I'm being overly ambitious and making a pipe completely from scratch, all by hand. I purchased six blocks of Tassili Mini from Pipe Maker's Emporium 2 years ago and started shaping them.

So far, I've cut the block down to a general shape using a coping saw. Drilling entirely by hand, I managed to connect the airway and the chamber on the first go! There's still a lot of chamber to do and it still needs to be shaped and finished, but I'm having a blast working on it.

The main hindrance is that, learning as I go, I keep running into situations where I need a specific tool to continue. For example, I'm working on the chamber right now, but only having gimlets which measure 2, 3, and 5 mm, it's slow going. What I've done so far is drilled a central hole and an expansion hole, starting each at 2mm and working up to 5. I then bridged the gap between them by using the same gimlets. The gap isn't completely together all the way down right now, but that's ok. My current goal is to get the general size of the chamber laid out before I finish it. However, I now realize in order to finish the chamber, I'm going to need a set of versatile rasps and files.

The video on the left is of the pipe I'm currently working on. As a bonus, the video on the right is of the first pipe that I shaped, but haven't drilled yet. Shaping before drilling on my first rodeo... what was I thinking?!:



Side note: the second video I find to be hilarious because it looks like I'm drunk or tripping. Unable to grab the pipe, eyes locked somewhere in the distance, completely blank face. For those who don't know, that was the first time I'd made a video with my laptop and was trying really hard to keep the pipe in frame and looking good. Hence my "drunken" behavior.

Also, please forgive the video quality. They're like an ultrasound: the image isn't terribly clear but you get the idea that something beautiful is brewing.

I'll update this thread and add videos as the pipe evolves, but so far so good!

Whoops!

Any moderators who see this thread, could you please move it to the DIY area? Thanks in advance!

I'm very impressed! Keep us updated on your progress! I'm eager to see the finished product!

Cool stuff Uber!
And I'm not bagging on you in any way, as I've tried my hand at pipe carving as well, but I keep envisioning a day where the carvers outnumber the smokers...

Neat! No stem? (enable, push, enable)

Actually... drilling out a mortise, shaping a tennon, and making them fit sounds a bit daunting for my first time out. As such, I've decided to make the shank and stem one and the same. One question that I've got burning in my mind right now is how to seal the wood towards the bit so it's safe to put in my mouth, safe from absorbing too much moisture from saliva, and also beautiful. The last thing I'd want is for the bit end to get nasty because I didn't take the initiative to protect it from the outset.

I'm working on getting my account at pipemakersforum.com active, but someone seems to be dragging their feet. Any of the pipe making brothers have a tip or two for me concerning making/finishing a briar stem?

Now the one in the video on the right will definitely need a stem. And to do that, I'm going to need some mentorship. Anyone know a good Chicago area pipe maker who wouldn't mind helping out a pipe making infant?

Interesting, most people at the beginning of the game will drill the chamber and mortise and fit a stem before moving on to doing the outside of the pipe. Drilling them post shaping give the advantage of being able to work around flaws first but you run the risk of screwing up the pipe after you put in all your hard work.

PM sent.

Thanks a lot, tyler! I really appreciate you're hopping in to help me out.

Great thread Uber! I look forward to seeing some of your finished work.
Thanks again for your help yesterday.
Mo

Oh, I think I figured it out now. That's the top of the bowl the sawdust was blown through. With my poor vision and color blindness it can be hard for me to really see things accurately unless there in person and even then.......

As promised, albeit a little late, here are some close up photos of the pipes that I'm working on.

Here's the one I'm currently drilling. As you can see, the chamber isn't quite done yet :

Loving the shape so far!

I dunno, maybe you could go with a really narrow-gauge tobacco chamber, only for the most masterful breath smokers...