Lovat stem

[oklahoma red]

As I understand the shape, a Lovat should always have a saddle stem. Also the shape of the shank/stem when viewed from above or below is supposed to be straight, from the bowl and coming right down the shank without any appreciable flare as the stem morphs into the button (perhaps a slight reverse taper in the shank, fairly close to the bowl is acceptable?) The question being, when viewed from either side is it permissible to have some taper between the button and the points where the top and bottom surfaces of the stem meet the upper and lower radii of the saddle? Or should there be no taper, that is to say a uniform thickness between the button and radii?
The next question spills over to the stummel but I'll go ahead and ask it here. Again, we are talking about a Lovat. Let's say the overall height of the bowl is 2 inches with an o.d. of 1.4 inches. Would a shank diameter of .5 inches be good or should it be skinnier or fatter? And, measuring from the back side of the bowl o.d., what would be the proper length of the shank to the juncture of the stem?
Obviously there is no set table of dimensions as to a large degree I would think that whatever pleases the eye takes precedence over everything. Then again, what is pleasing to one person may not be for another. I'm just trying to find the "norms of the form", if you will, for this shape.
One last question, what is the point of reference for measuring the length of the shank (for any shape)? From the back of the bowl o.d. as I mentioned above or from the center line of the tobacco chamber or???
Chas.

Believe in the "P" principle: Proper Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance.

[e Markle]

Obviously there is no set table of dimensions as to a large degree I would think that whatever pleases the eye takes precedence over everything.

Yeah, generally it's just whatever fits. In your bowl example it's tough to say partly because we don't know how long the shank is. If you made a ridiculously long shank you could go really thin and it wouldn't look out of proportion. Since you mentioned a fairly good sized bowl, I'd say you'd want a bare minimum of .6", but again, no idea how long that shank is. I bet Sas would be able to write out a differential equation describing this relationship though

[oklahoma red]

Again measuring from the back of the bowl o.d., let's say the shank is 2.5 inches to the juncture. Should the .500 diameter shank be bumped up?
Any thoughts from you on the first half of the post inre taper or no taper on the stem from the side view?
I'm playing in my CAD system with a Lovat design. Right now I'm at an overall length (front of bowl to the ass-end of the button) of 6". That puts the stem length (juncture to button) at 2.125 using the shank length above. Your thoughts?
Chas.

[KurtHuhn]

I am inclined to channel Todd here and say that you are definitely overthinking this.

Think of pipemaking like a recipe for chili. Just consider the vast number of changes that you could make to any given chili recipe, and still have an excellent bowl of spicy goodness. There are lovats out there that are recognizable as a lovat, but bear very little in common with another lovat from another maker. For pipemaking we have guidelines, not structured formulae for aesthetic value.

What I would do is go to smokingpipes.com and do a search for lovats, and check out the composition of several examples. Unfortunately I couldn't tell you, based on your descried bowl height/diameter what would look best. Having not measured anything in ages (I admit I did use a ruler as a crutch for a few years) I'm afraid I don't have an algorithm that I can give you.

What might be helpful is to draw the pipe you want to make, then offer pictures of that drawing up for critique. Then we could say "the shank is too long", or "the stem is too short", or "reduce the shank diameter", or "let me know when it's done so I can buy it".

[oklahoma red]

You are probably right about over-thinking. I'm just don't want to make a gigantic screw up and waste a good hunk of briar.
I'll do some more searching. Perhaps it would be good to bend a few "norms" if the end result speaks for itself.
Chas.

[e Markle]

I am inclined to channel Todd here and say that you are definitely overthinking this.

Yeah, what he said.

I'm playing in my CAD system with a Lovat design. Right now I'm at an overall length (front of bowl to the ass-end of the button) of 6". That puts the stem length (juncture to button) at 2.125 using the shank length above. Your thoughts?
Chas.

Can you post a pic of the design? You'd get a bunch of opinions by doing that.

[caskwith]

I find a rule pretty useless for deciding the lenght of stems, i just rough shape the stummel and hold it up the rod stock and cut it off at what looks right. Once cut off I hold it up the shank and squint a bit and i can usually tell if its going to look alright. If the pipe is a stock shape with a template then after this first time i will often note down the length of stem i used to make it easier next time.

[wdteipen]

I pretty much do the same as Chris but he has a better eye for the right stem proportion. I'm getting better though. Another thing that I do to help visualize stem length is to drill the block with the pipe drawn on the side then stick a pipe cleaner into the airway and put the bend I want in it and get a rough measurement of stem stock that way.

[oklahoma red]

All good suggestions gentlemen. As soon as I have something I'm happy with I'll post the drawing and let you have at it.
Chas.