Manzanita Salt and Pepper Mills

Making Salt n Pepper Mills has been a grand project. I have learned a lot about how to skin a ............piece of manzanita. It has been wonderful using different techniques to put together these cool salt n pepper mills. There are about 12 steps needed to accomplish this seemingly simple task. Each time I make one I get a little better and the process is a little smoother. Each task is essential to complete the items. Some of these tasks, such as drilling the long cavity for the pepper corns, I should use a specific tool. But, since tools can be costly I bypassed them with the good ol' fashion hand drill. Yeah.......... you should see me standing on the work bench, butt in the air, chest on the ship's auger, applying enough pressure to drill a hole in the super dense manzanita. Oh yeah....... the soon to be mills are in the vise so they don't wobble and move around while I drill.

Each salt n pepper mill was made from the beautifully dense yet colorful manzanita. The density of manzanita is very 'fun' to work with since it dulls my forstner bits and need to be sharpened often. But the results are always the same. Everyone loves the color and uniqueness of manzanita. In fact I sold one of these lovely items during the craft fair in Murphys. Perhaps the other will be equally admired in a new home too!

 Made in the USA, I love it and always try to do my best to promote local craftsmen and items made here in the US. Not to mention when items are rare and unique, such as the love I have for manzanita!!

As a final note: I wonder if my colleagues sometime feel the way I do, because the mills Brad Sears makes are amazing. Maybe I will send him some Manzanita =)