Dick Veitch – Salt Pig and Spoon

Club Meeting: 15 May 2024
Report by: Ian Connelly
Photos: John Osbourne

Started with a block of Kauri (Looked about 125mm square)

Mounted between steb centres, with grain running along the bed of the lathe (spindle turning)

Rounded with a Spindle Roughing Gouge.

Used a parting tool to put a chuck bite on the bottom.

Mounted in 50mm jaws on the chuck.

Started shaping – pointed out not to make the top end too small as this needed a good opening to access the salt.

Dick then shaped the “pig nose” down to 65mm.

Started the hollowing process with a forstner bit, running at 350rpm, keep it cutting, slow speed to minimise heat.

Hollowing then continued with a bowl gouge, and a munro hollower (which did not co-operate, resulting in magic box).

Reversed the salt pig into 70mm jaws, with some plastic drain pipe that had been spilt to protect the wood.

Finished the bottom of the pig with a slightly concave base.

Next step is to take it to a sander and put a flat on a side to allow it to sit at and angle.

Some discussion about having two bases followed, and Dick’s answer was that vertically it is easier to fill, and on an angle it is easier to spoon the salt out.

Spoon

Mount blank in 50mm jaws with tail stock support.

Round with Spindle Roughing Gouge to 30mm diameter.

Make a ball on one end, this process was assisted by a piece of pipe.

Sand the outside

Shape the handle

Cut in half on a bandsaw – the square end that was in the chuck provides the support needed to do this.

Shape the handle further with the sander/bandsaw.

Dick then got out a jig that he had made to hold the spoon for hollowing that was mounted on a set of cole jaws

Another great demo from Dick, with an answer for every question that was thrown at him.

….

See project sheets for more details

Salt Pig
Spoons 2

Bonus – a photo of the reference material on Dick’s box of bits and pieces.