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ToddJohnson wrote:THE BABY WILL NOT BE A YANKEE! He'll be part of what I like to call the Southern diaspora. We will try to have him in the Commonwealth of Virginia before his second birthday. This should remove any scarring that may occur from his having been born in Connecticut.

HA! My mom said that 31 years ago when she moved with my dad to PA! 31 snowy winters later she claims to be a southerner. With a car registered in CT, a house (first house no less) owned there, and a baby ready to be born there you're poising yourself to begin the lifelong process of conversion. It's inescapable. Sorry, brother, but you've taken the first steps and can coast the rest of the way into Yankeedom. Soon you'll even be willing to drive on the Yankee highways and explore the limited but offensive Yankee driving language! Congrats Todd, you've graduated.

Jeff

Yup pretty soon Rachel will be making pies with Crisco and Lard will be a thing of the past. Waht next, quick-grits

Neil

Ok, here is some more information that I have dug up. I had seen this series of photos before but was unable to find them until today. If you are interested in seeing some still pics of a tobacco chamber being drilled by hand, go to www.theitalianpipe.com across the top choose PIPE MAKING and then from the drop down choose MORETTI. There is an entire series of him going through the stages of building a pipe. When he gets to the tobacco chamber there are about 3 or 4 pics of him drilling by holding the stummel in his hand. I can't tell exactly what kind of bit he uses but I would imagine it would have to be a spoon bit. He is not a Dane, but he is shaping and then drilling by hand. Pretty cool pics.

Todd is this similar to the method that you use to drill your tobacco chambers? I would still like to see the video, when you get your digital video recorder.

Todd,

I'll be glad to post the video. I still have plenty of space and bandwidth.

Tyler

In this photo:
http://www.theitalianpipe.com/make/mrpic/mrlab48.jpg
you can see the bit lying on the bench. It's not a spade, it's not a spoon, it's something different.

This is a picture of Teddy Knuden's lathe. He is about to cut a tobacco chamber. the pipe is pretty much formed with the grain oriented perfectly . The shank/airhole has not yet been drilled. Notice the spoon bit being used.

Neil

Also, please note the chuck being used. the briar is not removed from the chuck positioning when the tobacco chamber is drilled. The clamp holding the briar is loosened and then the briar is spun while still clamped in position so that the airhole is drilled in perfect alignment to the tobacco chamber. They meet at a perfect intersection.

Neil

sagiter wrote:

This is a picture of Teddy Knuden's lathe. He is about to cut a tobacco chamber. the pipe is pretty much formed with the grain oriented perfectly . The shank/airhole has not yet been drilled. Notice the spoon bit being used.

Neil

That looks to me like a square toolbit with the bowl contour ground on one side. Paolo Becker uses similar bits, and there are photos of them on his site under "workshop." By moving the bit laterally, he controls the bowl diameter.
I could be wrong, though -- it's a difficult angle, but I think if he were using a round-shank spoon bit, it would be held in a chuck rather than a toopost.

Jack you are absolutely right, i checked other pictures in the pipe making series and the bit is as you described. Sorry for my mistake.

For any interested the series of pics I have access to is the creation from brair to finished pipe of a teddy eagle. The pictures are taken over a span of 2 full days and a third day until 3PM. I am told by the person who took the pictures that the pipe took appx. 15 - 20 teddy hours, a teddy hour is a hour consisting of teddy working and fooling around as Teddy does )

Neil

Neil,

I'd love to see those pics.

Tyler

Tyler and others who have emailed privately,

The pictures are part of an extensive collection of pictures posted on a private site. The "author" of the site has asked those given access that it not be made public at this time. When I'm told that it's OK I will certainly post the information. The problem is a question of bandwith. much as I would like to share the URL of this remarkable site, and it is remarkable, I have to obviously respect the owners wishes. The reason I posted the one picture I did was that I felt that in light of several conversations I have read over the past few weeks and the nature of this board that the picture would be helpful.

Neil