Mortar and Pestle blanks

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Kev’n

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Kevin
I’m fairly new to woodturning and looking for some wood blanks to make a few mortar and pestles along with maybe smaller bowls and eventually smaller hollow forms when I get the proper tools. Not sure what to expect on prices but Looking for one of two flat rate boxes with some blanks depending on the cost.

not sure what wood to make these out of, I hear olive wood, desert ironwood, maybe figured maple? If you have something that would make some nice mortar and pestles please let me know I would be interested in a few blanks. I have only turned some maple, walnut, and one other wood that I’m not sure what it was so far.

thank you,
Kevin
 
i have some shoestring acacia that is fully dried, and practically hard as stone. blanks up to 10 x 10 x 6 to fill a large flat rate box
 
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vegas urban lumber said:
i have some shoestring acacia that is fully dried, and practically hard as stone. blanks up to 10 x 10 x 6 to fill a large flat rate box
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Do you have any pictures and what you would want for a flat rate box? Looking for blanks anywhere from 4” to 6” minimum bit can cut down if it’s larger.
 
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Friedrich9 said:
@Kev’n do you have a particular size in mind? I’ve got a lot of 6x6x3 cherry
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I would say 4-6” minimum blanks. 6”x6” could work if not for mortar I could use for bowl blanks. Let me know what you have and what you would want for a flat rate box of cherry.
Kev’n said:
Do you have any pictures and what you would want for a flat rate box? Looking for blanks anywhere from 4” to 6” minimum bit can cut down if it’s larger.
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I made one from "Texas Ebony" that has held up nicely. Just guessing it's about the same density as Desert Ironwood, polishes nicely without a finish. (Olive seems like it might be a little soft & oily for a mortar & pestle--am i off the mark there?)
 
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Greenacres2 said:
I made one from "Texas Ebony" that has held up nicely. Just guessing it's about the same density as Desert Ironwood, polishes nicely without a finish. (Olive seems like it might be a little soft & oily for a mortar & pestle--am i off the mark there?)
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I googled wood for mortar and pestle and olive wood was one that popped up. I have not had the opportunity to work with very many woods yet so I am open to any suggestions and see what blanks people have to offer up. Thanks for your comment.
 
Hard maple is great for a using mortar but for decorative it would be a bland option.
You can Google density of different wood species to check durability. Porous or nonporous is also something to watch. Oak, not so great. Fruitwoods, pretty decent.
Also, a small selection of trees , especially exotics, have mildly toxic oils.
 
Multiple colors are also an option with a maple or cherry mortar and maybe an olive or blackwood pestle....
The acacia seems to be a viable option with acacia wood being water resistant. My kitchen counter of 6 years is acacia. You can tell the wife uses it for a cutting board and I had to wipe a little water off it to take the picture.
I would say hard maple with figure would be awesome as well as dogwood or some of @Karl_TN s persimmon. They don't wear with splinters like oak would.

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If you haven't seen it, here is a challenge we had several years ago making a mortar and pestle. Lots of different designs and woods used.

Mortar and Pestle Challenge: Due 5/9/20

Alright everyone the next challenge has commenced. I wanted to combine bowl turning and spindle turning on a project. Below are the details: Project: mortar and pestle Wood: Any wood you can muster up will work for this challenge Requirements: the mortar and pestle must be a usable...
woodbarter.com
 
If you decide on olive I have a couple pieces I got over a year ago I could sell. I got them to use as cribbage boards or boxes or something but they've developed some warp and curl so I can't use them without flattening (which would waste a lot of nice olive). But I think there's plenty of room for cutting blanks for turning pestles. I don't have anything big enough for the mortar part unless you make small shallow mortars, almost like a molcajete.
 
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