The Pepper Scepter

image via Robin's Flickr

I present to you, (cue the royal horn fanfare), The Pepper Scepter!  This is probably my favorite Christmas gift my dad and I made!  We made this (working!) pepper grinder for my brother-in-law who fittingly dubbed it The Pepper Scepter.

Months ago Jarrod joked about how he wanted a massive pepper grinder to pull out during dinner parties in his little Brooklyn apartment.  He didn't remember this, but I filed away the idea the minute it was spoken!  Now, I may have a terrible memory about a lot of things (as my friends can attest to and like to remind me of [irony not intended] on a regular basis), but I'd like to think I remember the important things!

So I started hunting around for grinding mechanisms to make a large pepper grinder.  The only kits I could find were for grinders around 10 inches tall.  I talked to my dad and he said "we'll make it work."  

I turned the body out of oak and it ended up being about 31 inches long. Once it was turned and sanded, Dad worked his magic on it.  He was able to work with the 10 inch grinding mechanism and some extra pieces to create the fully functional pepper grinder.

My dad also stained the oak and then finished it with mineral oil.  Once it was stained, the decorative cuts and natural grain patterns really popped.

In the photo above, you can see where the bottom part of the grinder turns independently from the rest.  When the knob is unscrewed from the very top, the bottom comes off so you can load in more pepper.

On this project I certainly had it easy!  Dad had the hardest part; but it was never a question of whether it was going to work or not, just a question of how.  It went through several different working theories before the best one was found.  But, "goonies never say die!" (Haha, this family is a fan of The Goonies.)  Anyways, I think the lesson here today is, when it comes to my dad and I, be careful what you wish for! We take our challenges and jokes seriously.

image via Robin's Flickr

After Christmas I realized I had forgotten to take a picture of the pepper grinder with Jarrod holding it, which without a sense of scale, wouldn't have been as impressive to show you!  Luckily my cousin Robin (who has a blog here), had her camera with her when she came for Christmas dinner!  Thank you Robin!!

Side note, yes, that is me in the yellow sweater in the picture above. I'm AWFUL at being in and taking pictures of myself.  There are only a few on the blog here, and you'd probably have to dig pretty deep to find them.  I've been meaning to get a picture of myself for my blog profile for awhile now to give the blog a more professional look.  I'm thinking of imposing a self-portrait photo challenge on myself.  It could be a good way to get to know my new camera (and myself) better!