINDTL) has instructions on how to handle this. I've attached a copy of the instructions. Where the body of the ceramic grinder mechanism fits, they specify a 1 1/2 inch forstner bit. The instructions state:
Assembly Instructions

· Note: The mechanism is designed to fit in metric holes. In order to fit in standard holes, some modifications to the mechanisms are necessary

· Remove the 6 (plastic) ribs over the surface of the grinding mechanism (using a sharp knive) and the knob mechanism

With these ribs removed, the difference between the metric dimension and the 1 1/2 inch forstner bit hole are done away with and the mechanism is a nice snug fit (with a little force)
Hope this helps,
Brian

Brian thanks. This looks a lot like the same product that crushgrind makes. I buy from PSI fairly often so I found it and put one in my cart. :)
 
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I use the Mill Drill which is made for the crush grind mills. This Mill Drill is made by Woodcut Tools. I reviewed it in More Woodturning Magazine a few years ago. Works very well.
Yup that would be great for that one project but if you invest in the boring head you get adjustment in the thousands and, while it will take more steps to do the crush mills, it has more versatility for other applications.
 

Mark Hepburn

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Yup that would be great for that one project but if you invest in the boring head you get adjustment in the thousands and, while it will take more steps to do the crush mills, it has more versatility for other applications.

Never having used a boring head before, I'm a little confused. It looks as though the smallest diameter i can find with a MT2 is the 2" diameter. The pepper mill body requires a 1.495" shaft. I'll be doing about a dozen pepper mills for sure and maybe more so do I need to be looking for a boring mill with a smaller body diameter, or is that the max size diameter that is listed? I don't find a lot of help in the reviews/questions on Amazon.
 

Mark Hepburn

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So I ordered the Woodcut Tools Mill Drill. Amazon had it with prime shipping so I should get it this Tuesday (boy oh boy, is prime shipping getting slow).

Still interested in that boring mill though...
 
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I have never used the crush grind without the shaft. Easy to do 1" hole through the piece then with mill drill (that has been set properly) drill to the mark on the body then 1 cut with notch cutter for the ears. Ready for insertion. Although I have never used it for anything else it is capable of doing many things.
 
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Mark Hepburn

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Don't even consider making a salt shaker, pepper mill, etc. until you get (and read) a copy of Turning Salt & Pepper Shakers And Mills by Chris West. There's a section in the book dedicated to the CrushGrind@ mechanism. Everything you need to know. - John

Thanks John. I just ordered the book.
 
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