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Making a quality tobacco pipe

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BarG

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Looking for experienced member in pipe making to point me in the right direction on resources and info to make my first
Quality tobacco pipe. Any one interested can post here or new group forum under woodworking and hobbies.

This probably should have been started in pipe smokers thread ,.....hindsights 20-20
 

Daniel

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I know there is a forum out there somewhere but cannot find it again. this is the best I can fond for now.
http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Pipe_Making
The forum si nice because you can ask specific questions if the how to page leaves you with questions. I started a pipe over a year ago. still laying around on my night stand with no stem.

Okay kept lookign and finally found it. These are the folks that lead me through making my first pipe. At least as far as I have gotten on it.
http://www.pipemakersforum.com/
 

BarG

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I know there is a forum out there somewhere but cannot find it again. this is the best I can fond for now.
http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Pipe_Making
The forum si nice because you can ask specific questions if the how to page leaves you with questions. I started a pipe over a year ago. still laying around on my night stand with no stem.

Okay kept lookign and finally found it. These are the folks that lead me through making my first pipe. At least as far as I have gotten on it.
http://www.pipemakersforum.com/

thanks daniel , That first sit looks promising, check out the bowl boring bits, but what my main concern with will be the stem.
 

Daniel

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A lot of people bought pre made stems and then finished them up. Otherwise you can get bar stock of several different materials depending on what you like. drill it then carve it in much the same way you shape the bowl. If you want any bend init you then heat it and bend it as needed keeping a wire in the hole to prevent it from collapsing. There is a lot of information on how to make the hole in the stem to get good draft and such.
 

Jitterbugdude

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Also, Check out "PIMO" they sell a lot of pipe making supplies. For a conventional stem,you will need a tenon cutter, unless you plan on turning it on a lathe. I have a metal lathe and a wood lathe and I still use the PIMO tenon cutter. Most pipe makers use conventional stem material such as acrylic, ebonite, delrin etc but I like to use wood such as walnut or olive wood. As a bare minimum though I think you need to buy the bowl boring bit, the tenon cutter and the "special" bit to drill/countersink/face off your stummel. Try PIMO!

Randy B
 

SmokesAhoy

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I bet bigbonner and others with osage could do some side business selling that wood for pipes.
 

BigBonner

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SmokesAhoy

I have plenty of osage orange to cut . I don't have a saw mill . I have some trees that may be as big as 14 inches accross .
 

SmokesAhoy

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In a totally different subject, I just wanted you to be aware if you weren't already, there is a very profitable market in that wood. The knot free sections can be divided into 7' splits to bowyers and the rest for furniture. Very high quality wood, and with more of it being seen as noxious there is less supply.
 

deluxestogie

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This probably can't qualify as a "quality" pipe, but I thought I'd show how little in the way of specialty wood and tools is really required for making a serviceable tobacco pipe. Near the back of my property, there was a dead apple tree that had been "curing" for a number years.
ApplewoodPipe_001a_400.jpg


This old dead tree has been a rich source of applewood for fire curing. About 5 years ago, I selected a branch intersection to use for making a pipe. I marked off the centerline for the tobacco hole and the smoke hole with a pencil. I sawed it with a coping saw and drilled the holes, using a hand-held drill with standard bits, held in a Black & Decker clamp table.
ApplewoodPipe_003a_400.jpg
ApplewoodPipe_004a_400.jpg


After drilling the smoke hole (with a bit size that would just fit into the smoke hole of an existing briar pipe), I measured the diameter of the tenon of a spare pipe bit (from an old, broken, Turkish meerschaum), and sank the mortise, also by hand-held drill. Since I was using a bit designed for a meerschaum pipe, it is anchored using the nylon screw-in piece that came with the Turkish pipe.
ApplewoodPipe_004b_400.jpg
ApplewoodPipe_008a_400.jpg


All additional work on the wood was done with whittling tools and sandpaper.
ApplewoodPipe_006a_400.jpg
ApplewoodPipe_005a_400.jpg


This is the completed pipe, prior to staining it with an alcohol-based wood stain from PIMO.
ApplewoodPipe_010a_400.jpg
ApplewoodPipe_009a_400.jpg


I waxed the exterior with yellow wax, also from PIMO. For inexplicable reasons, I've smoked only Black Cordiale tobacco or Chocolate tobacco in this pipe. After 5 years, this is how it appears (the original bit broke, and was replaced by another from a Turkish meerschaum that had died--usually by accidental fall, though suicide was suspected in one instance).
ApplewoodPipe__5yo_01_400.jpg


It's not pretty. Because I feared that the applewood might easily burn through, I intentionally left the walls and floor of the bowl quite thick. As it turns out, the applewood has never even hinted at an attempt to burn through.

