Bulldog school update....

sethile · Post by **sethile** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 9:17 am

Hello pipe making friends, I'm convinced that Bulldogs are an excellent exercise. I think I've managed to get closer with this one. I've been trying to bring in more Danish influence, which I've managed a bit better here.

Specs:
Grade C
Height: 1.9"
Diameter:1.9"
Overall Length: 5.9 "
Chamber Diameter: 3/4"
Chamber Depth: 1.63"
From Italian Plateaux briar with a hand cut German Ebonite Stem, and integral tenon. Three un-distracting flaws keep this a grade C.

Freeing up the line on the bottom had to do with boring the chamber in a different plane than the shape of the bowl. The bottom of the chamber is angled back toward the stem. I managed this with a combination of drilling with the stummel chucked differently for shaping and drilling the chamber pilot, and then following that with freehand drilling with Brad's bits. This allowed me to keep a decent depth to the chamber, while still being able to sweep the the shape of the bottom back more dramatically than I've managed in the past. Before I'd either have to keep the bottom with less sweep, or go for a very shallow bowl.

As always, I'm very interested in any honest critiques you might have.

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 9:42 am

Wow.. that's one pretty pipe, Scott! I love it! I'd critique it, but for now I'm just admiring

Matt

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 9:56 am

Man, Scott! You do a nice bulldog.

The shank seems a bit too tapered to me. It seems right at the stem junction, but too fat at the bowl junction. Not by alot though. Just enough to throw it off in my eye.

Great pipe bud!

achduliebe · Post by **achduliebe** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 10:05 am

Scott,

That is sweet, I am no expert in the specifics of classical shapes but it looks awesome to me.

Nice job!

pierredekat · Post by **pierredekat** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 3:48 pm

I loves me a bulldog, and that one is really exceptional. Very nice briar. And I love the whole design: the taper of the bowl, the flowing curve of the shank and stem. Two thumbs up.

mattw · Post by **mattw** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 6:33 pm

Beautiful.

Not much to add to the discussion - I love bulldogs and that one flows just right.

bluesmk · Post by **bluesmk** » Wed Aug 15, 2007 9:56 pm

I like it! I like everything about it, nice job Scott !
Dan
Gabrieli Pipes

Post by **KurtHuhn** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 1:57 pm

I have only two minor observations:
- the bit needs to be thinner
- the stem seems to have a distal taper that looks somewhat odd and throws off the flow when viewed from the top. It makes me think that the stem is going to feel round in my mouth.

I would make the bit thinner and wider - though a wider bit is purely a subjective thing.

Other than that, very nice job!

StephenDownie · Post by **StephenDownie** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 2:32 pm

I really like bulldogs too, I think they're an excellent exercise in pipe making and they are easily tweaked to show the style of the pie maker making them. The only critique I have for the pipe is that I personally like a thinner bit and maybe because of the length I might have flared out the bit to make the pipe easier to clench in the teeth. Again pretty subjective things and in the end the pipe is a beautiful piece of work. Great job!

souljer · Post by **souljer** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 5:03 pm

Looks good.

I think the over all shape is stronger than some of your past efforts.

I like the symmetrical grain and sort of a double bead. I have been flattening out the foot of the bowl since my first bulldog (003/2006). I like the way that highlights some birds-eye on vertical grain, as you've done here.

sethile · Post by **sethile** » Thu Aug 16, 2007 5:52 pm

Thanks for all the great feedback, folks!

Actually, the stem is as thin as I can safely get them at the bit (.145"). I shoot for between .145 and .150. Any thinner than that and I get really nervous about sanding through myself (don't ask me why!) or having a customer bite though it later. Partly, I think the photo angles make it look chunkier than it is.

I like the thickness at the shank, and at the bit. One thing I considered, and might have helped.... What if I had feathered the taper. Kept it thinner for longer as it comes away from the bit--then a steeper taper on toward the shank to end up the same. I'm not sure if that would improved it or not, but I like the thickness at each end, while not liking how thick it is over all. Another factor may be that the stem is perhaps just a hair short-about 3/16" shorter than my other dogs. I had thought they might be too long, but now I'm wondering if this shorter stem might be contributing to this.

In terms of the width side to side. My other dogs all have stayed about the same width from shank to bit. They are very comfortable, but just a hair wide. I thought this approach might be better. It does look odd from the top photo, but it's less distracting in person. The bit is plenty wide, and still relatively flat, so it should clinch very well still. The diamond shank makes for some interesting challenges in these areas. You can't thin the width, and then flare it back out, at least not without it looking goofy. It just seems like you have less options, while it's also less forgiving with the ones you do have!

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions. For those of you who have yet to try a bulldog, go for it! These dogs don't bite, and they have a tendancy to train their owners

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:43 am

I bet you could have added a fishtail to you stem without it looking too goofy. I suppose its a matter of opinion, and yours is necessarily most important atm. Next to the customer of course.