Show us your homemade pipes!

[GreenDragon]

I was bored last night so I decided to see if I could make a pipe out of materials at hand. I don't have any fancy woodworking tools like lathes or routers, just some drills and a miter saw, etc. I remembered taking out a stump from a downed purple plum tree last fall that had a gall on it, so I checked the woodpile was pleasantly surprised that I hadn't burned it yet. Did some rough cuts with the miter saw, hollowed it out using some hole saws and paddle bits, then sanded her up. Cut a length of SA Ironwood scrap left over from my deck for the stem and drilled it out. Hardest part was hand shaping the join. Quick char to the bowl with a blowtorch, then polished the outside with some mineral oil.

Total cost - $0.00, Fun - Priceless

It's really too large for a regular pipe, but I just intend to use it for quick "taste tests" for my cigar blends before a rolling session. Also, with the large flat bottom, it doesn't need a holder. LOL

 

[deluxestogie]

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What a cute little thing.

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That's crafty. If there are no secret worm holes in there, it should last forever. Be sure to mark a date on the bottom--for posterity.

Bob

 

[GreenDragon]

Thanks! All the critters were in the outside 1" of the block - the core was solid, so I think I got them all out. Should of seen the wood ants stumbling out like they were drunk when I was using the Dremmel sander on it LOL! I'm going to pop it in the freezer for a few days just to make sure I got them all. I think the holes / tunnels give it a lot of character - kinda of like it's owner.

 

[deluxestogie]

Clay Pipes from Akias

These beauties arrived in the mail today from forum member, Akias.

Even though he included a bit, I'll probably fit a long bamboo stem to each of them.

The volumes of the bowls are deceptively large. Briar pipes and corncobs have relatively thick walls, while clay pipes always have thin walls. The horn has a tobacco chamber that is nearly 3/4" wide, and the other two pipes measure at about 5/8".

Each pipe is fitted with a shank made from a short knuckle of bamboo root. The molded clay tampers are cute, unglazed, and a perfect size. The pointed ends sport 3 scraping edges each.

Thank you, Akias.

Bob

 

[greenmonster714]

What a great looking set of pipes. It will be fun to hear how they smoke.

 

[greenmonster714]

I was bored last night so I decided to see if I could make a pipe out of materials at hand. I don't have any fancy woodworking tools like lathes or routers, just some drills and a miter saw, etc. I remembered taking out a stump from a downed purple plum tree last fall that had a gall on it, so I checked the woodpile was pleasantly surprised that I hadn't burned it yet. Did some rough cuts with the miter saw, hollowed it out using some hole saws and paddle bits, then sanded her up. Cut a length of SA Ironwood scrap left over from my deck for the stem and drilled it out. Hardest part was hand shaping the join. Quick char to the bowl with a blowtorch, then polished the outside with some mineral oil.

Total cost - $0.00, Fun - Priceless

It's really too large for a regular pipe, but I just intend to use it for quick "taste tests" for my cigar blends before a rolling session. Also, with the large flat bottom, it doesn't need a holder. LOL

View attachment 23198View attachment 23197

I really like this. That bowl is beautiful. From a plum tree. Nice grain patterns in that wood. Excellent work.

 

[davek14]

Nothing like the previous, beautiful work, but...
I was fighting a stem on my MM which was tighter'n a gnat's butt and I twisted the shank right out of the pipe. Rather than just glue it back in I wanted to play. It's not real bad for a piece of reed and 5 minutes with only my pocket knife for a tool. It's lighter than a feather now and I kind of like it.

 

[deluxestogie]

Looks good. What kind of reed are you using?

Bob

 

[davek14]

Looks good. What kind of reed are you using?

Bob

Around Donax, giant reed. Yes, it does get that tall. Switchcane reeds being sold as pipestems on one site online is Arundo Tecta. It's a lot like bamboo near the bottom and gets "reedier" as you go up the plant. That piece was fairly sturdy.

I had a patch I planted in my backyard which got invasive and I spent last summer (hopefully) getting rid of it. I piled some in the garage to play with. This is the reed used for clarinet reeds, interestingly enough.

 

[deluxestogie]

Yikes! Great photo. That is a tall one. I understand that bamboo is also quite invasive.

