I was at the Firth plant a few years back and got a pepper shaker signed by Mr. Firth - along with numerous pairs of various sticks & mallets (by the way he is a nice guy with a nasty sense of humor).
The Firth shakers are indeed considered top of the line (I also consider the drum sticks to be the finest I've used - have used them for over 20 years).
Mr. Firth did tell us that they got into that business precisely as siles indicates, since they were in the business of lathing wood, it was a natural extension.