Stone Mill Dressing

Monica Spiller of the Whole Grain Connection organized a workshop wherein Roger and Larry Jansen led a hands-on lesson in stone mill dressing.  Roger and Larry are a father-son duo who are among the few American custom stone mill makers.  Roger lives in North Carolina and is visiting Larry and his family this month, so Monica saw this as a good and rare time to learn from both artisans.

Mill stone diagram from stoneforest.com

A basic stone mill contraption consists of two circular grain grinding stones, often horizontally oriented.  Some stone mills have housing, a hopper to regulate inflow of grain, and sifters that separate parts of the whole grain flour.  Once metal blades and hammer mills that can break up grains with greater precision and without contributing chipped stones were introduced, stone mills became unpopular and nearly obsolete. 

This begs the question: why do we want to go back to using stone mills?  Good question that needs follow-up research.  Is it kitsch? 

In the workshop, we learned how to carve furrows into marble using air hammers and chisels.  The main areas that one needs guidance on are optimal positions for holding the the air hammer for different tasks.  Rounding the edge necessitates a different angle than creating furrows or land (see diagram).

We worked on Salisbury Pink, a granite from North Carolina.  These stones come from headstone leftovers and are recut into donuts.

Roger Jensen

Air hammer with chisel

Air hammer

Smoothing down the sides so grains can slide out

Marking furrows - odd numbered

Deepening a furrow

Adding furrows and land

Testing for evenness