How pipes get born (around here)

[Sasquatch]

I'm sure details vary greatly, but I thought it might be fun for you guys to see how a pipe goes from chunk of wood to finished pipe.

In this pic, I've got the appropriate piece selected (trying to make a rather classic "pot") and have started to cut it down a bit, making sure the grain is good and the briar is not pitty or soft or whatever.

Once I'm satisfied with that, the pipe is drawn on the block, some angles cut to control the drilling angles and final shape of the pipe, lines of basic shape, and the thing is drilled.

That's about an hour well wasted. More to come in the next few days.

 

[Sasquatch]

Stummel has been spun on the lathe in two directions, first for the stem, second for the bowl. Then the excess junk is sanded/ground off, which is the line you see about half way up the bowl.

A stem has been selected (or milled from rod). Tenon is cut to size, stem is drilled out, spun on the lathe to rough shape.

Ram the stem into the stummel, file, sand, stain, sand, rough polish... now the grain is really showing in the block, but there are a few lines to clean up on the pipe (the stem isn't real good yet, for example)

But the shape is there, the wood was good, and the real hard work is done.

 

[Trout Bum]

Wow... thanks for posting, Sasquatch. I am interested in making some pipes myself, though I will probably start with a
pre-drilled kit. Looks like its going to be a great pipe!

 

[Slow Puffs]

Thanks for sharing Sasquatch. I doubt if I would ever venture to do something like that although I think it would be exciting if I had the skills.

 

[Sasquatch]

Yeah I'm thinking this one's come out all right. Here's the bad side of the briar on the finished pipe.

Trout, there's not much point in starting with a kit. You can do, of course, but drilling the thing is so easy compared to the hours and hours of shaping and refining. I guess the deciding factor is if you can turn tenons or not. Without a lathe or a milling machine, you need to get that done for you. But if a guy has a lathe and a drill press.... it's amazing what you can turn out.

At any rate, don't even bother ordering only 1 kit. As soon as you are done, you'll be pining for another. They say the difference between pipe smokers and pipe makers is that most pipe smokers could stop if they wanted. :lol:

 

[TallSmoke]

That is pretty awesome. I have a couple of kits I need to get to work on. My bud here in town has a pretty nice wood shop and has made a couple dozen pipes. He has sold 4-5 of them to locals. He just started a year ago. It is a fun hobby, for sure, but hours and hours of work like Squatch said. Especially the sanding.

 

[kilted1]

Ty Sasquatch, those pix are pretty cool, very nice looking pipes too :cheers:

 

[J_Rock]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting the pics and info. You make some mighty nice looking pipes!

 

[kaiser83]

Sorry to bring back an old thread but I can't help but comment, that bent is flippin amazing work.

 

[Sasquatch]

Wow that's three years ago, huh? Holy shit.

I should maybe do another, more s'fistukated version of this thread now that I actually have some tools and stuff (read: experience).

 

[Fishfuzz]

Yes please!

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Wow that's three years ago, huh? Holy shit.

I should maybe do another, more s'fistukated version of this thread now that I actually have some tools and stuff (read: experience).

This. 8)

 

[tyler]

I'm greatly relieved to find out this is a three-year old zombie thread. When I saw the end result I was, um, confused.

:tongue:

 

[Wayne_Teipen]

Me too. :lol: At first I was wondering why Sas was using a premold then I saw the date. I was hoping to be able to bust his chops some. Oh well, I'm sure he'll give me plenty of opportunities in the future. :lol:

 

[George Kaplan]

Sorry to bring back an old thread...

Here's your new avatar, Kai:



Actually, this was really cool, and I'm glad Sasquatch replied. My thanks to both of you.

 

[kaiser83]

Sorry to bring back an old thread...

Here's your new avatar, Kai:



Actually, this was really cool, and I'm glad Sasquatch replied. My thanks to both of you.

I am excited and can't help it, Sas is making a monstrous pipe for me at some point and I have been admiring his work on here. Just for you that will be my new avatar...for a bit anyhow lol.

 

[Blackhorse]

Two things:

1) I do a kit now and again. As I have no lathe and no drillpress I depend on a good kit to quench my occasional thirst to make a pipe that I NEED. lol

Kit Pipe #4:

Kit Pipe #5 (plateaux pipe/knife combo):

So...those are OK and they smoke very nicely (so do some of my $10 basket pipes) and yes, there was a whole lot of effort in making them to my satisfaction.

But while browsing around one day I happened upon the following item here and it was what Mario Puzo described in the Godfather as the 'lightning bolt'...ie. love at first sight. The sidewalls of the bowl are disturbingly thin (don't know if you can see mine...they are like the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides)...and yet, I've never had a problem with the pipe smoking hot...and the walls, not being overly heavy lend to the pipe's light weight...and it hangs SO very well. Then there's that surface rustication...and the plug-in stem...and the high grade Ebonite stem...the VAST tobacco chamber...and all the rest.

The point being...I can make one myself and it's just fine...but the work of a Master is something else again.

One of my very few pipes that has been named: the OomSquatch!

 

[kaiser83]

Actually when I first saw the thread for that pipe it was when I knew I was eventually going to ask Sas to make me a pipe. I have to admit he has been insanely easy to work with and I can't wait to see what he comes up with.

 

[Wet Dottle]

Well, I really enjoyed seeing this thread again. I do appreciate when pipemakers take the time to show us how they make their pipes. Thanks for the resurrection.

 

[Sasquatch]

I'll do a play by play when I cut Kaiser's anvil-sized pipe.