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I have about 20 blocks of briar, and need some sugestions on differnt stem sizes for small to medium blocks. On jhlowe.com there are no pictures and only dimensions, and I'm having a hard time trying visulalize what the best sizes are. I want a good mix of all, but am overwhelmed with options. Thanks for any suggestions.

Probably cheaper and easier to buy a rod of ebonite and make your own. Then you have complete control over the shape and size.

I would but do not have a metal lathe. Just a tenon turning tool. I've never hand cut one. Is is very difficult?

You can use your tenon turning tool in the same way as you would for a pre-form. the only addition is that you need to drill an airway as well. Kurt posted an excellent tutorial on how to make hand cut stems. I would suggest you look at that and then use one of the pipes from your collection that is close to what you want to achieve and try your best to copy that. You soon get the hang of it.

Also keep in mind that small stems are hidden inside big ones. If you order large ones, you can file and cut them down to small ones, or make saddles out of tapers. So don't try to order exactly the right stem for every pipe - just order a dozen big ones, and a dozen medium ones from Pipe maker's emporium, for example.

While I do think that folks learn to make hand-cut stems, there's a lot to be said for using preforms - especially when you're just learning.

What I would suggest is getting a selection of sizes and shapes. Give Tim a call (he runs J.H.Lowe) and chat with him for a few minutes. I'm sure he could pull together a stem selection for you that would cover typical sizes of almost everything you would attempt.

Also, just because your blocks are sized a certain way, doesn't mean that you're restricted to using the whole block, or sizing the pipe to be the biggest you can get out of a given block.

I agree with Kurt; your best bet is to call Tim, tell him what you are trying to do, and ask him to help you put together a decent "inventory" so to speak. I did that years back when I first started, and he was both really friendly and also really helpful. I can tell you for sure that he will advocate using bigger stems, as sasquatch suggested, because you can alter them as you like. I can also tell you that they aren't all that spendy (especially if you buy in sets of 12).

The only hard thing about reforming a preformed stem instead of shaping one from scratch from an ebonite rod is the fact that a preformed stem is a bit more challenging to mount in a lathe chuck effectively. it can be done, of course, but it is definitely easier to mount a piece of rod stock.

Tim's a great guy. He will even spend time on the phone with you chatting about other aspects of the trade....so have some questions ready for him!

Thanks guys! I'll give Tim a call, he is great.

Yes, he is great. And I would also recommend start with premolded stems, it is easier that way.

No one better then Tim. Great guy and he stands by his stuff. You'll never have to worry buying anything from him.