pipemakersforum.com

From all the reading and vids I have seen, I noticed that everyone drills the chamber and draft holes first and then shapes the pipe.

Am I wacky but wouldn't it be better to carve the shape first and then drill the holes later? Before I ever saw a video, this is what I thought was done, shape first drill later. IMO by drilling the holes first you put restrictions on your possibilties. OTOH, there must be a good reason why you folks drill em' out first.

Has anyone ever tried this or thought about it?

Excuse me for possibly making stupid comments but I have never carved a pipe before.

Kola

Technically, it's a bit harder to shape first and drill after. You need a steady hand and the right tools and chamber bits. It takes some practice, and it's a bummer to go through a lot of shaping then mis-drill it.

There's plenty of previous discussions on this topic that cover the pros and cons.

Here's one: viewtopic.php?t=2497&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

The method is often called SF/DS.

TY.

Kola

Strictly speaking, it's much easier to drill first, then shape second, especially if you're just starting out. This gives you references from the tobacco chamber and mortis from which to base your carving.

You can certainly shape first and drill afterward, and there are lots of folks that do this. There's a bit of a learning curve though, mush moreso than doing it the thother way.

Yeah after reading a bit more, it makes good sense to drill first.
And yes drilling later would be a challenge but nice accomplishment if done dead-on straight.
Kola