Mortar & pestle

[pop-pop]

Our older son is an excellent cook and requested a mortar & pestle for Xmas. I haven’t turned anything in a while and discovered how turning skills rust.

Mortar is sycamore and pestle is hard maple. Surfaces to be handled are coated with HUT friction finish and the food contact surfaces are burnished with walnut oil.

 

[mdbuntyn]

Nice!

 

[pop-pop]

Thanks!

I asked Dr. Google about them and there are hundreds of variations. I used wood that I had and tried to make the radius on the business ends about the same. We’ll see how well it works.

 

[Dreuxgrad]

Nice change from the vise of vices.

 

[pop-pop]

Nice change from the vise of vices.

Puns or did you mean “vice of vises”?

Agree in either case.

 

[Oka]

Or did you mean Vise Versa ?

 

[FredP]

We all have vises but most don't own Versa's. vice's on the other hand....

 

[Dreuxgrad]

Puns or did you mean “vice of vises”?

Agree in either case.

"Grip of improvement "

 

[23tony]

If that's rusty skills, I'll take rusty.

 

[pop-pop]

If that's rusty skills, I'll take rusty.

The evidence from the catches is in shavings on the shop floor.

I tried it out this morning mashing walnuts for my breakfast oats and it performed well.

 

[Pdkennelly]

Looks great. I made one recently out of Bradford Pear. My son wanted one for mixing flowers for dye/paint. I don't know. My kids are way artsier than I am.

 

[awldune]

Beautiful!

I wouldn't have thought Sycamore was hard enough for this purpose. Or does it not need to be a particularly hard wood?

 

[pop-pop]

Beautiful!

I wouldn't have thought Sycamore was hard enough for this purpose. Or does it not need to be a particularly hard wood?

This sycamore is air-dried and about 10 years old from a backyard tree. The mortar bowl is end grain and is quite hard. Since it is for our son in Carrboro, I can watch how well it wears. During these COVID days, I try to use what I have rather than buying something.

 

[Hmerkle]

This sycamore is air-dried and about 10 years old from a backyard tree. The mortar bowl is end grain and is quite hard. Since it is for our son in Carrboro, I can watch how well it wears. During these COVID days, I try to use what I have rather than buying something.

I think Sycamore is a good choice, hard maple night be better, but I think it will hold-up find...
@pop-pop I hope you monitor and get some feedback from your son - I always thought you needed stone... but what do I know.

 

[awldune]

Good point about the end grain.

I did not mean to criticize your choice but was trying to educate myself. I actually have some sycamore on hand but never used it before. What I have is very light so I have assumed it is relatively soft.

 

[pop-pop]

I started with a block of maple for the mortar but it had a buried knot at the bottom of the bowl that kept tearing out so I abandoned that chunk and used what I had.

 

[Pdkennelly]

I've got a stack of sycamore, that I didn't know what to do with. I was going to try pens or signs. Maybe the thicker boards, I can turn into small bowls. Hmm. so many ideas. Not enough time.