Anyone carve tobacco pipes?

[CarverFromNoWhere]

Just looking for information about what woods work to make pipes from, currently experimenting with walnuts maples and birch. Haven't the money to get into briar yet and i am making the stems from wood as well, I'd like to try and steam bend some into curves. Once I get the one I am currently working on into good shape I will put up some pics.
Carl

[big dave]

Re: Anyone carve tobacco pipes?

hey Carl, I met a guy a year or so ago who was into making pipes and he used all types of hardwood burls he had a matching set made from cherry one with a straight stem and one with a curve and they were really nice,.

[Timberwolf]

Re: Anyone carve tobacco pipes?

I have made a handful of pipes and one was made of cherry. Beautiful grain, but smokes hotter due to being less dense then briar.

One of my favorite pipes

[CarverFromNoWhere]

Re: Anyone carve tobacco pipes?

Interesting I would imagine fruitwood would work well for the bowl, I don't know anything about how a good pipe smokes as I don't smoke and don't know anyone close by who does. Knowing about fire and wood it seems if it was an open grained more porous wood like ash or oak it would make a bad pipe bowl letting in extra air maybe even starting the wood itself on fire. I know the properties of briar and that it is very dense. I have some chunks of wild Cherry lace burl and a whole huge box of hard Maple eye burl both are extremely dense and carve almost like a solid plastic.

Dave did your friend have the pre made stems or did he make the stems himself I am trying to make my own stems. So I'm not so limited on design, angles, shape ect. I am going to have to look into some higher quality bits, I bored the hole in the pipes bowl with a spade bit that I made into a round nose bit, took off very nice ribbon shavings. But for the stem I only have a twist bit that was long enough all of my brad points that diameter are way too short.

[Mitchv10]

Re: Anyone carve tobacco pipes?

I Just started collecting pipes. I also was intrested in carving pipes. My favorite are Erik Nordings. I found out other than briar Cherry and plum are some of the best woods to use. Check out Pipe Smokers Forum. They have a pipe making sub forum with some good info.

[big dave]

Re: Anyone carve tobacco pipes?

Carl he had some of both pre made and some he made his self the pair of cherry pipes thatI liked were all hand made he carve the mouth piece out of some kind of stone