How is an Oom Paul smoke channel drilled?

[Jazzman]

This is a question that has always perplexed me.

I had a cheap Oom Paul and it had a downward hole drilled at the base of the mortise and then about a half inch down a diagonal hole reaching the bottom of the tobacco chamber. And the entry point of that diagonal hole was plugged with putty.

Now Dunhill and other/better manufacturers sell the Oom Paul model. How do they do it? :shock: :shock:

Thanks- Jazzman

 

[Zeno Marx]

I've had both. I've owned Castello, Ascorti, and Caminetto that had a tenon-sized bit used to drill straight down and then your standard air hole at a diagonal. But I've also owned a Castello 287 that was drilled perfectly so a cleaner would easily pass. I'm sure I've owned other premium brand oom pauls, but I can't remember how they were drilled. Love the shape. I've tried and tried again. Other than the 287, which is a phenomenal smoker that I still own, I've never had one that was a noteworthy smoker. Neither good nor bad. Just eh. I've owned a good handful of old Caminettos in this shape and at least a couple Castellos.

 

[Brewdude]

Only Oom I've got is an old Edwards that a friend gifted me. Dunno about the drilling but it smokes pretty fine!


Cheers,

RR

 

[Corncobcon]

I'm looking at my Barontini right now. The hole is drilled at an angle straight down to the bottom of the bowl. They did a nice job on it, too!

 

[Sasquatch]

Most are drillled horribly. To do it just right takes patience and a bit of skill.

With a skinny mortise, drilled into the wall... not so good.

With a wider mortise and a little care, you can "nail it"

 

[Jazzman]

Thank You Sasquatch, the diagrams are great and it does make sense. I'll be careful to check these details when i buy one.

I guess engineering something to drill a curved hole is lower on the priority list than putting a rover on Mars....who knew?

 

[Zanaspus]

For those who haven't been around the block many times, you should know that Sasquatch carves splendid, wide open draw, well-engineered pipes for less than extortionist prices.

 

[Sasquatch]

Thank You Sasquatch, the diagrams are great and it does make sense. I'll be careful to check these details when i buy one.

I guess engineering something to drill a curved hole is lower on the priority list than putting a rover on Mars....who knew?

Ser Jacopo does it frequently - the rig amounts to a little grinding head attached to a flexible shaft, and run through a curved tube. Issue being this thing cuts a hole about 1/4" wide. I had a couple made this way, and they were... fine... no real issues. But I didn't prefer them or find them an improvement in any way over a well made "orthodox" drilling. There are a few (very few) shapes, like the old Dunhill LC, that done "proper" do require a curved airway.

 

[Zeno Marx]

Thanks for the diagrams, Sasquatch. I was trying to remember if I had any "non-standard" approaches to tenons years ago, or if I'd even seen any. I'm not sure if I'd ever seen them until recent years. Meaning, your second diagram indicates a large diameter tenon etc. That's a pretty new development, no? One of the biggest developments in pipe making to my eyes has been the stem work. The mortise and tenon work these days still sort of makes me double-take.

 

[Sasquatch]

Yeah, lots of boundaries are being pushed, lots of "non standard" stuff comes out of artisan shops in search of making legitimate physical improvements on difficult shapes (never mind weird stuff like "reverse calabash" ideas too).

The bar has been raised in the ten or so years I've been doing this. What would have been an amazing sandblast 10 years ago is now.... expected, really. And the amazing ones are just mind-boggling. Stem work is better and better, internals better and better.

 

[Zeno Marx]

I think it is one of the Russians or Ukrainians (not limited to, but who I associate it with) that has these big diameter tenons, but visually, they look really short, as if they wouldn't hold tight to the pipe if there was any climate or temp shrinkage. They look as if they were brushed by a hand or whatever during lighting, the wood would fall right off the stem. Must not be the case, because they sell out as quickly as they're rarely stocked. I think these pipes might also be reverse calabash as well, but I wouldn't hold myself to that. His name starts with a "C"? Name escapes me at the moment.

I believe these big tenons are also concaved within their circle, but I also wouldn't hold myself to that either. I just remember these stems to be quite intricate and full of ideas I don't remember seeing prior.