Results 1 to 11 of 11
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Dundowran Beach
    Age
    76
    Posts
    19,922

    Default A bit of a saga.

    Son wanted a pepper mill for the new pizza/pasta place he is managing. Good old dad can do that.
    Has to be a big one! say 40-50ms! Was near David Drescher's place in Beenleigh so so dropped in and
    bought the appropriate mechanism.

    Fished through the wood supply and decided to use a piece of LVL. So turned it to appropriate diametre
    after watching a couple of You Tube videos. ( I have never turned a pepper mill!!)

    Took the cylinder to the club where I thought they had everything I needed. Big mistake!!
    There was no auger bit to drill the long hole. Off to Bunnies to pick up the auger. I settled on
    a three flute Irwin plus an extension shaft.

    Club president gave me some tips on long hole boring and that exercise went very well, if somewhat tediously.

    OK. Now or the stepped hole in the bottom to take the mechanism. I had checked to see if the club had the
    correct Forstner bits., Yep!However< what a desperate state they were in!! Would not cut butter. The state
    of the whole- or is that hole - collection is a bloody disgrace!!

    Bunnies of no help so of f to Tony at Wide Bay Saws. Couple of bits set me back $45. The costs are mounting!!!
    Well, long story short the bits worked magically well and and i had a clean stepped hole. Made the jam chuck and
    set to work shaping the barrel.

    Disaster! A couple of the laminations had faults in them. Several chunks left their assigned position and a separate
    void appeared because there was simply no timber there.

    Plan B. Use a piece of red Cedar I had squirreled away. When it came to doing the stepped hole with the forstners
    all he broke loose! The its would not handle the end grain at all. Then I noticed a streak of suspicious looking wood
    in the blank. Another wasted effort

    What to use?? I had a good piece of myrtle that i had purchased on one of our Tassie trips so I sliced it down the middle
    and glued the two pieces together to make the blank.This I turned to size. I decided at this point to make steady as I had
    extra length to deal with and did not want to run the risk of ruining good timber. I had plenty of ply to make the steady but
    the search for wheels was something like the quest in Lord of the Rings. No old skate boards at the tip or any of the three
    Op Shops. No wheels at Rebel sports and only very expensive ones at the skate-cum-climbing set up. Last resort - Bunnies!!
    Three wheel for about $8. Then nuts, washers and bolts a further $10.

    Steady made and more boring and turning to do. Long hole proved a bit problematic. I found that while the auger cut very
    well there was a build up of fine dust and shavings that were difficult to clear. Seems to be a problem with this type of auger
    bit as I had the same problem to a lesser extent on the previous attempts.Thank goodness for the steady which also
    proved helpful in doing the stepped hole in the bottom. The Forstners worked very well in the end grain of the myrtle.

    Tomorrow I shape the barrel, finish and fit the mechanism. Just hoping there are no more gremlins in the way!!!

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2016
    Location
    Canberra
    Posts
    5,124

    Default

    We always need pictures of the disasters

  4. #3
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Woodstock (Cowra)
    Age
    74
    Posts
    3,372

    Default

    I think after a marathon effort like that the pizza place should give you some well deserved reward of the edible variety
    Don't forget the pics when its finished
    The person who never made a mistake never made anything

    Cheers
    Ray

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Canterbury UK
    Age
    67
    Posts
    3,994

    Default

    I think we have all had days like that. Look forward to the finished article

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Bonbeach, Vic
    Posts
    154

    Default

    I thought these things only happened to me.....

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Melbourne
    Age
    62
    Posts
    145

    Default

    The Joy's of woodturning.
    Cheers mick

  8. #7
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Gold Coast
    Age
    70
    Posts
    2,730

    Default

    Don't you just wish sometimes you had have been born with the "I think I can buy that" gene instead of the "I think I can make that" gene?
    Franklin

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Canberra
    Posts
    585

    Default

    I'm sure they'll need a matching salt shaker

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Dundowran Beach
    Age
    76
    Posts
    19,922

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Fuzzie View Post
    Don't you just wish sometimes you had have been born with the "I think I can buy that" gene instead of the "I think I can make that" gene?
    That's what the the treasurer says - all the time!
    T

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Dundowran Beach
    Age
    76
    Posts
    19,922

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by brainstrust View Post
    I'm sure they'll need a matching salt shaker

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Dundowran Beach
    Age
    76
    Posts
    19,922

    Default

    Success! First pepper mill done. Coated with UBeaut Foodsafe Plus. Good gear.

    Will round everything up later and post some pics.

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