Stuart Davey Turns “Volcano” Cruets

Stuart started with a description of how the salt shakers work. This is a sketch like the one Stuart drew for the club (click any image to view or print at normal size):

There is a certain zen to the proportions: if you make the opening in the volcano insert higher, the shaker will hold more and less will risk spilling out when you set it down after using it. However, it will also become impossible to fill.

Second, the width of the opening and the shape of the top of the tip of the volcano determine how much will shake out and how quickly, as well as the potential size of what you're shaking. In particular, if the top is very pointed, you'll get a lot less out of it and have to shake it more whereas if you flatten it out or cup it slightly, it will catch more to let out the funnel. And more will spill out when you set it down. Think about it.

The outside of the blank can be shaped any way you chose. The only restrictions on the outside are what you can fit in your hand.

1. Start with a suitable size blank, for example: 2½ × 2½ × 6½
2. Mark the center on the ends of your blank and turn to a cylinder. Cut a tenon on both ends.
3. Place your piece in a chuck, and true it up.
4. Part off the volcano-end of the blank and set this piece aside.
   
   
   
   
5. Face off the blank.
   
   
   
   
6. Start hollowing out with your favorite tool. (Stuart started with a depth hole...
   
   
   
   

   ...and then went to a tool that Allan Batty taught him how to grind called an inside tool.

   
   
   
   

   This is a scraper that is ground at a angle on the left side and a angle that is less then 90° on the front the bevel angle is less then 90° but has enough ground from the bottom of the scraper so that it does not hit the inside wall on the piece.

7. Then use a radius scraper to form the dome inside the top of that shaker.
   
   
   
   

   Here is a close-up of some tools that will work for hollowing the shaker. Left to right: 3/8" spindle gouge with fingernail grind, 1/2" radius scraper (this will do a good job on the dome), and an inside tool ground from a 1/2" scraper.

8. Cut a tenon on the inside of the shaker. This will be used to fit the volcano into the top. Make certain that the sides of the tenon are parallel with each other, like in a box.
9. Remove the top from the chuck and reverse it so that you can shape the shaker. If you can include a dovetail as part of your design, this will help you later in the chucking process. (You can grip the dovetail when you finish the bottom.) You can burn these dovetails if you like.
   
   
   
   

   You can see in the photo that Stuart used a small set of jaws to grip the shaker to turn the outside.

   (Editors Note: A jam chuck could be made to do this if you don’t have a smaller set of jaws. You could also us a jam chuck to hold and finish the bottom if your design does not call for a dovetail on the top.

10. Place the volcano end in the chuck and drill a 1/8" hole through the blank. Then shape the volcano and size it to fit the tenon on the top of the shaker.
    
    
    
    
11. Place your top in whatever chucking method that you are going to use to finish off the shaker. Shape the bottom of the shaker so that it works as a funnel when you add salt.