DIY pipe rack

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mejoshee

mejoshee

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It's a work in progress, but I did make some good progress today, punctuated by (albeit late in the year) Oktoberfest in our downtown.

I've been wanting to do my own rack and finally settled on this sort of tiered design. I took a "big/small" approach, spacing the bottom row 2 1/2", the top 2", meant to hold 12/10 pipes (22 total). I still need to put up the top stem rest row, but you get the idea. I'll stain it with a mission oak poly one-step stain once I get the last row on and give it a final sanding.

Anyway, hope this inspires you all. (And apologies for the lame phone camera photos.)






I mocked it up with some pipes to see that even the largest pipes had enough space between. I have quite a few more pipes than the top row will provide, but I think the rack will hold all the favorites. I still have a couple other smaller racks for the smaller straight pipes. For those who're curious, from L-R,
  • Musico Foundation "Floodlight" bent tomato
  • Radice Rind bamboo billiard
  • Radice Rind bamboo Rhodesian
  • Radice Rind large bent egg
  • Moretti magnum mixed finish bent Rhodesian
  • Bjarne smooth "double apple"
  • Bjarne smooth large bulldog
  • Mastro de Paja Brugo mixed finish bent Rhodesian
  • Savinelli Deluxe Milano Canadian
  • Growley smooth bent Rhodesian



 
Very nice rack and what a superb collection of pipes. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: 
 
Don't slap me, but I can't help starring at your rack.

:mrgreen: 
 
NICE, NICE piece of work you've done guy. Might I suggest two things: make your stem "notches" slightly deeper, front to back. And drop the shelf about 1/4" as you can see from the nose warmer Rhodie how the stem just catches it's notch. Might want a bit more bearing surface to keep things secured. Spacing 'twn pipes is EXCELENT !! All in all and excellent job :bounce: 
 
monbla256":ih0fc7jy said:
NICE, NICE piece of work you've done guy. Might I suggest two things: make your stem "notches" slightly deeper, front to back. And drop the shelf about 1/4" as you can see from the nose warmer Rhodie how the stem just catches it's notch. Might want a bit more bearing surface to keep things secured. Spacing 'twn pipes is EXCELENT !! All in all and excellent job :bounce: 
Click to expand...
Thanks for the constructive comments. I do plan to have a smaller gap between the middle and top row for the shorter pipes, so that's why I stopped there. The Growley will stay in that row.
 
mejoshee":hj2lcijd said:
It's a work in progress, but I did make some good progress today, punctuated by (albeit late in the year) Oktoberfest in our downtown.

I've been wanting to do my own rack and finally settled on this sort of tiered design. I took a "big/small" approach, spacing the bottom row 2 1/2", the top 2", meant to hold 12/10 pipes (22 total). I still need to put up the top stem rest row, but you get the idea. I'll stain it with a mission oak poly one-step stain once I get the last row on and give it a final sanding.

Anyway, hope this inspires you all. (And apologies for the lame phone camera photos.)






I mocked it up with some pipes to see that even the largest pipes had enough space between. I have quite a few more pipes than the top row will provide, but I think the rack will hold all the favorites. I still have a couple other smaller racks for the smaller straight pipes. For those who're curious, from L-R,
  • Musico Foundation "Floodlight" bent tomato
  • Radice Rind bamboo billiard
  • Radice Rind bamboo Rhodesian
  • Radice Rind large bent egg
  • Moretti magnum mixed finish bent Rhodesian
  • Bjarne smooth "double apple"
  • Bjarne smooth large bulldog
  • Mastro de Paja Brugo mixed finish bent Rhodesian
  • Savinelli Deluxe Milano Canadian
  • Growley smooth bent Rhodesian



Click to expand...
Looks good.

I was trying to identifying the wood but failed. Can you put me out of my misery, please?

I've only a few pipes, do you guys with dozens start at one end of the rack and smoke each in turn. If so, it must be like getting a new pipe every day. ;-)
 
It's just clean red oak, but it got really washed out in the phone camera lighting, hence the apology. :p I stalled out this week due to a lack of a functioning jigsaw.

I've built up my "stable" after the past year and a half or so, mostly from ebay finds. I cycle everything, unless it's brand new briar and I want to break it in sooner. I think most guys do the same, unless they use a cob.
 
Nice work. It looks like it's going to be a great piece!
 
My greatest fear is that it'll be become one of those unfinished projects. I'll need to just get 'er done so I can smoke in peace! :twisted: 

Thanks for all the kind words guys. If anyone wants plans/advice about it too, let me know. I don't have all the answers, but I can tell you relative dimensions that I found empirically through this process.
 
