Another new dude from Australia

[Rob]

Hello folks!

Real name: Rob
Age: mid 40's
Location: Australia
Years a pipe smoker: 5, 20 years into cigars and tobacco
How you got into pipe making: I love to make things, and fell in love with pipes and pipe culture
Other interesting facts: i travel to the US and Cuba regularly with the mission of immersing myself in my pipe and tobacco interests. Would love to spend time (if the invitation and opportunity ever presents itself) learning from those who have gone before me.


As the title says, I'm from Australia - and I have over 20 years I nterest in tobacco culture, tradition, and the art of pipes!
For the last 10 years my occupation has been in sales, however previously to that I was a machinist and welder for nearly 20 years. I don't expect my previous trade skills to make me a better pipe maker, but I do hope it gives me some experience in avoiding costly and depressing errors that come from learning how to use tools, both machine and by hand.... Well, here's hoping!!

For the longest while, I have studied the pipe making hobby, and it's time to take the plunge - I bought a bunch of briar and stem material from Steve at VF, and am about to take the plunge. I'm going to focus on trying to get a Billiard and Dublin down pat until I feel comfortable enough to start getting a bit more adventurous. Good news is that both billiards and Dublins are my favourite shapes. I do expect a ton of mistakes, but I look forward to an opportunity to run them past you friends for feedback.

I have lurked the site here for quite a long time, and am very pleased that a community like this exists....and I sincerely look forward to being a part of it. I hope I don't let you down! Thanks for allowing me in.



Cheers, and many thanks.
Rob.

[DocAitch]

Welcome from Baltimore.
I expect that your experience as a machinist will stand you in good stead for pipe making. As an almost total noob to lathes and drill presses when I started, I am sure there are still huge gaps in my knowledge of such things.
You will find that you will be making tools, bits and jigs as you get into pipe making
Your decision to stick with billiards and Dublins is a wise one. Making a good Billiard will require you to exercise a lot of skills and techniques which will carry over to any other shape that you will approach.
DocAitch

[Rob]

Welcome from Baltimore.
I expect that your experience as a machinist will stand you in good stead for pipe making. As an almost total noob to lathes and drill presses when I started, I am sure there are still huge gaps in my knowledge of such things.
You will find that you will be making tools, bits and jigs as you get into pipe making
Your decision to stick with billiards and Dublins is a wise one. Making a good Billiard will require you to exercise a lot of skills and techniques which will carry over to any other shape that you will approach.
DocAitch

Thankyou for the message and thoughts, Doc.
Very much appreciated!
I've got a bunch of blocks from VF and keen to get started.... however trying to plan pipe shapes; best use of block and orientation, currently has me wasting time. I think I will just bite the bullet...sketch a shape on a block (with the grain/Birdseye/defects in decent areas)... and start removing wood!

I searched the forums for advice on planning shapes from raw blocks but couldn't really find much so far. I'll keep on looking, for sure.

Thanks again!
Rob.

[sandahlpipe]

There’s no such thing as wasting time when you’re making pipes. Time spent planning out your work will save frustration later when the ideas don’t pan out the way you planned.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Rob]

There’s no such thing as wasting time when you’re making pipes. Time spent planning out your work will save frustration later when the ideas don’t pan out the way you planned.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That makes sence....and I agree 100%.

Measure twice....cut once!

I guess rather than wasting time, I find myself gong in circles.... second guessing which way to best utilize a block - not wanting to be wasteful of the potential within the block. As a machinist I made things knowing what it was I was making..... this is really my first venture into the design and creative elements of manufacture.

[sandahlpipe]

Wasting materials is inevitable, and part of the learning process. More so for those of us who came to pipe making with no experience machining.

When I'm not sure about a new shape or design, I sketch it out on paper until I find something I like, then I usually make a template so I can lay it over the block and see the grain orientation. I get a thick, but flexible plastic from a craft supply store for the template. The nice thing if you make a template, is that you can go back and make the same shape again. It's a couple of extra steps versus going straight to the block, but paper and template plastic are much cheaper than briar.

Starting out, I'm sure I drew over a hundred billiards on paper before I made a good sketch of one. Now, I can just draw the airway and chamber lines on a block and turn it without a sketch. But the time spent sketching is well-spent. And it gives you a very specific goal to shoot for. The biggest struggle for most pipe makers starting out is that they have amorphous goals that they then execute poorly. Having a specific goal to shoot for at least gives you some idea of whether you hit what you were aiming at.

[seamonster]

I also think that grain/shape orientation is on your punch list for later...... That will come after you make ten, twenty, a hundred pipes. It's good that your thinking about it, but don't let it get in your way..... cut some wood! figuring out how the grain on a squared up block will look after it's turned out shaped takes some experience. it's not intuitive.

You have more pressing issues to sort out:
can you for a stem to a shank cleanly and precisely, can you drill the internals correctly, can you same and finish a pipe properly, are you going to use preformed stems (a separate set of issues) or learn how to hand cut stems (a whole bunch of other issues)

all of these things need to get sorted before you worry too much about aligning blocks.

Sent from my bloopty-bloop, using hooty-hoo.

[Rob]

Thankyou Gentlemen, both for taking the time to respond, and also for your thoughts and recommendations. Very much appreciated.

I will absolutely be keeping fundamental advice like this at the forefront, and looking forward to getting my hands dirty and my dustcoat dusty!

[BriarMountain]

Hi Mate,

where abouts in Aust are you? I'm in Melbourne

[Rob]

Canberra here mate.
If you're ever around these parts, do let me know!

[BriarMountain]

Canberra here mate.
If you're ever around these parts, do let me know!

Will do mate. Same goes for you