I played clarinet in grade school, so I'm familiar with what your reed tastes like. I had always assumed it was bamboo, and that "reed" was used as a categorical or historic term for that overpriced sliver.

I'm fond of bamboo for a pipe stem. They are light and sturdy, and tend not to burn up like the chunk-o-pine that MM uses for many of its shanks. I purchase a bundle of untreated bamboo tomato stakes, then pick and choose the length and diameter I need. It sounds like your reed is a good one for that as well.

Bob

 

[Akias]

Clay Bowl + Bamboo Body + Reverse Calabash pipe

Today I made a short (nose warmer?) reverse calabash pipe.



I prepared 3D printed molds and made a bowl.



cut a bamboo and make 20mm hole, then polish its surface.



sticked the bowl and bamboo together with epoxy glue.



printed ABS mouthpiece.


It is a small pipe but it has a reverse calabash chamber, I can keep rather cool smoke.



Tobacco chamber size, approx 16mm (5/8in), 25mm (1 in) depth.

 

[greenmonster714]

That is a very creative approach Akias I like it. Unique is a good word to use. Have you lit it up yet. I'm interested to see if your cooler smoke idea worked.

 

[Akias]

Hi, thanks for reply

That is a very creative approach Akias I like it. Unique is a good word to use. Have you lit it up yet. I'm interested to see if your cooler smoke idea worked.

I cut a small piece of Kitchen Paper towel and put in the calabash chamber as filter.
I got so smooth, dry, cool smoke with this pipe. tastes very mild (but could be a little too thin). It is nice for the first smoke of the day in the morning.

 

[deluxestogie]

Is the bamboo originally black bamboo?

Bob

 

[Akias]

Hello.

It is not black bamboo, just a green one. I cut it at bamboo bush nearby and forced to dry with fire, that is soot of bamboo oil.

Is the bamboo originally black bamboo?

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Ashwood Pipe

My nextdoor neighbor saved some small branches for me, when he had to cut down two ash trees in his yard. I made this pipe for him, from his wood, along with a matching pipe tool. I considered various ways to finish the pipe, and decided to leave it entirely natural, bark on, and no stain or wax on the exposed wood.

The shank utilizes its natural bore, which is revealed by pushing and appropriately dimensioned rod down the center. (That's the beauty of ashwood for a pipe shank or pipe bit. The pith is the consistency of Styrofoam, and just pushes out. That natural bore is surrounded by dense wood.) The mortise required slight widening to accommodate the removable, press-fit bamboo bit. The bore on the side of the bowl was carefully whittled to accept the bark-free tenon of the shank as a tight press-fit. A tiny bit of glue (actually Shoe-Goo) was applied to the outer margin of the shank tenon, then the shank was gently hammered home.

This required several months of fiddling with it for ten minutes at a time. These days, my fingers go numb when I whittle, so I just do it in a thousand brief sessions. No power tools were used--mostly my tiny, pocket knife. I did use some drill bits of several sizes, hand-turned with a vice-grip, to clean up the bores. And a light sanding smoothed some of the blade marks.

I'll be giving it to him with a couple of ounces of my Pearl of Shibam (Bright, Samsun, Latakia, Perique).

Bob

 

[Tookish]

I chiseled this by hand a few years ago, in 2014 I believe. Didn't have any bandsaws or anything fancy to work with aside from a drill.

 

[deluxestogie]

Very nice.

Bob

 

[KarlWithA"K"]

These are my homemade medwakhs for smoking Arabic dokha tobacco. The one with the brass insert is the complete one. there is a wide hole at the base for inserting one of the filter tips. Fits perfectly!!! I live in Hawaii and made it out of Hawaiian Tiger Koa wood. Although I'm not a pipe maker I'm proud of it! The traditional ones are round but you can find some square ones like the in the Middle East.

 

[davek14]

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These are my homemade medwakhs for smoking Arabic dokha tobacco. The one with the brass insert is the complete one. there is a wide hole at the base for inserting one of the filter tips. Fits perfectly!!! I live in Hawaii and made it out of Hawaiian Tiger Koa wood. Although I'm not a pipe maker I'm proud of it! The traditional ones are round but you can find some square ones like the in the Middle East.

How do you process the dokha? Is it just quick dried with no fermentation of aging? Do you mix it with anything? You inhale it, I assume.