I hope it's ok to post about woodturning. :) Some purists might object, but others might want to check out the kitchen wares section of local thrift stores. I've found several salt and pepper mills, some small, some large, but all dirty, varnished, machine turned and generally ugly, but they cost less than a dollar and the wood and mechanisms are quite good. What other post-holiday thrift store bargains have you found?
A set of small chuck jaws and a 60deg. tail center work for re-turning or just sanding these mills. Jam chucks to fit inside the mills work also and are easy to make. There is enough wood for changing the form or just "crisping" the factory design. The wood is nice left unfinished, plus the metal cleans up well and is decent quality, but even I threw away the salt, rice, pepper and cinnamon sticks I found someone had left inside. :)
Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter