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Or am I committed to a military?
this'll be my second pipe and I'd like to do a cherrywood/dublin sitter

Well that's not truly a military mount stem. It's a freehand stem, but technicality aside, you're probably best off using the kit as is for this one. If you want a flush mounted stem, buy a kit with a flush fitting stem.

The long answer is that you can make it a flush fitting stem, but you're going to need a new stem that you'll need to fit to the block. Then you'll need pin gages and a metal lathe (it can be done on a wood lathe, but it's not as easy and it's a bit more dangerous) to face the shank. I'd strongly advise against getting that complicated at this point.

thanks dude
you're quickly becoming my mentor by virtue of your rate of reply

thoughts ahead of time?

It is not meant to be flush. Better to get a kit that has a flush fit already ready to go.

calsbeek wrote:thoughts ahead of time?

What you've drawn is not a great design. Make the shank straight.

Your sketch is a no go. The shank is too thin on the bottom, which may or may not be a big problem. It will just lead to a shank that is prone to break, or just a bit too much sanding and you've cut through to the airway.
Your bowl however is not acceptable. Back of the bowl looks like it goes into the tobacco chamber, but even if it doesn't, your aim is an even amount of meat around the tobacco chamber. An area that is thinner than the rest of the bowl wall is going to channel heat through that spot. Your sketch leaves the entire back side of the bowl prone to burnout.
There are exceptions to this rule, if there is a lot of wood in the walls, or if two sides are equally thin compared to the other two walls etc.
But you wouldn't want to start with a design like this. Make it even on the bowl and shank and you are good to go.

Great Advice Ryan
thank you. I made your suggested changes and still managed to go right through the shank into the air hole while cutting the basic shape on the band saw....

feeling stupid and disappointed.
back to the drawing board.

Find a box to keep all your screw ups in, and throw it in there. It won't be lonely for long.
You can probably come back to this pipe some day and fix it, if you hang in there long enough. You could put bamboo on it, redrill another mortise, may be several ways to save it that are probably out of your reach at this point.

More great advice, unfortunately this time a little too late.
I didn't see that possibility so instead, since I was pissed off anyway, I butchered the block to make a few tampers. I figured at least that way I could practice different finishes.


Next time I'll keep the spoiled block.
cheers

You can always use scraps for grilling. I think they add some good briary flavor to my meat. Often, I toss aside my mistakes as soon as I make them. Every so often I feel the urge to go through my rejects and make something from one of them.