All Replies on Tobacco Pipe Swap 2014

Sounds interesting. Does a wooden pipe have to be made from briar?

-- Richard, Hot Springs, Ar -- Galoot In Training

Could be an experience… Haven’t ever thought about making a pipe. Here is an interesting article regarding the use of briar… http://www.pipesandcigars.com/faq/article/125/why-briar-and-not-something-else

-- Dan

I have some pipes made of woods other than briar. I have a pipe that smokes very good that is made of pear wood.

The best pipes are usually made from Briar. However they do not have to be made from Briar.
Most of the fruit woods are ok to use, Apple, Cherry, Pear, even Maple or Beechwood.

I will post a bunch of information in the header along with resources for parts and tools.

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

I bought all the supplies for making a few pipes but being new at it I’m not sure my skills would be up to snuff (hardeehar). I’ll think about it.

-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/

Just like the other swaps this is going to be skill building..
I hope you join on….

More details coming soon.

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

Ooooh, you’re gonna get me in trouble with the wife…

-- Mark Kornell, Kornell Wood Design

Yeah, I want to sign up as well, but every time I’ve completed a project in the past 3 months, SWMBO exclaims, “So, who is THAT one for.” :(

But, I’ve got all the materials, and NO experience making a wooden pipe, so signing up makes perfect sense to me! LOL

-- tr ...see one, do one, teach one...

I have made a few. The best ones where made with blackberry roots.

-- earthartandfoods.com

Sounds like a fun swap! I’ve never made a pipe before so I pity whomever gets it in the swap but it’ll be a good challenge so sign me up.

-- Sometimes the creative process requires foul language. -- Charles Neil

Just added some more information.

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I have found that the best woods to choose for the stummel (shank and bowl) are 1) non-toxic when burning and 2) of a dense hardwood with tight grain, the more “inter-twined” the grain the better it seems to be at heat disipation to the hands.

For anyone nervous about the skills it takes to make a pipe, you could look into a pipe kit like those sold on Amazon and ebay. These kits have the hard parts done for you: drilling the holes and fitting the stem to the stummel. They only require your creativity in shaping them. Or, you could dry out a piece of corn cob, drill 2 holes, drill a hole through a dowel and shove it in the cob…

Another great resource is www.pipedia.org

Should be fun. Looking forward to the swap!

Cheers,

-- -- Andy, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of liberty must undergo the fatigues of supporting it” - Thomas Paine

OK, I’m in.

I’ve got briar, pre-made stems, tools, and will ask 100 questions…

:)

-- tr ...see one, do one, teach one...

First attempt at a stummel on the lathe…

...too much of a hurry…lazy layout. But, today…

...now we’re talking a cherry pipe! All drilled and working. Ready for a stem.

Still a few hours of hand work left, but I feel like I cleared the first hurdle. :)

-- tr ...see one, do one, teach one...

Mountain laurel was also commonly used, especially when imported briar wasn’t available or affordable… it was even sometimes known as “American Briar”.

-- Malcolm Laurel - http://MalcolmLaurel.com

Terry nice job i have a couple in the garage that resemble your first one.
you probably already know this but I have a suggestion.
It helps to turn the bowl down as close as you can to the shank,
That way you have a large reference when your sanding the bottom half to match the dimensions of the turned half.

malcom I will check into that mountain laurel.. do you know of any source for mountain laurel burl? Or maybe even a source selling blocks of it for pipes?

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

Here are some briar blocks I just got in.
Misted them with some water so you can see the grain.

Hence the reason this stuff can get pricey.

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

Jordan, those burls are freaking gorgeous! I wish I knew a of a local wood that I could use. I don’t think black berries typically grow wild in my area, but I am going to do some searching.

