first bulldog

[eric]

Here is my first attempt at a bulldog style pipe. I tried cutting rings around the bowl, but perhaps the chisel is too dull or my technique is lacking (or both) because it just tore up the wood. So the final result is skinnier bowl with no rings. I'm not happy with the lack of straight line from the side of the stem through the shank. I'm guessing the problem was a mismarked line at the start, but any tips are appreciated. Also, any other comments and suggestions are welcome.

[Sasquatch]

What tool were you trying to put the rings on with? (I assume you are using a lathe?) I usually just use a skew chisel upside down.

Shape wise, your bowl is pretty good. Most bulldog bowls incorporate the 90 degree "V" of the shank - if you look at Askwith's bulldogs you see a really prominent V chin, or these Ferndowns, for example:

http://www.pipes2smoke.com/Ashton/AST_24.htm


That's not to say you have to make 'em that way, but it takes care of the bottom line of the pipe, and yours is a little choppy, transitioning between the bowl and the shank shapes.

[eric]

What tool were you trying to put the rings on with? (I assume you are using a lathe?) I usually just use a skew chisel upside down.

I used a 1/16" cutoff blade from a metal lathe on the wood lathe. By an upside down skew chisel, do you mean that the blade is vertical with the pointy end is towards the ground, and you're cutting with the point of the blade? I'm pretty new to the wood lathe so pardon the beginner questions.

I'm not sure how I missed the shank shape continuing through the bottom of the bowl. I look but I don't see.

What is the traditional placement of the rings on the classic bulldog? It looks to me like the top one is on the upper part of the bowl, but I can't tell if the lower one is right on the transition between upper and lower, or is somewhere else.

Thanks for the help. And by the way Sas, this was really helpful too.

[Sasquatch]

Yes - skew chisel, pointed end on the bottom.

Here's a "big" version

http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAn ... x?id=28180


As to the bowl vs the shank, if you look at your pipe end-on, the bottom of the bowl is wider than the shank, rounded rather than V-shaped. Usually on a bulldog, this is not the case, the V from the shank is carried through the bottom of the bowl (sometimes necessitating raising the chamber just a hair, or using a fairly pointy chamber bit so that the walls of the bottom of the bowl aren't too thin).

I reckon you can put the rings whereever you like, basically they delineate between the bottom and the top of the bowl, but the exact placement I think is not really all that important. Or make a section bewtween the bottom and top angles where it's just flat, and put both rings there.....