Since the branch, which served as the pipe's stem, was less dense, a thin shrinkage split developed in the very bottom edge of the stem, though only part-way through its thickness. This was spackled-in with Carnauba wax from PIMO, and has held perfectly well for years. Although the bit has needed replacement once, the pipe itself has held-up just fine, and is still an excellent smoking pipe.

Bob
 

SmokesAhoy

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Wow if you don't consider that pretty... Lets see the pretty one! :)
 

Chicken

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id suggest making one out of a antler,,,,, or bone,,

go unique and original,
 

Daniel

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You are not going to like the taste or smell of burning antler. It smells like burning hair. I make writing pens with the stuff.
As far as Osage Orange. It is a popular wood for penmakers as well. The problem with supplying wood for either pipe makers or pen makers is that you can't just go hack up any old tree branch and have quality high priced wood. Most of those pieces are select for that purpose and you don't come across a lot of it. One of the reasons it sells for a premium. But yes nice quality pen blanks will easily sell for 2 bucks each and top grade rare type wood will get as much as $5 a blank or more. That is about a dollar a cubic inch. And that is not expensive materials. I know some people that have made Mammoth Ivory pens that cost $75 a cubic inch for the ivory.

penmaking, pipe making and knife making are all three closely related crafts. Most using the same quality of materials and in many cases the same tools and techniques. Much of penmaking was born from the skills and knowledge of knife makers.

They are all very nice crafts calling for the highest developed skills in woodworking while remaining small and not requiring huge shops to accomplish.

As Bob shows it does not require a lot of fancy equipment if you are determined. the equipment will help in being more accurate and there are some draw issues that are dealt with in the bowl boring bits. But you very well can just take a chunk off a limb and carve out a pipe as he has shown. It all depends on what you are interested in accomplishing. Some are looking to produce a pipe with the perfect form and function. Others just want a chunk of wood with a hole where the tobacco fits. That is what is so great about making them. They can be what you want them to be.
 

deluxestogie

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As Bob shows it does not require a lot of fancy equipment if you are determined. the equipment will help in being more accurate and there are some draw issues that are dealt with in the bowl boring bits. But you very well can just take a chunk off a limb and carve out a pipe as he has shown. It all depends on what you are interested in accomplishing. Some are looking to produce a pipe with the perfect form and function. Others just want a chunk of wood with a hole where the tobacco fits. That is what is so great about making them. They can be what you want them to be.

An old aphorism in engineering and architecture is, "form follows function." The curious thing about a tobacco pipe is that the "form" alluded to in that aphorism relates only to its smoking qualities, rather than to its external cosmetics. Daniel is correct about the specialty boring bits, in that they make the manufacturing process quicker and easier to perform correctly. In the case of my clunky pipe, that task was accomplished manually--that is, using whittling tools. The result is "a chunk of wood with a hole where the tobacco fits," that smokes perfectly. Among my two dozen or so pipes (which include several surviving meerschaums--carefully selected from hundreds of offerings during a visit to Turkey in 1983, as well as many expensive briars, acquired over a period of 40 years) my applewood clunker has earned a place in my regular rotation. It didn't earn that recognition on good looks, but rather on good function.

My point in posting the description and photos was that you don't need specialty tools to make a properly functioning tobacco pipe, which is all that I was interested in accomplishing when I made it.

Bob
 
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jolly

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I agree with Bob, form definately follows function. Below is a pipe I made with the tool I carved it. My goal was to walk into the woods and in about 15 mins be smoking a pipe -- using nothing but a swiss army knife. It is certainly not pretty (looks worse than a cob), but it is a fantastic smoker, smoking as well or better than a couple of pipes I paid several hundred dollars for. It is made from a piece of willow bustic (bowl) and giant reed (stem).

IMG00149-20111211-1916.jpg


The key to a pipe that smokes well is good consistent airflow. If the draw changes in diameter in the pipe (volume) then moisture will begin to condense at these points and cause gurgling.

Almost all of what makes a "quality" pipe is aesthetics. This is likely the case with pen making as well. Its not about the ability to turn a piece of wood into a functional pen or pipe, but the ability to make a beautiful piece using burl or uniquely grained wood and crafting them flawlessly. A pipe can smoke well with a piece of briar that has no visible grain (I have one) as much as a pipe with a perfect straight grain or crosscut with amazing birdseye. I'm sure a pen made with a piece of plywood will still write, you just won't be able to sell it.

Many makers will rusticate or sandblast pipes also. This adds steps to the process and is more costly to produce, but is always cheaper than a smooth pipe -- why? Aesthetics. Thats it. The kicker is shelling out big money for one of these functional pieces of art and having it smoke like a fire breathing dragon. It will sit on your shelf and rarely get used if that happens (but it will look great on your rack).