-- Richard, Hot Springs, Ar -- Galoot In Training

I’ve never heard of mountain laurel being sold commercially… but it grows everywhere around here, it’s what I make all my lamps out of (hence “Malcolm Laurel”, Malcolm being my middle name). Lots of wild blackberry around here too, but I would think they’re all too small for pipe making (I’ve never dug one up… I’d rather have the berries). But then I’m not a smoker… though I made quite a few pipes back in my college days, much like my lamps, mostly long twisty things that you’d expect to see Gandalf smoking while blowing smoke rings.

-- Malcolm Laurel - http://MalcolmLaurel.com

Jordan, thanks for the tip! I wanted to turn more of the bowl, but was getting close to my spinning jaws! LOL

Would love to see photos of how you pros set up and work on the lathe…been searching google and uTube. Looks like most guys use small metal working lathes…no have. I used the 75mm bowl jaws, but removed 2 of the 4 so they could hold the wood as I needed. Scary. But, seems secure so far? I’m pretty sure a photo would have all the lawyers at Nova screaming and texting. :)

Love the briar, Jordan! I nearly splurged on a lot of 6 last night…I bet Mountain Laurel would be gorgeous! I sure know where to harvest tons of the roots or wood..guess I better get that shop kiln up and running…

Anyone know if Maple burl is suitable before I try?

-- tr ...see one, do one, teach one...

Carl Jacobson has a neat jig for making spoons and maybe you

can make one and use it. It’s kinda like a collet chuck system for

circular projects.

HTH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TF2h4bAys4

I’d wrap the metal banding with tape, just coz.

Malcom Also I’ve been finding search results on something called Laurel Oak maybe that is what they used for pipesm

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

Here is the blog I started making a pipe on the lathe, haven’t finished it because the wood is still drying but you can see how I chucked it.
http://lumberjocks.com/wormil/blog/38569

-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/

Thanks, RickM, that’s the same set up I’ve been using today. Just looked scary to me using 2 jaws the first time!

-- tr ...see one, do one, teach one...

I’m game for the swap. I’ll have to get my hands on a block. I’ll send you my info when I get home from work.

Every that wants in send me an email with the info requested at the top of this thread.

Nice turn Rick. What type of wood is that?

This one ive been messing around with the pas day or so. Soon it will be a billiard style pipe.

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

I’m not a pipe maker but as I looked at them I wondered if the black stem needs to be purchased or can they be made? Long ago pipe makers had to make them.

-- This is a Troll Free zone.

It can be done several different ways.. at the top of the thread I mention different types and buying pre made stems.

Most common materials are ebonite/Vulcanite (same thing), lucite, acrylic. They come in raw square/round stock or preformed.

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

@Jordan—Pear wood.

On making stems … I know people use Delrin for pipe tenons but is it a suitable material for pipe stems? I ask because I’m about to get a box of Delrin scraps.

-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/

I haven’t seen anyone use it for the whole stem. Most likely due to the taste and slippery texture since it is made with silicone. But great for tenons it prevents the age old problem of stuck tenons that result in broken off tenons in the shank..

Here is some progress on the one just above. The ring and ball ebonite stem is very tedious to sand correctly..
Just have to give the stem a final sanding/filing and adjust the stem fit then it’s over to the buffing station..

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

That Billiard is looking great, Jordan!

Here is the cherry pipe I’ve been playing with the past 2 days…added a maple spacer to the end of the stummel since I turned the cherry so thin at that spot. Plus added red spacers on either end of the maple.

The stem is turned from Delrin…very slippery indeed. But, the only acrylic I have, so will try it? It sure likes to grab carbide tools! I plan to cut the Delrin in 1/2 for the finished stem length…than a day of sanding. :) For now, the pieces all fit tight and the air flow works nicely…hate to leave it as is…but our Jeep gets a new fuel pump as soon as I get to my bud’s shop…

Will sign in for the swap asap! I’m hooked on pipe making. LOL

Edit: love the new avatar, J.

-- tr ...see one, do one, teach one...

