[laxin213]

Wanted to thank mike Hawkins as I referred to his guide a bunch of times as these are the 2nd and 3rd mills I have ever done. I need to build the sled jig for the bandsaw he mentions though, as that is a nice thing to have and saves on lathe tools and time.

Turned a couple mills for Father's Day for my dad and my future father in law. They are cherry 8" and Zapote Chico 10". The cherry turned well, and the Zapote gave me a run for my money when the forstner bit decided to detach from the extension rod while stuck in the body with a bunch of wood sawdust. That was a pain to get out. also i do not own a 1 1/16th forstner bit, i used a 1" and then just hit the inner walls with a rasp to accommodate bottom grind mech. Thanks for looking, opinions welcome,

 

[Dave Paine]

Nice looking pepper mills. :thumbsup:

I know the issue of not having the right size Forstner bit. I made some wooden vases and had to sand the last 1/16in. Finally broke down and purchased the 1 13/16in bit I needed. Much faster.

The chips will pack in tight if you do not clean out often. I can appreciate the challenge of removing the bit once it slipped out of the extension. :thumbdown:

 

[laxin213]

Nice looking pepper mills. :thumbsup:

I know the issue of not having the right size Forstner bit. I made some wooden vases and had to sand the last 1/16in. Finally broke down and purchased the 1 13/16in bit I needed. Much faster.

The chips will pack in tight if you do not clean out often. I can appreciate the challenge of removing the bit once it slipped out of the extension. :thumbdown:

thanks for the compliments.

Mike mentions in his guide a source for some hard to find forstner sizes: "craft supplies" which is woodturners catalog.com I think. Anyways that 1 1/16th Forster would sure be nice to have. I was thinking of taking some 60 grit sandpaper and taping it to the end of my knockout rod and then shoving that rod into the mill body instead of my finger in case there was an opps moment and the mill loosened. I was concerned that if the body fit too tightly that the peppercorns wouldn't fall to the grinder to be ground but that doesn't seem to be the case - production of grounds seems to be OK. I will probably just break down and buy the correct size from them, it will pay for itself in time saved... The forstner was a real challenge I did not stop enough and blow that sawdust out, which caused one nasty cake up inside. I ended up drilling out the top of the mill, and just barely poking through, then shoving a rod down the hole to force the Fornster out after attempts to grab the shank with a needlenose were unsuccessful. Lesson learned on cleaning out the sawdust.

 

[Dave Paine]

I agree good idea to keep the fingers out of the piece.

If you scroll down to post #7 in this thread, you will see my use of a drum sander roll and a piece of 1/2in threaded rod.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f6/making-flower-vase-52041/

This is a 1 1/16in carbide Forstner bit. The two spurs would be good to remove the last 1/16in. This is the equivalent of the 1 13/16in bit I used. I have only tried it with the last 1/16in since I like my Colt Maxi-Cut to hog out the wood.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/1-1-16-Carbide-Forstner-Bit/DC1853

 

[sawdustfactory]

To sand inside a mill I take a piece of dowel, put a slit in the end and then fold a piece of sandpaper and put it in the slot, creating a flap.

 

[firehawkmph]

Nice job Lax,
the zapote wood is really nice. As far as getting the bit stuck, I drill about 1/4 - 1/2" at a time and then back the bit out and clear the chips with an air nozzle. If you don't, they will bind up. Forstners don't clear chips very well. Here's a link to Craft Supplies USA for the 1 1/16" forstner bit. $9.50.
http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/4/-/16/76/-/5102/Turners-Select-Forstner-Drill-Bit/forstner+bits

Well worth the money, eliminates a lot of messing around.
Mike Hawkins

 

[guglipm63]

they look real nice