Not only is it a beautiful rack but the pipes are just as nice, great job sir.
Best Regards
Richard
 
Neat work! Older racks just don't have the spacing for larger, modern pipes.
 
Very nice job. You likely just saved yourself about a hundred bucks.

I've seen guys put small collars of green felt in the curve where the stem rests. A tab of soft leather would also work...maybe afixed with Barge glue. I've also seen racks like your design where a rectangular piece of wood was used as a tall 'foot' under the far right and left sides...just tall enough so that you could slide tins underneath...or maybe a series of open top boxes (wood to match the stand) in which to store tins, gear, lighters, cleaners, etc.

When I've made 'furniture' like this I've found MinWax English Chestnut stain to be an excellent middle brown color, applied according to instructions, well dried and then sealed with the MinWax Spar Verithane spray...3 coats, dried for about 45 minutes each (that way you can respray without having to resand). It's quick, gives a strong yet flexible finish, and the lowest level of gloss looks the most professional. If you use the gloss finish it makes the piece look junky. I use the Spar product, made for outdoor use, since it allows the piece some expansion and contraction in varying heat and humidity and the finish doesn't crack when the dimensions change slightly. I swear by the MinWax line, having used it for years with never a failure, plus it's the only line in which you can buy small cans of stain instead of pints, they go a LONG way.

Just a few thoughts.

I recently bought two home made racks very much like yours from ya brother here in which he laid out the dimensions of the slots, etc. to fit LARGE pipes. It was brilliant, as any commercial stand won't let you rack up anything of good size at all. It looks like you designed yours to accommodate large pipes as well. Great idea!
 
Ok, you've had 19 days since you first posted so is it DONE ? We need pics of the finished product with it full of pipes !! :twisted: :twisted: 
 
I'd finished the rack earlier this week, but needed to deal with the felt, which I completed this afternoon. It's not incredibly professional in the finish, nor the exact dimensions between levels. I consider this a successful private experiment, but I'd certainly want to try again.

Here's the top section of my tansu cabinet with the 2-tier Decatur rack:











 
Pipes from L-R, top to bottom:
  • WO Larsen blasted brandy
  • Old England (Sasieni) rusticated billiard
  • Old England rusticated pot
  • Piersel Pipes (our own scotties22!) blasted billiard
  • Piersel Pipes smooth billiard
  • Musico Foundation Floodlight smooth tomato
  • Growley (our own...Growley!) smooth Rhodesian
  • Tobacconist Inc. (Savinelli 2nd I believe) rusticated lovat
  • Savinelli Silver smooth billiard
  • Mastro de Paja smooth bent bulldog
  • FeRo egg
  • Moretti olivewood chubby brandy
  • Bjarne double (magnum) apple
  • Bjarne bulldog
  • Radice Rind Rhodesian
  • Radice Rind large egg
  • Radice Rind large billiard
  • Radice Rind billiard
  • Savinelli Deluxe Milano smooth Canadian
  • Stanwell Vario brandy
  • Mastro de Paja Brugo Rhodesian
  • Moretti magnum mixed finish Rhodesian
  • (in front) Moretti mixed finish poker

In the vintage wooden Dunhill rest is a Brebbia squat tomato and on the 2-tier Decatur rack are all the "leftovers" (cobs, other odds and ends). I'm thinking of getting rid of some of those, so you may see them in the trading section sometime later this week.
 
monbla256":j5vgr9w0 said:
Ok, you've had 19 days since you first posted so is it DONE ?  We need pics of the finished product with it full of pipes !!  :twisted: :twisted: 
Click to expand...
Mon, I finished it up and took pics and everything. Are you just speechless at this point? :p 
 
mejoshee":mxd64kzj said:
monbla256":mxd64kzj said:
Ok, you've had 19 days since you first posted so is it DONE ?  We need pics of the finished product with it full of pipes !!  :twisted: :twisted: 
Click to expand...
Mon, I finished it up and took pics and everything. Are you just speechless at this point? :p 
Click to expand...
I truly am !!! That is one nice piece of work you did bro !! Those pipes that get to reside in THAT rack will return their love for this with MARVELOUS smokes forever !! :twisted: :twisted: ( BTW, that is a nice start to your pipe collection!! :twisted: :twisted: )
 
I feel strange saying this to a guy but here goes "Nice Rack" Very nice work, and excellent taste in pipes as well.
 
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