Delrin is not made with silicone, nor is it any kind of acrylic. “Delrin” is a Dupont trade name, the common name is “acetal”, it’s properly called polyoxymethylene, sometimes called polyformaldehyde as it’s derived from polymerization of formaldehyde. Nylon-like in its strength and hardness, it’s easier to machine than many other plastics, but like silicones, it’s slippery so things tend not to stick to it and it has excellent chemical resistance.

-- Malcolm Laurel - http://MalcolmLaurel.com

You are correct not silicone..

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

I’m going to call this billiard done..

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

Great looking pipe Jordan.

-- Rick M, http://thewoodknack.blogspot.com/

Pipe looks nicely finished, Jordan. Do you usually use wax for a finish?

What sort of tooling do you guys use to shape plastics on the lathe? Steel or carbide chisels? A file? Cabinet scrapers? eeks!

I’ve been using my carbide tipped Easy Wood Tools, and a very light touch since they tend to grab the spinning material. Slowest speed, tool kept above the axis of rotation. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

-- tr ...see one, do one, teach one...

I use tripoli compound, Diamond Compound Carnauba wax (three different buffing wheels)

Haven’t shaped any stems yet… Still using the preformed ebonite. but as rough as it is to polish the ring and ball i might be better off making em from scratch..

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

Finally finished my first wooden pipe…cherry, maple, and delrin…

Turning and shaping the stem was a PIA, but the rest was lots of stressful fun! :)

Blog in progress with lots of photos…but I type pretty slow!

-- tr ...see one, do one, teach one...

I used to be a pipe smoker now and then and just out of curiosity, is pipe smoking becoming a new fad?
We grow our own tobacco organically and roll it with high quality hemp or rice and or combination of both for cigs from Greece. We also grow some very high potent tobacco from a different strain to spray our garden instead of using chemicals to control bug infestations. Wondering whether anyone else use tobacco for these purposes as well?

-- earthartandfoods.com

I’ve heard of some people using it to keep insects out of gardens before.. pipe smoking is making a bit of a come back I think..

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

jordanp, that’s cool.. We used to use various mints to flavor our tobacco. You can smoke what used to be called devil’s claw and fire weed and off course clover and other herbs; even cow droppings! Or as we called it in Alaska, moose nuggets; ha. Tobacco by itself is very harmless; unless it is farm grown in places like Honduras and Columbia, Turkey ( I love Turkish tobacco) where too much pesticide is used which is not good for the lungs. I spend hours hand-picking bugs out of my tobacco every other day to keep it pesticide free. Can’t imagine a farmer do that for a profit.

-- earthartandfoods.com

Terry is now understanding my strife.. now do one with a bent shank.. :)

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

Jordan, the funny part is, now I really look at pre-made stems on eBay! I’m a churchwarden kinda guy anyway.

I know they will still need polishing…unless they cost $25 each…so I can see more buffing wheels in my near future…

-- tr ...see one, do one, teach one...

They come in pretty rough. the only stems i’ve purchased that were close to ready to go were some freehand Acrylic stems.
All the Ebonite/Vulcanite stems have still had ridges and material left on them from the mold and required tenon work as well.

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

Can it be a one piece pipe?
Also is Apple wood acceptable?

-- Can't never could do anything, to try is to advance.

-- Can't never could do anything, to try is to advance.

Those are pretty fancy… Did you make those?

Apple wood is fine.
Single piece would be ok i think. As long as it can be cleaned out with pipe cleaners if the recipient decides to put it to use..

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

Yes….and I assure you they can be cleaned easily.
I have made several and they have been quite a hit…lol
Although I don’t smoke id like to be in the trade.
This of Birdseye maple.

The length of the stem is about 5 3/4”

-- Can't never could do anything, to try is to advance.

Very Nice.
Very unique design.. I like it, I like it!

-- J. Palmer Woodworks - Rockwall TX -I woke up this morning thinking “man, I really hope someone posted some soul scarring sh*t on LJs today.” -- - Billy

Love those pipes, Jim! Gotta search for some longer drill bits…

-- tr ...see one, do one, teach one...