Barg,
I second the idea of looking at PIMO supplies if you want to increase your odds of making a pretty pipe. It will depend on what tools you have and your experience with them as to how you'll tackle your first project. One of the carving kits from PIMO could litterally be completed with a coping saw, sandpaper, and buffing supplies. I've been on the pipe making forum several times over the years and there is some excellent info there as well. Good luck with your project and post pics if you do it.
 

jolly

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What about Sassafras trees wouldn't those make a good pipe ?

I guess it could, but it might lend a lot of flavor to the smoke. I'd avoid it for that reason. Not that other materials are totally neutral, just that sassafras is a pretty aromatic wood.

I don't know the properties of sassafras from a woodworking perspective. One thing to consider when using local woods to make pipes is that when you smoke a pipe you are doing two of the worst possible things you'd every want to do with wood which is heat it and get it wet. Some woods respond better to this than others.

Not sure about osage orange, but you may need to do some research on wood toxicity. I'm not sure I'd burn anything in it just knowing what family its in and that milky sap is a concern. I'm sure someone has done it though. Fruitwoods have been used pretty successfully, though some folks leave the bark on to help prevent cross checking due to the heat and moisture.
 

deluxestogie

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Larry,
Sassafras is a curious tree. The root bark has been used to flavor root beer over the years, and as a "medicine." The leaves are dried and powdered to make the so-called filé powder that's used in authentic gumbo. Apparently that wonderful aroma for which sassafras is treasured is a benzene derivative (safrole), and has been linked to liver cancer. For that reason, the FDA bans its sale in the US as a flavoring agent. The concentration of safrole is highest in the root and root bark, and lower in the wood and leaves. I would guess that a well cured chunk of the wood is safe for use as a pipe, though I don't know much about its physical properties with regard to stoking a fire inside it.

I suppose, if a chunk of sassafras heartwood could fully dry without splitting, I'd feel comfortable about making a pipe out of it, just to see if it held up. (Hopefully I would croak from natural causes, before the safrole caught up with me.)

Seriously, once a pipe has a good layer of char in the bowl, the net movement of compounds seems to be to migrate outward, away from the heat. I still have my first briar pipe, purchased in 1971. After about 30 years of smoking it, a few tiny discolorations of tar began to show on the outside of the side of the bowl, beneath the wax. Now, after 40 years, the tar migration hasn't changed much. I assume these barely noticeable areas are the result of microscopic flaws in the grain of the briar burl.

Jolly,
I like your pipe bowl. Since I clench my pipe in my teeth (for instance, like now, as I type), I'd probably have to find a different solution for the bit.

Bob
 

Daniel

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I can't claim to know a lot about why Briar is such a popular wood for making pipes. Other woods work also. I do know that Briar has a couple of qualities that other woods may not. It is resistant to burning. I can't even tell you why but it is supposed to stand up to the burning of tobacco better. The other quality I read a lot about was its ability to breath. This trait effects the quality of the smoke in how it effects the flavor you get. It is also important that a pipe become "Primed" or basically impregnated with the tobaccos flavor. But as I understand it all wood will do that. It is one of the complaints I have seen mentioned concerning clay pipes. The draw is a pretty well known but still argued situation. drill the right size holes for the passages and you will get the correct draw. It concerns several things such as the smoke not being to hot or to cold, reducing tongue bite, the pipe staying lit and basically just improves the smoking experience by making it easier overall. It is also subject to personal opinion. One person may enjoy a pipe by sucking on it like a choo choo train while the next wants to take a few puffs set the pipe aside for a couple of minutes and find it still smoldering when he picks it up again. In the end it is about enjoyment and at the heart of why every smoker will eventually find their favorite.

Most alternative woods I have seen mentioned fall into the fruit category. apple. cherry, grapefruit etc. I woudl check out others to make sure they are not toxic. But hey they use corn cobb. Not a lot of reason other materials cannot be used it just may not last as long.
 

BarG

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I'm going to keep my eye out for a nice chunck of white oak burl, I see quite a few trees around here with nice burls on them tey are just not available for me to harvest, In the mean time I'm going to explore the sites, tools and suggestions every one has offered up, and start collecting tools and materials sooner than later. Just read an interesting bit of info on briar, the pipes are made from the roots 4"-8" diameter,rough cut or trimmed and kept wet and damp till cut into pipe blanks. After this they are boiled to improve color and reduce danger of splitting. I may have to try that with my oak burl.
 

Daniel

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BarG the pipe I am working on is made from Walnut Burl. Can't say yet how it smokes but it is coming out looking nice. I made it from scrap I had around the shop and intend to make the same pipe from Briar after I am finished with it.
 
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