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Definitely not a problem of NYH vs SEM. Tool sharpness, burr or lack of burr on the tool edge, and tool height (I have mine slightly below center) and relief angle on the tool, plus the distance of the material from the headstock causing runout, not to mention depth of cut. All of these are variable...

I’m not sure which surface you’re describing is it the surface of the tenon, or something else? And what about the finish is different from one stem to the next?


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Welcome to the form, Shane! My wife's family is in Madison, so we visit there at least a couple times a year. Kits are a great way to get started on making pipes. What church are you helping to start in Madison? Church planting in Wisconsin is tough from everything I've heard. Comparatively, all the...

I use my bare hands... but if it were bothering me, I’d just drill a hole in a scrap of wood and make a handle out of that.


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The real trouble isn't social media. It's that the average person isn't naturally inclined to learn, and learning is hard. When I started, I spent months reading every single post on the forum. I couldn't do that on Facebook, sure. But Facebook does make it easier to handle the other side of learnin...

I find with the longer straight shank, the bend at the stem doesn’t have an aesthetic function. It just doesn’t repeat anything else on the pipe. Perhaps if you did something to the bowl that would balance the bend in the stem, it may make more sense. Maybe there’s a practical function, like keeping...

Nice video! Now imagine if you quit your job as a repairman how much easier your life would be! [emoji16]


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The Sherlock Holmes shape by Peterson is a good example of what I'd consider concave lines. Concave because the middle of the bowl tends to pinch together like a corset on a bustless torso. Compare that to the curves of a Danish apple, where the convex curves are showing themselves everywhere except...

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Sas! I’m not 100% sure on whether boobs are an adequate explanation for why convex lines are more pleasing. After all, many women feel threatened emotionally by another woman’s sexuality when they’re married. So whatever is objectively beautiful has to go beyond just...

First, good job on making a billiard for critique. That’s really the best place to learn. Second, work on keeping the shank round from the shank face all the way to the bowl/shank transition. Yours gets wider on the sides towards the shank. If you put a slight taper on the shank, still keep it round...

Glad you’re back!


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Good thoughts, Jesse. The idea was that some pipes consist of more concavity than convexity in the bulk of their lines. And you’re right to bring up straight lines. The straight billiard is possible to make with (almost) only straight and convex lines. Bent pipes rely on both, but are balanced. Like...

I was talking to a friend about what makes some pipes “speak” to the customer as opposed to others. I’ve made a few twisted horns, where every surface is concave. But I was then thinking what is common as to why people buy some shapes over others, and especially why the Danish shapes are generally c...

That’s immaculate work. I definitely would turn that work in your direction. Your patience must rival that of the person who writes the alphabet on a grain of rice.


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I’m just finally gaining some speed in making pipes. It takes a while till you actually know precisely what you’re doing. Then it takes time for your eyes and hands to catch up. This is some next-level efficiency, though. The chamber drill in the tool post instead of the tailstock looks like a good ...

Just look at Vermont Freehand. He’s a good guy with fair prices on briar and he often has practice blocks for a few bucks apiece. He’s also more devoted to the pipe making community than the random people on eBay.


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Boy, I wish I’d known you can just take an oath to do no harm and then never screw up another pipe. I screw up all the time. On the other hand, I’ve learned a lot more from my mistakes than my successes, so maybe that counts for something. But to address the briar analogs, you’re probably better off...

I suppose it’s similar to how music works. Initially, music was a way to transmit important knowledge in a society without writing, and to preserve with it a bit of culture. The function gave it form. Over time, and with the advent of new instruments, new sounds could be produced and as musical nota...

I like that idea a lot. I use a slack sander for a lot of what you use that for, but it gets my ideas flowing on solving some other specific problems. I never would have thought of this on my own. Thanks for sharing!


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Bowl coating is my first thought, unless it’s been smoked and not cleaned. Salt and alcohol may get flavors and smells out, but if it’s the bowl coating itself, sand it off and clean the inside with alcohol.


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