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Been getting more serious about pipemaking recently after a year of super-slow production (only 4 pipes this year). I'm curious to try a reverse calabash for one of my next pipes, but I'm a little unsure about what to do about the mortise and tennon. Since the bit used to drill the smoke reservoir i...

Thanks, fellas!

Since it seemed like the one from eBay would work fine, and I'm raring to go, I just went ahead and ordered that one.

Hi All, I've finally decided to kick my crummy, el cheapo buffer to the curb. Just ordered the Beall buffing wheel setup , which I'm pretty excited about. Now all I have to do is find a motor. Anyone got any recommendations? I know a lot of people like Baldor, but having been searching for the past ...

Hey there folks, Thanks again for all the helpful info, everybody! Based on y'alls advice I decided to develop my own "proprietary finishing technique." Due to legal reasons I can't say what I'm using. All I can say is that it involves mixing sticky yellow flakes with denatured alcohol. I ...

Thanks Rad and Kurt!

Just placed an order with shellac.net for a half pound of blonde dewaxed.

Also read all the previous posts on shellac and it's use, so I think I should be able to muddle through the application.

Dan

Just finished my first successful sandblast. The blast itself turned out really well. Lots of nice ring grain all the way around. When I was carving it, my plan was to leave it virgin because I thought that would look sweet with the cumberland mouthpiece, but now that I'm done, I'm not really liking...

Thanks again fellas! I probably should have been more clear earlier about my problems making the shank and stem meet. I pretty sure I know what the problem is and what's causing it. Rather than take more pics (my photo set up at home isn't permanent yet, and is a pain in the neck to set up), I'll de...

Thanks, Tyler! That's the kind of criticism I was hoping for. You're the second person to comment on the stem of the tulip being too long, so that's something that I completely missed. That pipe in particular was one where I felt I was probably overshooting my abilities in even attempting it. I did ...

there is a small gap between the stem wood ring and the ebonite on the Tortuga pipe Yeah. That was a real heart-breaker that didn't show up until I was pretty far into the carving. At first, I considered making a new stem, but in the end decided to keep it for myself and use it as a prototype/refer...

Hi All, Been a while since I posted on here. I decided to take some time and work on my weak points -- mainly the bit, and the bowl/shank junction. I think that the extra work paid off in these areas; however, now I'm noticing more weak spots that need work. For instance, I just cant seem to get a p...

Sasquatch wrote:I think my shape is leaning more to freehand and less to rhodesion.

Actually, the more I look at the original, the more I like it. To me it's more like a cross between a horn and a rhode, which is a pretty cool combo.

Sasquatch. This is a very nice pipe! Honestly, I think most of the criticism you get on something that's already this good is going to be largely a matter of personal preference. So, from my subjective point of view, I do agree with Todd that I would prefer the pipe if there was a lot less wood at t...

All three are great, but I L-O-V-E the first one. I really like the stem treatment on it and the contrast of the stain. And since I don't think anyone has specifically mentioned it, the grain orientation is perfect for the shape on all three of them. Nice work. You are definitely on the right track.

looking at the grain it's not bad but not that marvellous.... so... I could imagine this one with a nice rough blast or a bark-like rustic finish and chocolate brown colour...: That's what I was thinking as well. To tell the truth, finishing this pipe got me down a little bit. I was really jazzed a...

Thanks for the feedback, fellas! My skin's not that thin, though. You can be a little harder on me than that. One thing I'm curious about: the off-center chamber of the second pipe was an experiment, and was the main thing I was interested in when I made the pipe. During the pass, several people sai...

Pipes number 10, 11, 12, and 13 posted for critique. I'm still not where I want to be, but I am seeing progress. And you can't make progress without honest feedback, so please give me your honest opinion. #10 - Bent Rhodesian. Of the ones posted, this one feels the most like a failure to me. A lot o...

The cost of the lathe is minor compared to the cost of all the other accessories you will need/want in short order. Yeah. That's kinda what I figured. A good two jaw chuck, which seems like an absolute necessity, is a pretty hefty investment all by itself. The accompanying accessory acquisition may...

Thanks for the recommendation, Rad! Just looked up the Jet BD920. Now, that is a beautiful machine!!! But it looks like if I go the route of metal lathe, I need to start saving my pennies now. I'd rather buy a good one the first time. Learned my lesson about that. Always better to just save up and g...

Hi Kurt, Well, part of the reason I'm asking is I'm trying to avoid two machines if possible. At least for the time being. I have a very limited amount of space to work with right now. Basically a small part of a one and a half car garage, which comes out to maybe an eight by twelve workspace. I kno...

That particular lathe will make you want to stab things. Thanks for the heads up Kurt! This is just the kind of invaluable information I seek when I post a question. I had kind of assumed it would be pretty OK based on their general reputation, and the fact that the bandsaw I got from them is great...