Why would a piece of briar from one country, such as Algeria, be better for a pipe, less sand and dirt in the wood, than a piece fron Spain?
Or insert any country you wish.
Briar
I'd back up a second. Take out the countries, insert briar mills or vendors. Now re-ask the question.
From what I'm hearing now-a-days even mills are not what they used to be... in that mills may not be getting their briar supplied to them from the country they are located in. Having said that, briar get's that way because of which forest it's grown in more so than which country it's grown in. There are certain properties that others will probably comment on that change from country to country (the hardness of the wood for example or the color). As far as the quality, that depends more on who's selling it to you. Wood that's not grown in such a good area seems to be easy to come by. I'd look at the place you bought it more than I would the country of origin.
My $0.02
From what I'm hearing now-a-days even mills are not what they used to be... in that mills may not be getting their briar supplied to them from the country they are located in. Having said that, briar get's that way because of which forest it's grown in more so than which country it's grown in. There are certain properties that others will probably comment on that change from country to country (the hardness of the wood for example or the color). As far as the quality, that depends more on who's selling it to you. Wood that's not grown in such a good area seems to be easy to come by. I'd look at the place you bought it more than I would the country of origin.
My $0.02
I have to agree with Ben, so make that $0.04
The big problem seems to be that the number of cutters/mills that we have access to are very limited.
Although pipemaking seems to be growing, and the price of briar has been steadly increasing, few vendors are interested in supplying only a few dozen blocks of briar at a time.
JMHO.
Mike
The big problem seems to be that the number of cutters/mills that we have access to are very limited.
Although pipemaking seems to be growing, and the price of briar has been steadly increasing, few vendors are interested in supplying only a few dozen blocks of briar at a time.
JMHO.
Mike
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KurtHuhn
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Ben nailed it on the head. As far as *quality* of briar, you need to take into account the mill that the briar was processed at. You can have the best briar in teh world prior to being processed, but if it isn't processed correctly, it will end up some of the worst. Briar, because of where it grows, is prone to flaws. That's the nature of the beast. Good cutters can work around those flaws in order to get the best possible end result - but that results in lots of waste and higher cost for the pipe makers. Some are willing to take that risk, and it's paying off. Others just want to supply wood as inexpensively as possible.
That said, briar from different regions, roughly equatable to countries, do have different qualities that make them attractive for different reasons. Grain, relative hardness of the wood, the variegation of the grain, flavors and other smoking qualities, ability to take a high luster, etc. All of these are attributes that vary widely from region to region. Some makers prefer briar from a single region, and have built their engineering and process around that particular briar type to take best advantage of the qualities of that briar. But that gets into another discussion entirely.
I will say that, of all the sources of briar you can get a supply from, your best bet is to go direct to the mills if you can afford the minimum order. At least in my experience. Of those, there are a handful that really stand out as having some excellent wood.
I'm working on an article for an upcoming issue of the NASPCs newsletter where I deal with this exact subject. I've also been meaning to setup a materials sources list on this site for vendors, but have not found the time. I'll try and tackle that this weekend if I have a spare moment.
That said, briar from different regions, roughly equatable to countries, do have different qualities that make them attractive for different reasons. Grain, relative hardness of the wood, the variegation of the grain, flavors and other smoking qualities, ability to take a high luster, etc. All of these are attributes that vary widely from region to region. Some makers prefer briar from a single region, and have built their engineering and process around that particular briar type to take best advantage of the qualities of that briar. But that gets into another discussion entirely.
I will say that, of all the sources of briar you can get a supply from, your best bet is to go direct to the mills if you can afford the minimum order. At least in my experience. Of those, there are a handful that really stand out as having some excellent wood.
I'm working on an article for an upcoming issue of the NASPCs newsletter where I deal with this exact subject. I've also been meaning to setup a materials sources list on this site for vendors, but have not found the time. I'll try and tackle that this weekend if I have a spare moment.
Briar
I see that there is a lot more involved in getting or aquiring good briar than I first thought. From what Kurt said, it appears that the individual pipe maker will end up with what luck throws his/hers way. I don't want to step on any toes, like hell I don't, I'm an old man an don't care any more, but it looks like a co-op is needed by the small fellers to get their hands on some good briar. I'm using mesquite blocks to try new ideas on, and may even make a pipe out of the stuff. God knows Texas has enough of it to make all the pipes we will ever need or want. Please excuse my spelling, I've been attempting to get more of the wiring done in the new shop additation. And I got a bit too cold. Anyway, a co-op is needed I think. Please let me hear your ideas.
