New member stem questions

For discussion of fitting and shaping stems, doing inlays, and any other stem-related topic.
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Cms83
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New member stem questions

Post by Cms83 »

Hello all iam new to pipe making. I do woodworking with old hand tools. So i be making a cherry wood pipe. Should I buy a stem or make a full wooden pipe? What's the pros and cons? Of full wood and two piece with stem. Secondly can you smoke it without finshing it? Any tips would be great. Almost started to make the pipe from rosewood before I did I checked found out not a great idea. A little about my self 30 yrs old two boys live in south jersey. Who loves antique tools and using them. Also loves smoking tobacco thanx. Chris
Cms83
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Cms83 »

I did do search and couldn't realy find a answer to my questions. I hope my questions aren't dumb. I have never made a pipe iam goin to start mine today. Iam just debating on goin with a all wood pipe or store bought stem or maybe making a wooden stem?
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Sasquatch
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Sasquatch »

There's no "Right" answer here. What tools do you have? Can you even fit a store-bought stem to something? Can you cut a tenon? Rubber stems are certainly more durable than wood, but it's not like you are making a museum-worthy pipe just yet I'm guessing, so really, you should make it as you can, and find out what you can do easily and what you have trouble with.
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
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Sasquatch
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Sasquatch »

And you can smoke it whenever - the finish on a pipe is not the part that makes it smoke-able! :D
ALL YOUR PIPE ARE BELONG TO US!
Cms83
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Cms83 »

I can tenon in a stem. I have wood lathe metal lathes hands saw planes spoke shaves and draw knives that kind of stuff chisels. I prefer using antique tools I think iam might try making a wooden stem. I've cut joinery before. And no museum quality pipe it's a pipe just for me to smoke. I believe I prob have along time before I can ever come close to museum quality. I just hope the damn thing smokes well! Well thank you. I'll post some pics when it's done
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sandahlpipe
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by sandahlpipe »

I've made stems from briar. They color quickly and absorb moisture from the mouth. You can do it, but the mortise and tenon on a briar stem at least is really sensitive. I would recommend a tenon of a different material when you're doing a stem and stummel of the same material.

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Cms83
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Cms83 »

Well I got cherry goin to be the pipe, so I shouldn't use cherry for the stem? I got walnut oak o I think I might have a olive pen blank or are pen blanks to small
Cms83
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Cms83 »

I like your two tone blowfish & craggy lovart can't Rember how to spell that but none the less very nice. I hope to one day come close to making pipes like those. Once I get a good feel for pipes I'd like to do some carving on the pipes
Cms83
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Cms83 »

Sorry but one more question, does one glue the tenon? Among the other stem question. Again I did do search couldn't find a answer. Maybe didn't look hard enough but still no luck thanx a munch for your guys help so far!
wdteipen
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by wdteipen »

If you're making a wooden stem, I'd recommend using Delrin/acetal for the tenon. A wooden tenon will expand and contract too much with heat and moisture causing all kinds of fit problems. There's a sticky on the use of Delrin tenons in the Stemwork section if I'm not mistaken.
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Cms83
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Cms83 »

Ok thanks I'll check it out
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Literaryworkshop
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Literaryworkshop »

Delrin tenons are a good idea, and not all that hard to deal with. The problem with a wood tenon, IMO, isn't so much wood movement (which would be pretty minimal at that size) but with durability. You want to be able to take the pipe apart and clean it, and the delrin is going to allow you to do that. A wooden tenon is liable to break at some point, unless you made it out of something really tough and stable like, oh, I don't know, padauk or purpleheart? I'm just guessing here--I haven't used any wooden tenons. There's no reason you couldn't make a wood stem. Cherry would be just fine, I think. You want something tough enough that you won't eventually bite through it, at least, so I don't recommend using anything softer than cherry. Some woods, like walnut, will impart a distinct flavor to the smoke. Cherry is more neutral taste-wise, or so I'm told.

As to your hand tools, you'll probably find that rasps and files are your best friends. Chisels can be used for shaping, certainly, and you might even find yourself pulling out the spokeshave every now and again. (I assume you know how to sharpen, right?) The drawknives would be total overkill, though. Saws, on the other hand, are really helpful. Two quick cuts with a backsaw, and you can take out a large chunk of waste with extreme accuracy.

If you do take to using these tools to shape your pipe, you're going to have to get creative with work holding. I highly recommend holding the stock in a handscrew held upright in a vise. And if you glue some leather onto the handscrew's jaws, it should grip the stock just fine.
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Cms83
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Cms83 »

So far I have been using my spoke shave the most my rifflers for detail. My drawknife was useless but my scorp was usefull where the sole of my spokeshave would jam me up. The scorp isn't a heavy bent one. The stem I'll use my lathe then hand tools. My lathes are really the only power tool I use. I enjoy hand tools, hand cutting dovetails, mortise tenons etc. I find it is very zen like. The tools I use are antiques. In fact just got a moulding plane from 1801 1821. I like using tools with history. Yes I do know how sharpen.
Cms83
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Cms83 »

I have some hand scrapers I might shape to to do pipes. Not a big sand paper fan.
Cms83
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Cms83 »

Scratch this reply
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Literaryworkshop
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by Literaryworkshop »

Oh yes, card scrapers are excellent. You might try a small one, the size of a credit card or a little larger is about right for a pipe. You'll still need to sand, though. I find that my card scrapers don't leave a perfectly smooth surface on the briar, like they do on regular hardwoods. They tend to tear out tiny chunks of the wood, which I suppose is to be expected as briar is pretty brittle. On pipes made from regular hardwoods, though, scrapers would really cut down on your sanding.
- Steve S.
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Re: New member stem questions

Post by socrates »

I used to buy very old hand saws and cut the blades into various sized pieces to suit my needs. After shaping and rolling the edges they made some awesome cabinet scrapers. Would use them on all my wood working projects. Some of my friends would also use glass. Strike a line, snap it and use the fresh edge.

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