Freehand!

[grga]

Hello guys,

Could you please tell me your opinion about Freehand term, is it shape of the pipe or the way how it's actually produced or both of mentioned?

My opinion is that Freehand actually means pipe shape.

Freehand pipe should be hand made but freehand doesn't mean that certain pipe actually IS hand made pipe.

What I want to tell is that we can't have freehand billiard, freehand dublin, freehand apple, but we can have hand made any pipe shape, IMHO, of course.

[KurtHuhn]

My opinion is that the term "freehand" refers to the process of creating the pipe. A process that involves the use of various tools, but is done with an eye to maximizing grain and allows the maker to be flexible in terms of final shape so that he/she can work around flaws or imperfections in the grain.

[Charl]

Hmm, interesting question.
Personally, freehand for me refers to the "classic" Danish freeform. For me the making of pipes the way we do, is pipecrafting, i.e art.
But I'm sure the Masters will have their own ideas.

[TimGeorge]

Freehand to me tends to mean a plateau top but I guess that's a little simplistic ...

[grga]

Maybe, dunno.
If you ask me
hand made = done by hand
freehand = indefinite pipe shape

[Sasquatch]

So is this a handmade freehand or a handmade plateaux top billiard?






There's a sort of Uncertainty Principle at work with a lot of these definitions. The tighter you squeeze, the slipperier they get. Every time you pin down a term, another pipe shows up that blows your definition up.

I've more or less given up, and just try to speak in ways that make sense, and if someone wants to label something, ordinarily I let them.

[baweaverpipes]

So is this a handmade freehand or a handmade plateaux top billiard?

I don't believe that is "a handmade plateaux top billiard", but appears to be a squash tomato freehand with some rotting on the bottom.
Todd Johnson believes that a freehand is a pipe that enables you to smoke while picking your nose, while Rad feels that it's one you can smoke and scratch your balls at the same time.
I believe they are both right

[Sasquatch]

As usual Bruce, I'm 2% stupider after reading one of your posts. Maybe some Vitamin B will repair me...

I hadn't thought of that pipe as a Tall Tomato, but now that you mention it, I can't believe I didn't see it that way. This is why I come here.

[Sasquatch]

Upon further reflection, and another sip of coffee, I now wonder if Bruce hasn't in fact christened this particular shape as a Tomato Squasher, sort of a combination of pipe and kitchen tool.

I suspect this one would do veal very nicely as well....

[eder]

Maybe, dunno.
If you ask me
hand made = done by hand
freehand = indefinite pipe shape

The same for me...
Take those known shapes... if your shape
doesn't remind any of them, you have a damn Freehand!

eder.

• • •
Eder Mathias
http://mrhydepipes.com

[Tyler]

Maybe, dunno.
If you ask me
hand made = done by hand
freehand = indefinite pipe shape

Freehand is not equal to hand made. I think you are trying to remove a distinction that doesn't exist.

Freehand is used in two ways in the pipe world:

1. The typical Danish dublin-like shape that typically has plateaux on top and maybe on the shank face, or,

2. A pipe that is shaped without the use of a lathe.

The second is the usage you seem to think needs to go away, but to say that hand made replaces that is to misunderstand. Hand made pipes can also be made on a lathe.

To illustrate, a billiard made on a lathe is a billiard. A billiard shaped completely by sanding disc or some other method that is not a lathe is a freehand billiard.

I don't think an unidentified shape is considered a freehand.

We could now argue that use of a lathe needs exclusion from use of the hand made term, but I disagree.

I take hand made to mean any pipe made without use of tools that automate shaping. (e.g. fraising machines or CNC machines)

[Charl]

Great answer, Tyler!