The Contemporary Salt/Pepper Shaker Set

Start by deciding on your design. Ours is very contemporary with a simple rounded top and three small beads at the bottom. You may prefer something a bit more elaborate. Turn one or a few sets at a time out of full 2” x 2” or glued-up stock, as you prefer. Remember to leave glued-up stock clamped together for at least 24 hours before turning.

Following your design, make a durable template to guide you during the turning process. Set everything up so that you turn the Shakers with their tops toward your Lathe’s Drive Spindle. We recommend that you size your Shakers so that you can turn a 3/4" long by 1/2” diameter tenon between each Shaker on your string.

These tenons will allow you to grip the Shaker strings with a 4-jaw Lathe Chuck during turning…and when drilling the cork counterbores and holes for the salt/pepper reservoirs. More about this later

First, place your stock between the Lathe Drive Center and Live Center and turn the first 3/4" long by 1/2” diameter tenon on the left end of each Shaker string workpiece. Once you’ve turned the tenons on the ends of all your workpieces, replace the Lathe Drive Center with a Lathe Chuck…grip the turned tenon on the first workpiece in your Chuck…and go to work, turning each string of Shakers and remembering to turn a gripping tenon between each Shaker.
Before removing each string of Shakers from the Lathe, finish sand them to the smoothness you desire. Once removed, use a hand-held razor saw…or your Bandsaw or Scroll saw with a fine blade to separate the turned Shakers…remember…you must leave a 3/4” long tenon attached to the TOP of each Shaker when you separate them.

Turn your MARK V’s Speed Dial to Slow, then turn off the Lathe. Replace your Lathe’s Dead or Live Center with the Shopsmith Tailstock Chuck Arbor and attach your MARK V’s Drill Chuck to it.

Insert a piloted drill bit of the appropriate size for the cork counterbore into your Drill Chuck (we used a 1-1/8” Forstner bit)...and align the drill bit pilot with the Lathe Drive Center. Replace the Live Center with your Lathe Chuck and mount the first separated Shaker into it (the Chuck). Set the Drill Press Depth Stop for the appropriate depth cork counterbore.

Turn on your MARK V and slowly advance the rotating Shaker into the stationary Bit to drill the cork counterbore in the first Shaker. Repeat the process for all remaining Shakers. Switch to the appropriate sized salt/pepper reservoir drill bit (we used a 5/8” Brad Point Bit) and follow the same process as you did when boring the cork counterbore holes. Repeat the process for all Shakers.
Saw the tenons off the tops of all shakers, leaving about 1/32” to 1/16” of the tenons proud of the top surfaces of each Shaker. Use your Disc Sander to slowly and carefully sand the tenon tops flush with the tops of the Shakers.

Use a 3/32” dia. drill bit in your Drill Press (or a hand-held portable drill) to bore the shaker holes in the tops. Drill four holes for salt and two or three holes for pepper.

Apply a non-toxic finish of your choice. We recommend a Salad Bowl Finish.

Suggested retail price: $10 to $20 a set, depending on size and wood used