wood preperation

[bloodysafety]

alright, so I got more madrone this year and I want to boil it out like they do for briar (want to see if this will help a taste issue) and i have a couple questions:

1. Do i need any additives in my boil or will just plain water work?

2. do i boil before or after letting the wood dry out?

3. If i do let the wood dry out before boiling will i have to wait another year for the wood to dry out again?

[Sasquatch]

1. Water, change it out a few times during the boil.

2. Before. What's the point of doing it after?

3. Yes, so don't.

[baweaverpipes]

1. Use briar
2. Briar might be a better choice
3. I believe most pipe smokers enjoy briar.

[RadDavis]

1. Use briar
2. Briar might be a better choice
3. I believe most pipe smokers enjoy briar.

Cedar also makes a very nice pipe. Once you get the hamster cage taste out of it.

Rad

[bloodysafety]

yall poke fun all you like. I can take it.
There are many pipe smokers out there who enjoy alternate materials; briar may be the best material for it but it is certainly not the only. That said, i actually do have some briar on order and look foward to working it.

thanks for the answer and the wit

[hawky454]

I have a ROPP pipe thats made from cherry wood. It's an excellent smoker. Also have a pear wood pipe....thus far, It's been a fine smoker. So yes, If ya wanna use alternatives, I say why not? Sounds like it will be a lot of extra work though.

Let us know how boiling the wood turns out.

[Mike Messer]

I was curious about this Madrone wood, so I searched a bit, came up with this link which has a lot of good info about it:
http://owic.oregonstate.edu/species/madrone.php

I have used an unusual species which I harvest and dry (no curing). Photenia, Red Tip, a hardwood shrub. I made a pipe for myself from this wood. It didn't look very good, and it had an unpleasant, putrid, taste effect on the smoke for a very long break-in period...dozens of smokes. I don't recommend it for pipes.
I have also used Red Tip wood for a shank extension on my latest pipe, "Red Cloud," but I drilled 15/32" out of the center of the piece and put a briar wood core through it, so the Red Tip wood does not affect the airway at all. The wood worked esthetically, I think, but not technically, so I modified it.