pipemakersforum.com

Talked to the Chief Financial Officer (wife) she asked if I couldn't make a pipe out of my stash of handle materials before i start buying briar blocks (she knows my propensity to dive headlong into projects)... I only have 2 materials that aren't stabilized, rock maple and black or claro walnut. Seems both of these can be used. Any advice before I start drilling and shaping? Thanks in advance.

I'm not entirely sure but I recall black walnut being toxic. Sounds like a no go to smoke...

Well I also have seen/read about using maple. But pretty sure it said walnut was okay... maple I have is scraps I can't make a knife handle out of. Thanks!

Buy some briar, it isn't expensive, it isn't dangerous, you will get a true feel for making a pipe and you will keep the nice walnut for something better suited to its beauty and properties.

Second what Chris just commented..... Get a pre drilled kit... Or hit up Steve Norse for a block and a preformed stem

James

Well I guess I'll file this under when people ask me about using files or other recycled steels for knives... Buy the real stuff

Steve Norse is the man. Just get a block of briar for him. He often has bargain lots of briar that's great for practice.

Yeahhhh I have his website bookmarked. I still may shape up a stummel just for practice, these blocks are drops from knife handles. I do appreciate the advice and I fully understand what y'all are saying. I tell new knife makers the same stuff, kinda neat being a noob again.

Buy some blocks. Preferably pre drilled kits.

By all means use any old block of wood for drilling practice etc. If you are doing something that is new to you then it often helps to do a test run and see if your procedures are going to work. For the most part any wood will work for drilling, making sure your holes line up etc. That would be about as far as I bother going though, any shaping or finishing is pretty much going to be a waste of time since briar will behave quite differently.

Order some briar and while you are waiting for it to arrive cut yourself half a dozen or so briar sized blocks of walnut or maple and sketch a rough shape with drilling lines then practise getting those holes perfectly aligned, that is pipemaking stage 1. By the time your briar arrives you will be much more confident cutting into real wood, you know until you screw that up later doing something else

Good idea with the sketching, Chris.

All wood smoke is toxic--and the current science on the subject suggests that wood smoke (of any kind) is more toxic than tobacco smoke. There's been no research (that I'm aware of) on the various toxicity levels of smokes from different kinds of wood. But that's all besides the point because, after the first few smokes in a new pipe, you shouldn't be burning wood any more anyway. If you are, you're smoking way too hard, and you'll burn the pipe up.

I do know that walnut will impart a very particular taste to the tobacco smoke. A few people like it; most don't.

By all means use your walnut and maple scraps to practice drilling and even shaping if you want to. You won't hurt anything, but you also may not learn what you want to. For one, straight grained hardwood is quite a bit different from the kind of grain you get on briar. You won't get the feel of shaping briar until you actually get your hands on some briar. If you really want to practice, I think Steve Norse (Vermont Freehand) will sell you some cheap "second" briar blocks, ones with flaws and such.