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Nice pipe Ben and I think "yes", you are right.

Ollie,
You may not know of John Hancock. He was a very wise and great man, the very first to sign the Declaration of Independence in this country. After imparting his flamboyant signature to the document he stated "What matters is not the size of your pen, but how you sign your name."

“Jeff ready are you? What know you of ready? For eight hundred years have I trained Carvers. Blade low you swing .... now "chin" you have.

Good alternate woods are cherry and olive. Both smoke only slightly warmer than briar and the olive is really neutral. I have heard maple is also pretty good. My observations/assumptions are that woods 1000-1300 on the janka scale are more apt to make decent pipes. Osage orange, mesquite, black locu...

This highly recommended piece of sophisticated equipment was a "good deal". The local Octogenarian Depot had them from $60 to over $100. This one was picked up at a yard sale for $10. The usual adjustable arms but also tension screws so it stays where you put it. I hadn't really used it to...

Quite a metamorphosis from the chunky block first posted. Your choice of orientation in that block took advantage of the grain very well. I am especially taken with the sharpness and definition where the shank meets the bowl. It has been a pleasure to see this one come together.

This works well. Basically what Jeff is suggesting. http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x313/ckrpipes/pmf/sp1.jpg http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x313/ckrpipes/pmf/sp2.jpg http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x313/ckrpipes/pmf/sp3.jpg Take rubber stopper (.39 @ Ace), cut in half, cut Vee, center ten...

I think if you want critic then you really need to provide the ammunition. A hundred pictures cannot replace a hands on inspection. Somewhere there is a happy medium and a couple of shots at the other angles is probably it.

I see the problem as the block selected. I think it had height and no length or it could be a problem was encountered with the stem and it is a save. I agree with others regarding he taper and length on the shank but I think that the profile is another that can be acceptable for a billiard. It lacks...

Could put another bullet in this horse. Stain, finish, applying stem drilling look good. I would say take what you have learned, move on. I don't think you are going to learn more on this piece. One thing that I noticed is that the walls look precariously thin. It looks like a 7/8 bore but it doesn'...

Jet makes a fine lathe. I also have the 1014 and for pipe making I never needed the extra two inches but I would not turn it down. My regrets are that I did know about the variable speed model when I bought it or I would have opted for that. Changing the belt to another set of pulleys is ackward at ...

I would change my first name to "Rad". Err, sorry - it was just a thought, a very fleeting thought.

Sort of a flattened Brandy? That is a good way to express what I am describing. A couple of weeks ago before I got caught up in the "Make a Billiard" lesson I was considering doing a prince. It's been a while, so I was surfing several. Fred's seems of the Dunhill style balled front and st...

I think it is a very princely effort and I did check out #8 and the comments there as well. There is no doubt in my mind that this a prince but some of the aspects of a prince (to me) are that the "hips" ( the widest part of the bowl) rides a bit lower, the bottom is flatter with a less ro...

I think it screams "Billiard".

Spent some time there yesterday and did not realize it was so new.

However, the change was duly noted at the time and found to be a great improvement. Great job on the overhaul.

My father was a good and wise man. Family values and all, what really mattered to him was the well being of his children. He is not with me any longer but I do think about the advise he would give. Were he here I think it would be something like ... "Chris, Just shut up and do it." http://...

Thanks Todd, yes I see it very clearly, same width as the backed strip of sandpaper. I'll add it to the list. That is not a joke. Often when trying to overcome one problem another slips by. Kind of the "pillow effect" or "tunnel vision". I expect to always be adding to it. As for...

http://s186.photobucket.com/albums/x313/ckrpipes/pmf/equal.jpg I shopped this by flipping the back wall. The front still seems off to me. Without a rim shot I really can't tell if it can be brought in more without thinning the rim, but I suspect that is the case. You may try getting the symmetry by...

I will take Jeff up the chin reduction (much as I hate to) Well, I wrote it with good intentions but lacked on the delivery. Instead I just started from scratch. I did check out another thread where Rad had posted a Dunnie that he felt was pretty much close to the proportion of a "classic"...