DAQ Services

[Danskpibemager]

Just wondering if anybody has purchased plateau briar from DAQ Services and what the quality is like? The photos look pretty enticing and the price is pretty fair. I need to order some plateau blocks in the next week or two so I'm just looking for some feedback. Thanks!

[KurtHuhn]

I'm not sure f I've ever heard of them. Got a link?

[Danskpibemager]

Here's the link: http://www.greatgoodsrus.com/servlet/th ... Categories

I'm not sure if they go by Great Goods R-Us or DAQ Services. I'v heard it both ways.

[kkendall]

I just looked through every page of briar. Looks like if you want straight grain on both sides of the block, you won't find any for under $24.

All the sub $24 blocks have straight grain on one side and flame on the other. Looking at the ends you can see the slant of the grain.

[pierredekat]

I bought four blocks from Great Goods RUS awhile back, through their Ebay portal, and two of the blocks had huge drying checks inside caused by really poor drying techniques.

On the outside, these blocks looked flawless, but on the inside, they had crevices that you could literally slide a quarter into -- like 1/8 inch wide and an inch long.

And not just one crack, either, I'm talking a whole web, or network, of them that rendered the blocks completely unusable.

I almost want to say that whoever they got these blocks from must have put them in a microwave oven to quick-dry them.

One of the blocks did make a pipe.

And I still have the fourth block, but I have yet cut into it to see what lurks inside.

Definitely proceed with caution. Maybe ask them if they have any sort of guarantee against gaping fissures hidden just below the surface.

[Danskpibemager]

Thanks for the response guys, a never ending source of valuable information. I'll have to find a better source for 4 or five blocks of plateau. I've been getting briar from Michael Parks so maybe I should just stick with him unless someone can suggest a better source for plateau.

[pierredekat]

If you do the Ebay thing, Vermont Freehand has some pretty nice briar.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0147840414

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0174579349

[pierredekat]

Well, I finally got around to attempting a pipe out of the fourth block I bought from Great Goods R US through their Ebay portal, and I think it's official: their briar sucks.

This block looked great on the outside, though under good light, I could see what appeared to be a hairline crack that definitely wasn't apparent in their pictures.

Sure enough, I started in squaring it up, and within just a few thousandths of an inch, that almost-invisible crack opened up into a crevice.

It's about an inch long, 1/16 inch wide, and I can insert a pin about 3/8 of an inch inward. Not gonna be a pipe in this block either, I'm afraid.

[RadDavis]

Hi Robert,

By any chance, are these blocks you're talking about a sort of darkish red color on the bottom?

Rad

[pierredekat]

By any chance, are these blocks you're talking about a sort of darkish red color on the bottom?

They're just a smidgen darker red. But the color lightens in the 1/2 inch of wood closest to the bark.

Could it be that these blocks weren't boiled originally, do you think? Or is this a particular variety of briar that's a lot more prone to cracks?

[Frank]

By any chance, are these blocks you're talking about a sort of darkish red color on the bottom?

They're just a smidgen darker red. But the color lightens in the 1/2 inch of wood closest to the bark.

Could it be that these blocks weren't boiled originally, do you think? Or is this a particular variety of briar that's a lot more prone to cracks?

The red colour would seem to indicate that the burl was perhaps relatively small. It seems like they included way too much centre wood, where the tree stores moisture, in order to get more "block" from the burl. Ethical cutters/mills would have trimmed all the red stuff away.
Again, just my logical 2 pennies worth.

[Danskpibemager]

Robert,
Thanks for your input on the briar. You not only saved me some bucks but alot of frustration as well. I did go ahead and order Plateaux from another source so I'll see what kind of quality comes out of it. I was also hesitant to order from Vermont Freehand as they don't seem to have much turnover as the same photos of blocks have been displayed for months (the block numbers are the same). I'm wondering, aside from Romeo Briar (Mimmo), where most of the US carvers get their briar from or is that considered a trade secret? I've tried a number of different sources and the list is getting short as far as quality goes.

[RadDavis]

I'm not sure that it's smaller burls or what, Frank, but every time I've tried a block with that dark red bottom, it's honey combed with fissures.

In the P&T article on Mimmo, he said his father told him to never try to use the red briar. He tried it anyway and found out his father was right.

The sad thing is that the dreaded red briar blocks often have spectacular grain. You just can't use it.

Rad

[KurtHuhn]

I'm wondering, aside from Romeo Briar (Mimmo), where most of the US carvers get their briar from or is that considered a trade secret? I've tried a number of different sources and the list is getting short as far as quality goes.

There really isn't a big secret at all. Some sources are better than others, yes. Search through here, the good suppliers are always praised, and the bad ones damned. One of the best is Romeo Briar. His blocks are more expensive than some, but you get what you pay for. What all else fails, pipemakers' emporium (pipemakers.org) has blocks from Briar Grains, which is consistently good wood.

[Danskpibemager]

Kurt,
Thanks for the info. I hope I didn't come off as being sarcastic because it was not intended that way. I know the majority of the the pipe making process is openly dicussed here whereas a few years ago everything was considered trade secrets. This forum has been invaluable to me in learning how to become a quality Pipecrafter and I appreciate everybody's input each time I check in for new posts. I hope some day to be able to give back to the community of Pipemakers the knowledge that I have gained through my efforts. There are a number of people that I hope to see and meet at the 2008 Chicago Pipe Show to express my gratitude in person.

[Frank]

You can also try Tim West at: http://www.jhlowe.com/briar.htm
or Parks (not sure if he was mentioned): http://www.parkspipes.com/briar.htm
or American Smoke: http://www.amsmoke.com/Services/sellbriar.html

These are just suggestions, not endorsments. To my knowledge, they all have good reputations.