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Thanks gentlemen, I will take a look at those options!

Hello, I purchased a Green Tripoli buffing compound from PME when it was in business, and my records show it was about 240 grit, and was made by Matchless. Since PME is no longer around, and Matchless seems to have been acquired by Jason Industries, can anyone recommend a comparable replacement prod...

You will love it. Think about getting the custom 2 jaw chuck from Mark Yingling. Also, be prepared to wait for china. They told me 2-3 months, but it took 8 months.

You are the man!

That's what I get for starting at 11:30pm last night after a long day with small children.

Misread Rad's post and started turning stem OD while stem was attached to a chucked stummel. Now I realize I should have fit the stummel to the chucked stem, taken OFF the stummel, then turned the stem. The stem was looking fine while facing/drilling/turning the tenon. After i Rechucked it and turne...

Over-thinking is my specialty, my wife agrees about this in many areas of my life. Sas, thanks for the confirmation that it will work either way. Rad, thanks for the simple summary. My machinist buddy told me that you always face, drill, then turn, in that order. I'm reluctant to drill after turning...

@Caskwith: When I used pre-molded stems I would shape stem and stummel together with a dremel, a 1" belt sander, and hand-sanding. However, I guess that since I now have a lathe, I'm thrilled with the idea of actually being able to make something that is round, and want the shank and stem to be...

I would appreciate advice on making my first hand-made stem on a metal lathe. I have a stummel shaped already and it's shank has a 3/4" OD. I want the 22 mm ebonite rod stock to match if of course, and wonder if I should turn the OD of the rod stock to be close to the shank size first? Or, shou...

Walt,

Great and informative video. Where did you get that small cylindrical dremel bit that you were using where the stem slopes up toward the shank?

Thanks,

Jeff

Thanks for that link. It turned me on to the Leeson brand, and I did some more searching on this forum, and found there were a couple happy users. I ended up ordering this:

http://www.qcsupply.com/advancedsearch/ ... son+110086

Thanks again for the help.

Cheers,

Jeff

Thanks for that helpful link, there's quite a good selection on there. I don't mind spending $150-$200 on a motor, but am just wondering if I should shoot for something different than what I have for buffing, or if it even matters. I also wonder if the more expensive baldor motors are worth it for t...

I have one of these http://www.pipemakers.org/New0805/motor.jpg for buffing. I'm looking to add a sanding/french wheel using Kurt Huhn's sanding pads. Any other motor recommendations for a sanding wheel that maximize the price performance barrier? I've looked at several others (Grizzly, dayton, east...

I ended up ordering some tapered bits from McFeely's and will wait until I get them before cutting into that precious ebonite. I have made 15 or so pipes pre-lathe with molded stems, but am learning anew with a metal lathe, and especially so with the hand made stems. Main reason for waiting-that ebo...

Thanks for the details pipedreamer and Calamity Jane, I have more reading to do. I'm just thinking of setting up a plan where there is a good balance of wood left on the shank to avoid cracking, a big enough mortise for the airhole, and enough vulcanite left on the tenon for strong support or a larg...

Gents, thanks for the helpful links and hints. For this one, I think I will try drilling 9/64" on the tenon side and flaring at the bit with a smaller drill bit at the mouthpiece end as pipedreamer mentioned. For the future, I like the idea of the tapered bits, and then just doing a smaller dri...

I meant to put this in the stem section, so thanks for the reply regardless of my misplaced question. Pipedreamer, are you saying that I can go 9/64'" in the stem even with an 11/64" air hole in the shank? I'm assuming I will need to taper down a bit for the last inch or so at the button a...

I have a large straight pipe with 7/8" tobacco chamber and an 11/64" airhole. Current mortise is 5/16", but I could go bigger to support this large pipe as the shank OD is 3/4". I went from doing things on a drill press with pre-fab stems and am trying my first stem on my metal l...

Nate and Caskwith, thanks again for the referrals. I was able to get the way oil and centering bits here: http://www.mcmaster.com/#countersink-drills/=hoc2ak Also, Matt at quality machine tools (place where I bought the PM 11X27) referred me to this company in Pittsburg that has some nice US-made bl...

Nate,

Would you mind letting me know where you bought your centering bits? I try to avoid Harbor Freight if at all possible. Too many friends with bad stories.

All the best,

Jeff