All Cherrywood pipe (stem too)

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JustinH
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Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 10:05 pm

All Cherrywood pipe (stem too)

Post by JustinH »

I recently started making pipes out of cherrywood as an experiment that turned into a consuming hobby. Cherrywood was readily available to me and felt safer to start working on than briar. I also decided to make the stem cherry as well w/o a mouthpiece. Although I have no real ambition of making and selling these pipes to any large degree I do hope to make them as gifts and I'm curious what others' experience is with cherrywood as a medium vs briar as well as the longevity of the all wood stem/mouthpiece. I imagine someone who really likes to chew their stem could work their way through the wooden mouthpiece in a couple sittings, but I'm not sure. I'm currently smoking out of one and really enjoy it, not too hot in the hand and their seems to be a nice cake building in the bowl which is appearing pretty durable, I don't foresee burning through the bowl anytime soon. However I only smoke about once a week which I know isn't very much by some peoples standards. I posted on this subject (kinda) in another thread but thought this specific topic belonged in alternate materials.

Anyone else have experience with Cherrywood as medium? Thoughts on the all wood stem/mouthpiece?

Thanks
Justin
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sandahlpipe
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Re: All Cherrywood pipe (stem too)

Post by sandahlpipe »

All wood stems are fine, like you said, for those who don't clench their pipes. They aren't going to be as durable and simultaneously comfortable as vulcanite, but they should work fine. Cherry wood as a material is probably as good as any. Most fruit tree wood is suitable for pipes.

You may try at some point and see if making a proper slot and flattened bite area would improve the smoking quality of the pipe. If you make a slot, you can safely get the wood thinner in the bite zone and that will reduce jaw fatigue while holding the pipe in your mouth.

What kind of joinery are you using to attach the stem to the stummel?
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JustinH
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2015 10:05 pm

Re: All Cherrywood pipe (stem too)

Post by JustinH »

My pipes are different in that I make them entirely on the lathe so the bowl and stem are turned in two pieces then joined directly together. I drill a 10mm mortise directly into the bowl and fit the pipe stem, turned down to a 10mm tenon for a friction joint. Here is a crappy picture from my phone.
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