Alex Florov:
Jody Davis:
Ruthenburg:
sf/ds vs df/ss
I know for a fact Alex Florov drills prior to shaping, and I believe Jody Davis and Brian Ruthenburg do as well. So, I defy anyone on this board to claim any sort of elitism over them. Those who drill first and then shape are in very good company
Alex Florov:
Jody Davis:
Ruthenburg:
Alex Florov:
Jody Davis:
Ruthenburg:
Last edited by ArtGuy on Mon Jul 09, 2007 3:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
John
www.crosbypipes.com
www.crosbypipes.com
I will also echo Skips comments. I find that shaping then drilling has considerably cut my total time spent making a pipe.
John
www.crosbypipes.com
www.crosbypipes.com
sf/ds vs df/ss
I dont see any thing elitest about shaping first. I am doing it now because it is a new way of doing things and I was lucky enough to buy some of Brad`s bits.
Who among us has not cut a pipe and chosen too large a bit. To me briar looks much bigger before I start shaping. If I know exactly how big it is I can, with some degree of confidence, choose the correct size for the smoking chamber.
When I cut a pipe that tapers inward at the bottom like a dublin I find it hard to judge what the lower wall thickness will be. When I shape first my tendancy is to go thick, not thin with the walls.
If I plan to make a billiard I will drill first and turn it on the lathe.
Like most of you I do not make pipes for a living. I make a lot of mistakes since I only go to my shop when I can. If shaping first keeps me from screwing up a block of briar which in turn wastes my time, I think it is just good common sense.
I might be incompetent but does that make me a elitest?
Skip Elliott
Who among us has not cut a pipe and chosen too large a bit. To me briar looks much bigger before I start shaping. If I know exactly how big it is I can, with some degree of confidence, choose the correct size for the smoking chamber.
When I cut a pipe that tapers inward at the bottom like a dublin I find it hard to judge what the lower wall thickness will be. When I shape first my tendancy is to go thick, not thin with the walls.
If I plan to make a billiard I will drill first and turn it on the lathe.
Like most of you I do not make pipes for a living. I make a lot of mistakes since I only go to my shop when I can. If shaping first keeps me from screwing up a block of briar which in turn wastes my time, I think it is just good common sense.
I might be incompetent but does that make me a elitest?
Skip Elliott
Pipemakers who drill second are not only inherently superior craftsmen, but superior people. 
Truthfully, I don't know of many pipemakers who use one method exclusively. I drill second on all of my freehand work, but classics are obviously drilled first. This is true of my work, Brad Pohlmann's, Jody's, etc. Todd is the only person I knew in the US who drilled second exclusively.
Both are means to ends. I shape first for freehands because it offers a simplicity and freedom that I do not feel I have when I drill first. I can follow the grain easier and make changes when necessary using this method. It's essentially a method that helps professionals have a higher yield of smooth pipes at a faster rate of production. On a good day I can have a pipe roughed to 220, drilled, and faced in 30-40 minutes. The sad part is that it doesn't speed up the other 12 or so hours necessary to finish a pipe.
Best,
Jeff
Truthfully, I don't know of many pipemakers who use one method exclusively. I drill second on all of my freehand work, but classics are obviously drilled first. This is true of my work, Brad Pohlmann's, Jody's, etc. Todd is the only person I knew in the US who drilled second exclusively.
Both are means to ends. I shape first for freehands because it offers a simplicity and freedom that I do not feel I have when I drill first. I can follow the grain easier and make changes when necessary using this method. It's essentially a method that helps professionals have a higher yield of smooth pipes at a faster rate of production. On a good day I can have a pipe roughed to 220, drilled, and faced in 30-40 minutes. The sad part is that it doesn't speed up the other 12 or so hours necessary to finish a pipe.
Best,
Jeff