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Have any of you tried using cherrywood for pipes ?
For the new guys it is a cheap alternative to briar and smoke nice too.

Not yet. I've had some inquiries from customers, but nothing serious. I'd love to hear your experiences with cherrywood, Kirk. Any gotchas? Is any old hunk of hardware store cherrywood good to use?

I have a cherry wood pipe. Never carved one before... then again I've only ever carved 2

The one I have took to it's dark cherry stain very nicely but I can't imagine what the wood would look like with a lighter stain... I want to try and get a block and use it tho just for the experience.

Kurt, I use 2 inch thick buy 4x4 squares, I get 2 pipes from each block.
Make the walls of the pipe thick and they will last longer.
I have photos of 3 cherry wood pipes I have made on my site take a look.
The sold pipe was stained the other two are natural.

Thanks, Kirk. I know the mom-n-pop in town carries all manner of cherry. I'll have to stop by there in the next couple days and see what they have.

You've inspired me to step outside my box, Kirk. I'll be sure to post pics of what I manage to make.

Kirk,

The cherrywood pipes on your site look great. Cherry has that nice reflective quality, almost a translucence or even a prismic quality that refracts and reflects light differently depending on your angle to really enhance the pipe's character.

I actually had thought of carving a cherrywood pipe before I ever tried briar b/c I had some extra around (I built a big shaker cherry kitchen table this summer--it has leafs for up to 7 feet of table. Not bad for under $200 + my labor!) and thought about using it for my first pipe. I was concerned with the density of the wood though. It appears to be relatively light compared to briar and even some other harder woods like rosewood, olivewood, and ebony (has anyone used these for anything other than shank extensions?). How does the cherry smoke? Do you have to be careful to smoke cool to prevent a potential burnout? It just seems that the risk would be pretty high to me. Let me know what you (or your customer's) experience has been. Thanks alot.

Speaking of shank extensions, I'm starting another post!

Jeff

Jeff, I only have made a few and sold one a couple of months back. Here is what he said.
"Kirk,

I smoked the cherry wood pipe you sent me, it smokes like a dream. It's
very light and comfortable to hold in my teeth. It smokes great and I
wouldn't hesitate to buy one from you or recommend one to others.

Thanks again, and i'll let you know how it continues to smoke.

~Roger.

There is a pipe maker in WI. named Mike Brissett who also makes cherry
pipes and smokes them. He told me that he has had a few for over 5 years and they are still smoking great.

Cherry makes nice pipes, but there are a few things to take into consideration. Cherry grain swells when it gets wet. This problem is made worse by using figured cherry. I used some curly cherry on a pipe and not only is a stummel too small to show off the curl, but the tobacco chamber got very rough after the first bowlful and the stem couldn't be removed from the pipe for several days after smoking. To offset this, I recommend thick-walled, precarbonized tobacco chambers and "plain" cherry.

Interestingly, I just bought some 2.5x5x5 blocks of cherry on eBay (only place I could find them). I'll be making these into pipes, and I'll post some pics when they're finished.

well now you know where to got if you ever need any again.

New here and to pipe making/carving. I like to get as much knowledge of this subject between the ears before jumping in. Anyway is Ebony an acceptable wood to use? I am an old retired Seabed Builder so I realize it's hard as heck. Besides that has it been used with success? Being hard it will finish beautifully. Thanks in advance for your answers.

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Most hardwoods are perfectly fine for pipes. Stay away from coniferous woods (too resinous) and rosewoods (too oily), but other than that, there are few woods that are unsuitable for pipes. Fruitwoods (apple, pear, lemon) are great for pipes.

Oh, red oak is no good. It smells and tastes like cat piss.

Please note that anything besides briar will be a serious niche market and probably not marketable in the grander scheme.

--K

KurtHuhn wrote:Most hardwoods are perfectly fine for pipes. Stay away from coniferous woods (too resinous) and rosewoods (too oily), but other than that, there are few woods that are unsuitable for pipes. Fruitwoods (apple, pear, lemon) are great for pipes.

Oh, red oak is no good. It smells and tastes like cat piss.

Please note that anything besides briar will be a serious niche market and probably not marketable in the grander scheme.

--K

Great thanks for the info, nice to know.

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there's cherrywood lumber which is usually plainsawn and clear, kiln dried commercial hardwood, the cherry I can get here is available 8/4" and at a good price in volume from a local wholesaler with a $500 min order. I'm ordering some tomorrow if anyone wants that type of cherrywood pm I'll add onto my order. I can cut into blocks or lengths and you'll just have to cover shipping. price is 5.50/bf on this order which would be approx 5 to 6 - 4x3x2" blocks. Last stuff I got was 1 15/16 - 2 1/16 thick

I started making cherrywood pipes about 2 months ago and have been smoking the first one I made (successfully) about once to twice a week since then plus a camping trip where I pretty much smoked non-stop (that's what camping is all about). So I'm about 20-30 bowls in and I'm seeing a nice cake buildup in the bowl and not a lot signs of burnout. One can assume that cherrywood will not last as long as briar, but I am curious how long it will last.
I've also made my pipes stems and mouthpiece out of cherrywood and am experimenting with out long the wood mouthpiece will last under regular use. I guess it depends on how much of a "chewer" you are, but so far it's holding up nicely.
I really like the cherrywood, I think it smokes nicely, and doesn't get too hot in the hand, I'm not detecting any flavors in my tobacco from the wood. It also is nice to work with and I think it finishes nicely as well. I have made 4 pipes now and given them all away, so far I've only heard positive things from those who have smoked them. Although I doubt there is much of a market for selling them, and they definitely don't stand up to briar, they are a fun alternative for the beginner who wants to experiment and actually end up with a decent usable product.
I'd be curious how a cherrywood pipe would stand up to heavy use.
-Justin

Cherry wood is used in many low-end factory pipes and seems to be durable. I wouldn't go quite as thin on the walls as on a briar because the grain structure and it's not as dense. But I'd be surprised if you have issues from normal use.

Now I think it's worth mentioning that cherry wood (as in the wood from a cherry tree) is different from the cherrywood pipe shape, which is independent of the material it's made of. I presume you're talking about the material, not describing the shape of the pipe.

Yes, the material, cherry wood. Thanks for the clarification, I was unaware of the distinction.