Got Pepper?

Joe Benkert is not just famous for sausage. His segmented pepper mills have been showing up regularly at Show ‘n Tell for the last few years. Finally, he consented to show us his approach to pepper mill construction at the November meeting.

 The signature aspect of Joe’s pepper mills is the unique glue-up that he does to achieve the spiral effect in the turned pieces. He is also very precise about the beginning dimensions for the turning block. For instance, an 8” mill should start with a 3”x3”x9 ½” block.

 Step 1: Glue-up – sandwich 4 boards (3/4” stock) in a glue-up to achieve a 3”x3” thick block. The length of the block depends upon the desired finished size of the pepper mill. Look for contrasting colors to create interest. Cut the block along a diagonal; then flip both parts and re-glue. The shape at this point will be a parallelogram. Square the ends.

 Step 2: Turning Blank – rough out a cylinder. Smooth with a skew and create a 3/8” tenon at one end for mounting the blank in a spigot chuck.

 Step 3: Drill Three Holes – Holes need to be drilled to accept the stainless steel grinding mechanism.  Lathe drilling is accomplished at a slow lathe speed, but with a fast cranking action. First: use a 1 ¾” Forstner bit to drill the base to a depth of 7/16”. Second: use a 1” brad point drill to a depth of 6” for an 8” mill. Third: use a 1 1/16” Forstner bit to a depth of 5/8”. Since the holes drilled on the lathe may not be precisely straight, Joe recommends finishing the 1” through-hole on a drill press. Drill press action is fast drill speed, with slow cranking.

 Step 4: Shape the exterior profile – cutoff marks are scribed as well as sections for coves. The plan is available on the website. It’s important to note that the top will be cut flush to the base, in order to maintain a continuous pattern. A dowel will is inserted to join top to base, once the top is parted and finished. (Joe uses Titebond III and pushes dowel into base with the tail stock).

 Step 5: Finish the base: mask the top and apply 4-8 coats of lacquer to the base. The top will be finished separately in the same manner, once it is shaped and parted. Do not finish the surfaces which rub at the top of the base and bottom of the turning knob. 

 Step 6: Insert the grinding mechanism. Joe recommends stainless steel grinders for durability. The grinder will be inserted through the bottom of the base and fastened with small screws; start the screws with a 1/16” drill bit.

 Viola! Joe guarantees it won’t be the same old grind.

 Our next meeting will be December 14 at the Barn. Bill Reynolds and Jim Zitz will demonstrate pen turning.

Send mail to Webmaster with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 01/06/08