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Wooden Salt and Pepper Shakers

A pair of turned-look salt and pepper shakers drilled from small hardwood blanks, sealed with a cork or silicone stopper.

Cut list

Part	Qty	T × W × L	Material	✓
Shaker blanks	2	1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 4"	2x2 hardwood	☐

Item	Qty	✓
Tight-grained hardwood, 2x2, 8 ft (or glued-up 1x2 stock)	1 each	☐
Cork or silicone stoppers Silicone is easier to remove for refills than cork.	1 pair	☐
Food-safe finish	2 oz	☐

Overall cost: $. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.

1. Cut the blanks
Tools: Miter Saw. Materials: Tight-grained hardwood, 2x2, 8 ft (or glued-up 1x2 stock)
Cut two hardwood blanks to size, one for salt and one for pepper.
2. Drill the seasoning cavity
Tools: Drill / Driver, Forstner Bits. Materials: Tight-grained hardwood, 2x2, 8 ft (or glued-up 1x2 stock)
Drill a cavity into the top of each blank sized to hold the seasoning.
3. Drill the dispensing holes
Tools: Drill / Driver
Drill smaller dispensing holes through the top of each blank in whatever pattern you like — more/smaller for salt, fewer/larger for pepper is a reasonable default.
4. Drill the stopper hole
Tools: Drill / Driver, Forstner Bits
Drill a stopper hole in the bottom of each blank sized to your cork or silicone stopper.
5. Sand, finish, and stopper
Tools: Random Orbit Sander. Materials: Cork or silicone stoppers, Food-safe finish
Sand each shaker and finish with a food-safe finish, then insert the stopper in the bottom of each to close it.