• January Turning Challenge: Thin-Stemmed Something! (click here for details)
  • Conversations are now Direct Messages (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Scott Gordon for "Orb Ligneus" being selected as Turning of the Week for January 20, 2025 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Green Spindle Stock

Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Messages
21
Likes
0
I have been turning pepper mills for many years now. Up until now, I have only used dry blanks. Yesterday, I made quite a haul of some very nice green blanks (completely waxed). I have turned green wood for bowls and I am familiar with methods for dealing with wood movement, etc. Can anyone offer any suggestions or techniques for turning pepper mills from green wood, or is this not practical.
Thanks,
Richard
 
I've been playing with turning end grain vases from green wood for a little while now. I've done pepper mills from dry wood, too. I would think that the wood movement in the green wood would make for problems with the pepper mill mechanism. The size of the internal bore will change when the wood dries.
 
I have been turning pepper mills for many years now. Up until now, I have only used dry blanks. Yesterday, I made quite a haul of some very nice green blanks (completely waxed). I have turned green wood for bowls and I am familiar with methods for dealing with wood movement, etc. Can anyone offer any suggestions or techniques for turning pepper mills from green wood, or is this not practical.
Thanks,
Richard

My preferred method of dealing with green spindle stock is to cut it into. 2x2x36 and 3x3x36 seal the ends sticker it and wait 2 years.

Pepper mills have a problem with the top which is usually a solid ball.

The base holding the mechanism can be drilled, roughed round and microwaved or air dried with a high success rate.
Then returned and redrilled to hold the mechanism and accommodate the top.

I have dried 3x3 Christmas ornament balls on several occasions when I wanted to make a gift From wood given to me in November.
I used pieces 3x3x5 turned a tenon and a 3 inch ball down to a 1" on the holding side. Drilled a 3/4" hole to 2 3/4 deep.
Microwaved dry. Return the tenon, redrill the hole, hollow and finish. I have done this with Maple, pecan, and cherry.
Never had a ball crack. I always did 3 hoping for 1.

I have microwave dried a lot of roughed out balls 5" down 1" that I wanted to be stabilized but the wood was already down to 18% mc or less.
This was just to be sure the round balls would stay round.

I have also turned lots of green wood balls 3x3 in demos and without any care they seldom crack except in places where there is low humidity like Colorado.

Try microwaving a roughed out drilled top. I'm guessing that it will dry without cracking.

When i microwave I do 3 minutes at 40% power waiting 30 minutes between
You can weigh them or test with a moisture meter.

The drilled pieces can be centered on the holes with cone centers for the base.
the top on a length of drill rod in a chuck or block of wood and come center.


Al
 
Last edited:
It's practical, and it will take a six month wait down to six days if you use the micro or a regular oven for curing. You will have to re-bore those holes to get things to fit well. Get one of those metal-working bits with the tapered nose for re-starting the bore. I find they center pretty well without half trying. Get the first 1/4 - preferably in what will be parted away as waste wood - started, then put the Forstner or brad point back to work.

You might have some problems with end checks on the tops , so be a little generous there before you nuke or bake. Imagine you'll be rounding, and the fitting will cover the very top, so you don't have to leave much, just leave it parted square. End checks don't run far if you are gentle in your heat.

Not to encourage you to go ornament thin, but the less wood in the rounded walls the less distortion and the quicker they dry.
 
Just had a brain flash. Why not somewhat hollow out the ball for the top and dry. When it is dry fill the hole with epoxy, then turn round again then drill the hole for the medal rod. Something to think about.

Gary :cool2:
 
Just had a brain flash. Why not somewhat hollow out the ball for the top and dry. When it is dry fill the hole with epoxy, then turn round again then drill the hole for the medal rod. Something to think about.

Gary :cool2:

Made me think of the All in one design by Ron Browning. Ron's article in the AAW journal:

"Crush-Grind Peppermill/Saltshaker," 24.4:39–42

In his plan the top is a hollow salt shaker.

Al
 
Last edited:
Back
Top