Bamboo Stem Fitting

For discussion of fitting and shaping stems, doing inlays, and any other stem-related topic.
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benfarhner
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 2:52 pm

Bamboo Stem Fitting

Post by benfarhner »

Hi all,

Preface: I'm a novice pipe-maker. I've made 5 pipes thus far, just for personal use and experimenting. Nothing really too traditional, and I don't have a great set of tools, so I'm just working with what I've got. I did buy a 12" long 1/8" drill bit, and I bought a spade bit that I ground down to make a half-decent bowl bore.

Anyway, I've got some bamboo growing in the yard. Not sure what kind it is, but it's skinny and quite tall, so I decided to cut down a stock and try to make a pipe from it. I let it dry for a few weeks, cut off a good length a bit under 2 feet, drilled through the nodes with my long 1/8" bit, and cooked it in the oven, periodically coating it with beeswax. I drilled it first to prevent it from exploding. It actually turned out really well, I think. I'm not too happy with how the stummel turned out, though. I used cherry, but I didn't have a good vision for it, so it's rather plain. I also haven't finished it, only rough sanded.

My main question is regarding fitting the bamboo to the stummel. What techniques are used here? I was originally going to have a tenon on the shank that inserted into the bamboo (kind of reverse of the norm), but that didn't work very well (not a tight enough fit), so I ended up drilling a hole slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the bamboo and wedging the whole thing in. It's a tight fit and holds well, although I suspect the seal isn't perfect.

It gives a good smoke; the long stem does a good job of cooling it down. I'd like to try making a new stummel for it, hopefully using a better technique for fitting the stem. Suggestions and critique welcome! :)

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Alden
Posts: 1675
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2011 11:39 pm
Location: Dallas Texas

Re: Bamboo Stem Fitting

Post by Alden »

Thats actually not bamboo, its River Cane (thats what I know it as) which is a native reed. Its been used for hundreds of years on different styles of pipes. If you want to google "Point Pleasant Trade Clay" or "Reed Stem Corncob Pipe" you'll find quite a few examples. All of them that I know of were fitted just as you described, just a push in friction fit. Some of the old timers used pine pitch to glue the reed onto the shank of the Clays, and some of the old Missouri Meerschaum reeds had a drop of wood glue holding them into the cob.
benfarhner
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 2:52 pm

Re: Bamboo Stem Fitting

Post by benfarhner »

Aha, thanks Edward! I'm trying stay away from glues... I'm not looking for any surprise side effects during a smoke ;) I like the pine pitch idea though. The only problem is the length of the stem means needing to remove it to do any cleaning.

Anyway, thanks for the tip :) I'll try making another (nicer looking) stummel with a tighter fitting for the stem.
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