Bob Moorman
The Little Old (Novice) Pipemaker From Texas
The Little Old (Novice) Pipemaker From Texas
I'm not sure why, but in the "old days" Algerian briar got a bad rep. This attitude has changed in recent years, but still persists somewhat with regards to Algerian briar.
With reference to cutters and mills, let me try to recall an article I read some time ago. I may not get it 100% correct, but you'll get the gist:
One of the largest pipe manufacturers in the USA (Plumb or Grabow, I forget which, but it's the one that advertise their pipes as pre-smoked) claim they buy approx. 70% of the annual briar crop of Greece (I think it's Greece). A few years ago they realised that they had way too much briar in stock, so they skipped buying briar for one year. This, unfortunately, led to most of the small mills going bankrupt and thus the loss to the trade of expert cutters and suppliers.
Another fact to consider is that pipe making as a hobby is a very small market (compared to wood working or wood turning in general), and extremely few businesses cater to this hobby, as can be seen from the numerous questions on this forum such as, "Where do I buy an affordable.......?". Personally I find paying $100 for a specialised drill bit a little over the top for a hobbyist. Bob's idea of some sort of co-op is worth considering.
With reference to cutters and mills, let me try to recall an article I read some time ago. I may not get it 100% correct, but you'll get the gist:
One of the largest pipe manufacturers in the USA (Plumb or Grabow, I forget which, but it's the one that advertise their pipes as pre-smoked) claim they buy approx. 70% of the annual briar crop of Greece (I think it's Greece). A few years ago they realised that they had way too much briar in stock, so they skipped buying briar for one year. This, unfortunately, led to most of the small mills going bankrupt and thus the loss to the trade of expert cutters and suppliers.
Another fact to consider is that pipe making as a hobby is a very small market (compared to wood working or wood turning in general), and extremely few businesses cater to this hobby, as can be seen from the numerous questions on this forum such as, "Where do I buy an affordable.......?". Personally I find paying $100 for a specialised drill bit a little over the top for a hobbyist. Bob's idea of some sort of co-op is worth considering.
Regards,
Frank.
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Grouch Happens!
People usually get the gods they deserve - Terry Pratchett
Frank.
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Grouch Happens!
People usually get the gods they deserve - Terry Pratchett
Briar in small quantities can be had from Mark Tinsky, Pipe Makers Emporium, and I think Tim West. I'm sure there are other sources.
I get all of my briar from Mark, and it smokes very well.
@Frank:
You can grind a silver & Demming bit from Ace Hardware ($10.00 or so) to the desired bowl contour on a bench grinder, and it will work just fine. This is what I use to make all of my pipes. Other people I know use 1 or 1 1/2 inch spade bits and grind them to shape on a bench grinder. I've never used spade bits, but there's absolutely no need to spend $100.00 for a precision ground bit.
Rad
I get all of my briar from Mark, and it smokes very well.
@Frank:
You can grind a silver & Demming bit from Ace Hardware ($10.00 or so) to the desired bowl contour on a bench grinder, and it will work just fine. This is what I use to make all of my pipes. Other people I know use 1 or 1 1/2 inch spade bits and grind them to shape on a bench grinder. I've never used spade bits, but there's absolutely no need to spend $100.00 for a precision ground bit.
Rad
If you don't want to grind your own silver and demming bit, I know a machinest who makes a good bit, costs about $40 each. Anyone interested fire me a PM. He also modified my chuck jaws for me, he wants less than half of what I've seen others charging for chuck modifications.RadDavis wrote:@Frank:
You can grind a silver & Demming bit from Ace Hardware ($10.00 or so) to the desired bowl contour on a bench grinder, and it will work just fine. This is what I use to make all of my pipes. Other people I know use 1 or 1 1/2 inch spade bits and grind them to shape on a bench grinder. I've never used spade bits, but there's absolutely no need to spend $100.00 for a precision ground bit.
I think Bob's idea of a co-op would be good. At least for briar, if not for other items as well. Most of us that do this just as a hobby or sideline can't or don't want to afford the minimum purchase requirements from a briar mill. But maybe if a few folks got together we could. I have no clue what the minimums are and such but it seems like a good idea. Wouldn't mind being able to do the same thing with rod stock as well.
David
David