Salt & Pepper (Pallet Wood & Veneer) Pot

Video HERE

This is a rather classic scroll saw project... not really like me at all, but I was in need of a new seasoning pot... So I won't bother with a pattern here, It was just a few 8cm circles cut from pallet wood with the insides cut out of the middle layers.

I know my limitations (and the limited patience I have with sanding) so I set out with the intention to NOT make a smooth pot, but rather to embrace the variations between the pieces and just sand the joins to match... I think it actually looks better this way, and it has a more interesting feel.

A few notes if you want to make a similar pot...

• Pallet wood by its very nature is rough, if you have a plainer or jointer then there should be no problem - otherwise a sheet of very rough grit sandpaper and some elbow grease will come in handy. Rather than prepping the whole boards I only sanded the pieces after they were cut to reduce the work required.
• I had to glue the layers together in a couple of stages because I do not have enough large clamps (and trying to align the openings either side of the veneer would have been almost impossible in a stack). Either way works fine, but I do like an easy life!
• As I said before, I only sanded enough to smooth the transitions between pieces on the outside - the insides had a bit more taken out so that grains of salt and pepper don't have a place to get stuck.
• I decided to whittle the lids and base to add to that rustic look, but a round-over bit would have created a neater edge.
• My pyrography tool didn't like this wood much, it took 3 passes to get a decent level of burn, perhaps if I had one of those with temperature settings it would have been easier... although, having to make repeated passes allowed me to vary the darkness of the script.
• When finishing I rubbed in a little wax, but only about 1/4" in to the pot and then turned the pot upside down before using spray varnish so that nothing got inside - although I'm not sure whether salt or pepper would take a taint from these things, it's best to err on the side of caution.

This project has given me ideas for more layered pots... I think I may even try to go for a yin-yang shape in future.