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Cast Pepper Mill (Read 2,031 times)
 
Dave Bell
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Elora, Ontario, Canada
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Re: Cast Pepper Mill
Reply #15 - Dec 14th, 2014 at 10:58am
 
Dick Bernard wrote on Dec 14th, 2014 at 6:31am:
That is a beautiful piece you made.

Dave, I'm about to make my "first" peppermill for my wife and I'll be using the Crush Grind mechanism.  You mentioned that you found that epoxy does not adhere to the mill hardware.  Would you mind telling me your solution and also, what epoxy you use?

Thank you
Dick


Thanks Dick.

I use BSI epoxy (Bob Smith Industries) and now that it's about to run out and I cannot get it locally I am starting to use a Flex Cure Epoxy from Red Baron Adhesives. IMHO I do not believe the brand of epoxy is going to solve the problem, it's the plastic being used by the mill manufacturer that is the issue.

Even though the epoxy is not adhering I still believe it is required, especially due to the instructions from CSUSA. They claim on the drawing that the tabs need to be removed.....??? So what holds the mill together? Friction? Wood expands and contrats and without the tabs to grab onto some sort of groove, the mechanism will eventually come out on it's own. And the fact that no groove for the tabs is mentioned to lock the mill into the body or the head, makes me scratch my own. The epoxy does adhere to the wood for sure and it makes the fit (after curing) size on preventing the mechanism from twisting radially due to the ribs on the mechanism itself. The tabs hold the mechanism in place axially. Those are my thoughts on that and because of the different types of wood we can use, my described methods cover all of the possible scenarios I believe. I just want a good mill that will work for as long as possible.

I hope that helps you.
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Woodturning requires sharp tools and practice, and practice requires evaluation or little progress will be made. Keep your tools sharp, practice, evaluate your progress, and have fun............Dale L. Nish
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Dave Bell
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Elora, Ontario, Canada
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Re: Cast Pepper Mill
Reply #16 - Dec 14th, 2014 at 11:10am
 
Jerry Marcantel wrote on Dec 14th, 2014 at 9:44am:
Dave, that's a pretty good looking mill. Your concern about the shaft could be legitimate, but what other alternatives are there?

I read your tutorial you linked to, and am wondering why you don't use MDF as your mold material? Other than that, you did very well in presenting how to cast wood and Alumilite.................. Jerry (in Tucson)



Thanks Jerry.

There is no other alternative that I can think of because of the possible contents in the mill. Aluminum is just one of those materials I am not comfortable with for strength even though it's widely used.

MDF....the mold material is going to be turned both before and after the casting process and it's very dirty and dusty, heavy, requires more layers, and still needs to be sealed (exposed edges) after the mold is built. I do use it (1/8" hardboard) for my pen blank molds, but that material is sawn away (straight to the dust collector) and the material is already sealed (flat surfaces) and the edges are glued, so no exposed porous regions need to be sealed. 

Thanks again for the compliments........Dave
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Woodturning requires sharp tools and practice, and practice requires evaluation or little progress will be made. Keep your tools sharp, practice, evaluate your progress, and have fun............Dale L. Nish
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Dick Bernard
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Re: Cast Pepper Mill
Reply #17 - Dec 15th, 2014 at 6:56am
 

Dave, thank you for taking the time to answer.

There is quite a bit of talk out there saying that the "Crush Grind" is the superior mechanism to use.
Sure makes a person wonder why the manufacturer makes these things with tabs followed up with instructions to remove the tabs.
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Darrin McArthur
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Re: Cast Pepper Mill
Reply #18 - Dec 15th, 2014 at 8:08am
 
I have a couple of pepper mills from Lee Valley. I haven't made them yet, did I mention that procrastination is my middle name, but i am making one in january.
It looks to be the same mechanism as the ones from CSUSA. Their instructions show a notch for the clips.
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Darrin McArthur
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dave moore
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Re: Cast Pepper Mill
Reply #19 - Dec 15th, 2014 at 2:16pm
 
Dick Bernard wrote on Dec 15th, 2014 at 6:56am:
Sure makes a person wonder why the manufacturer makes these things with tabs followed up with instructions to remove the tabs.

The manufacturer's instructions are not the same as the "instructions" which come from vendors (like Craft Supplies, say, which is where I get my CG mechanisms).

The manufacturer's instructions are to use all metric drill sizes (I forget the actual numbers) which give a much tighter fit requiring that the components be pressed in mechanically using some kind of device to exert the necessary forces.
I imagine the lathe tailstock could be made to serve for this purpose, but I haven't tried it myself.

Using this approach, the fit is so tight that the little ribs on the grinder cage and the cap unit actually "bite" into the wood to prevent any future radial movement, then the locking tabs snap into the retaining groove to prevent axial movement.  No epoxy or other adhesives are recommended at all.

The instructions which come from most US vendors (cutting off the tabs, using inch forstners instead of metric ,and gluing with epoxy)  are basically an alternative approach which avoids having to rig a mechanical press to insert the components into the wood body, and which actually does work if executed carefully (I have over 100 units out there somewhere using this method, and I've had no failures yet), but I don't think these instructions originated with the manufacturers.
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« Last Edit: Dec 15th, 2014 at 2:17pm by dave moore »  
 
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Dave Bell
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Re: Cast Pepper Mill
Reply #20 - Dec 15th, 2014 at 2:20pm
 
I've seen 4 instructions for the same crush grind mill and all four are different.

So my own solution in the shop was to measure the mill hardware and record the dimensions to a sketch. Now I know exactly what is required to make the mill. If I want to alter those dimensions to fit my own design, I have the choice to do so.
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Woodturning requires sharp tools and practice, and practice requires evaluation or little progress will be made. Keep your tools sharp, practice, evaluate your progress, and have fun............Dale L. Nish
WWW bellsy4139 http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=831975120&r  
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