Any pipe makers in here???

[allen thunem]

If there are any turners in here who make their own pipes I would like to pick your brains on your technique and what it takes to get started.
Kinds of woods you have used besides briar specialty tools required etc etc
THE LEGAL KIND OF SMOKING JUST TO BE CLEAR.

[John K Jordan]

allen,

I helped a friend make a couple of pipes. He doesn't smoke but wanted them for display. One we used a tropical hardwood and turned a bowl then drilled for a stem. The second one we used a briar pipe blank from my stash. Some are pre-drilled but I made a fixture to hold one at the right angle to drill the stem.

I otherwise only use these to make the kind of little bowls as shown on the top of the pile. I cut off the stem, turn the inside, then jam chuck and turn the outside. I might try attaching a base and stem and make little goblets.

briar_blanks.jpg

JKJ

[Marvin Hasenak]

I have made a few pipes, but very little was done on my lathe. The drilling of the bowl in the stummel and the stem, and getting the 2 parts square to each other is about all I do on the lathe. The shaping of the pipe, I do that with a French wheel, a fancy term for a sanding disc. The stem was shaped with a belt sander, files, and sandpaper.

The exception is the "modern" non traditional looking pipes, I did almost everything on the lathe. The bowl was turned, drilled and drilled for the stem on the lathe. The stem was a 6" long piece of wood capped with a 2 inch piece of acrylic for the mouth piece. It was drilled, turned round on the lathe and only the mouth piece was hand shaped. I made these for a local smoke shop, which a few years later was "busted" for selling a "funny" tobacco.

[allen thunem]

marvin
you have any pics of your work???

[Marvin Hasenak]

I will see if I can find any, but it has been several years since I messed with pipes. Mine were nothing like the pipes on the pipe making forum. I tend to fly my own way, and not follow the norm. If you read the critiques on the pipemakers site, you will see they can be BRUTAL, I would not post mine there. Mainly because I broke all of the rules.

[John K Jordan]

allen, I forgot to mention if you want a couple of those briar pipe blanks to play with send me a message, or better, email.

[Jay Pugsley]

I hand carved a pipe for a very good friend from a briar blank. The bowl was a man's head. The tobacco went into the top of his head. That was years ago. He started using it as soon as he got it. It is probably burned through by now. I wish I had gotten a few pictures of it before I gave it to him.