Pinch pot

[Percy]

I've had a few people ask for these after seeing one in our kitchen. Normally they don't have a lid, but I was asked to make one with a top and I was quite pleased with how it turned out. Made from red oak, with pewter rim and an ebony handle. As always, c & c welcome.

[Mike313]

Very beautiful piece. Every aspect seems to be very well considered. May I ask, what are the dimensions? Also, how did you make the pewter rim?

[Percy]

Thanks. The bowl is 100mm in diameter. I cast the pewter ring separately in a plywood mould, and then turn a tongue into it. I then turn a matching groove into the rim of the bowl and glue the rim and the timber bits together with epoxy. The whole lot then gets finished on the lathe as a single piece. I quite like the extra weight the pewter adds to the bowl - feels nice and heavy in the hand.

[Mike313]

Very impressive. What I would call an 'heirloom' piece

[Bryan Milham]

Hi Percy,

Not quite sure what a 'Pinch Pot' is. I'm guessing it's a Salt Pot, so you can get a pinch when needed for cooking etc., of course, I'm quite prepared to be completely wrong on that score.

A very attractive bowl and I like the pewter work. You've got the pewter/wood joint perfect.

[Percy]

It is a salt pot - I'm not sure why it was named a pinch pot.... I think it got that name from the lady I made it for.

I've tried a few experiments with pewter recently. It is quite an interesting material to work with, and can be quite unforgiving to turn. Some of my experiments have been more successful than others - below is a bowl that was a nightmare to turn from start to finish. I attempted to cast pewter directly into the blank I was turning. The result is a bowl I dislike the shape of, and it was only my stubbornness that pushed me to finish it. The wood split, the pewter sections got air bubbles trapped in them - nothing went right. Still, it's all part of the learning curve!