OK, I know that you know what condiments are, but I was just trying to make it clearer for that
guy down the road, who's not quite so bright as you!We call them condiment mills because although they are principally used to grind peppercorns in this country, they work equally well grinding
crystal salt as well as a range of other spices. The mills that we offer, below, feature ceramic milling mechanisms with stainless fittings and spindles. That means that they will not corrode
when used with aggressively corrosive materials such as salt and will wear for a long time, even when used with harder seeds and corms.
The retaining "nut" at the top of the mill is a
parallel-sided, chrome plated item which looks well enough as supplied, but is of this form so that, if the mood takes you, you can create a fancy wooden finial to glue in place over the top
nut to personalise your creation.
Please note that the kits listed DO NOT include timber: A square blank of 2 inches square and at least an inch longer than the nominal spindle length is required to complete the
project.
If you fancy making one of the long, long mills so beloved of the restaurant trade, then you'll also see listed, below, a spindle extender which adds 8 linches (200 mm) to the spindle
length, using a simple coupler to join the extender onto the original mill spindle.
We recognise that it is not always easy to source the correct size drills to enable the making
of condiment mills without a degree of fiddling about! Happily we have also sourced a set of six drills: it includes Forstner bits in sizes 20; 30; 35 and 40 mm diameter x 95 mm long and
auger bits of 7 and 24 mm diameter x 200 mm long. That should take care of all of the different diameters that you are likely to need if turning a Cerastar - or similar - mill according to the standard instructions.
The instructions for the making of mills have been much improved thanks to the efforts of Chris West, author of the definitive modern book on the making of condiment mills of all types
"Turning Salt & Pepper Shakers and Mills" (see below). This book is highly recommended to anyone embarking on the production of these useful implements.