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Yeah, this one's No. 2. My son is coming up on 4 years, and yeah, not looking forward to the next year sleep-wise.

wdteipen wrote:Nice work!

Proof that you can make fine things with a large tool!

Thanks! Mommy's doing great, and Big brother says now he's big enough to grow a mustache! (He's three.)

I got this one roughed out at 2:59 yesterday morning. Now the long finishing process is beginning. Her name is Nora Michelle.

Looks to me like the button is a little wider on the bottom than it is on the top. (From the side view.) That's all I can see.

That being said, I have a ways to go before my pipes look that good, so I should probably just keep my mouth shut...

Thanks for the pointers. I actually made (and posted) the pipe a little over 3 months ago. Since then my buttons/slots have improved dramatically. I also got a real camera.

Looks to me like it will have a pleasent shape, but needs to lose some weight. Looks like it would turn out as a Bent Tomato. I just did a quick forum search, this is a good example: http://www.pipemakersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=10163&p=100155&hilit=tomato#p100155 I'd slim do...

I suppose you could drill the pipe with a brace and auger bit, then go the rest of the way with hand files. Might have to get creative for the bottom of the bowl, but other than drilling I think the process would be about the same as making a pipe without a lathe.

brooksbanister wrote:That's a nice little smoke break pipe.
It's not the size that matters, but how you use it.
Good job.

-LB

Ditto. Nice job.

I use a very fine (metal cutting) flat-bastard file. Insert the stem, see where it touches and carefully file the face of the shank putting more pressure on the high spot. I just keep repeating that until it's flush... it's tedious, but it works.

Here's a pipe I just completed. I'm not sure what shape it really is... bent egg? Anyway, I need to take ore photos of it, but wanted to share. I'm pretty pleased with it.

My house and shop had all fluorescent lights when I bought the place and I've been converting to LED a bit at a time and I love it. Much better lighting, lower power bills and no flickering.

impish1 wrote:...But wouldn't it be cool if your stem matched your bite exactly?...

Brilliant! Would that be an Orthidontic stem? What a nitch!

I started with Cherrywood burl I pulled out of my dad's woodpile. It made several usable pipes, and cost me nothing. I practiced until I was pretty confident, then tried Briar.

Yeah, they were supposed to be the same color, even cut from the same rod. I'm still trying to figure out what caused the discoloration...

This pipe is inspired by my Dad's 1960 Desoto he's restoring. The picture below is not his car, merely posted for reference. The pipe's almost finished, but I still have to clean up the slot and sand out the bowl. (And there's a flaw in the briar on top of the shank... :banghead: ) Critique is welco...

Shark nipples as a band material? This is gonna be an amazing pipe!

Some of my early pipes were made out of strait-grain cherrywood... I pulled it out of the wood pile, and here in NW Washington the trees grow twice as fast (seemingly) and much softer than other places. My problem was that the tar from the tobacco soaked all the way through the pipe and first discol...

Hey guys, when I first pick up a block of briar, is there a way to figure out what to expect from it? The blocks I get are obviously cut before drying. Some have warped sides, some are darker than others... I haven't noticed anything else. Is there a way to 'read' these (and other) signs to know wha...

Hehe... sounds like a few people here have tried it.

Thanks guys, this is what I needed to know.