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So, I’ve recently taken an interest in pipe making and have been all over the internet looking for ideas and methods as to how to make a pipe. My inventory of tools doesn’t go beyond some clamps, a drill, and a dremel. I have a buddy with a band saw that I can use from time to time to get the major cutting done.

My questions are as follows:

1) The pipe I’m making is completely wood. I don’t want to use plastic parts for the tip or to connect the bowl to the stem. What would be a good way to make the connection between the bowl and stem?

2) Because I don’t want to use any plastic parts the tip where one would smoke from is made of wood. I want to stain the wood and seal it so it looks nice but I don’t want to use something that can potentially be toxic. I know that anything I get that says "non-toxic" would probably be a good start but if there is a particular brand or type that works best I’d like to know.

3) The pipe I’ve made is made from maple wood, after having bought the wood I found online that there are other wood choices that are significantly better. A maple wood pipe won’t be an issue will it?

Here are some pictures to show where I’m at on this pipe making venture:

So, I’ve recently taken an interest in pipe making and have been all over the internet looking for ideas and methods as to how to make a pipe. My inventory of tools doesn’t go beyond some clamps, a drill, and a dremel. I have a buddy with a band saw that I can use from time to time to get the major cutting done.

My questions are as follows:

1) The pipe I’m making is completely wood. I don’t want to use plastic parts for the tip or to connect the bowl to the stem. What would be a good way to make the connection between the bowl and stem?

2) Because I don’t want to use any plastic parts the tip where one would smoke from is made of wood. I want to stain the wood and seal it so it looks nice but I don’t want to use something that can potentially be toxic. I know that anything I get that says "non-toxic" would probably be a good start but if there is a particular brand or type that works best I’d like to know.

3) The pipe I’ve made is made from maple wood, after having bought the wood I found online that there are other wood choices that are significantly better. A maple wood pipe won’t be an issue will it?

Here are some pictures to show where I’m at on this pipe making venture:

Last week:







This Week







Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

No way that's maple.

Ash, maybe.


If you are okay with metal parts, then a little sleeve inside the airhole might allow you to connect the parts.

I would finish the stem with a salad bowl type oil - food grade finish. Walnut, unprocessed tung, raw linseed, or a vegetable oil would work not bad.

We'll it said maple on the sticker when I bought it at home depot and it was in the section for maple wood so I’m pretty sure that’s what it is. I believe it was listed as red maple.

Metal would be ok, I just want that when you look at the pipe it looks like its entirely wood.

Anyway i appreciate the advice, could you possibly write out a walk through on how i should do the staining, finishing aspect. I've never done this before and I wouldn’t want to mess it up lol. I already have Miniwax water-based wood stain in the color I would like it to come out in. Would that be safe to use?

Thanks again!

"Red maple"? I've never heard of such a thing. My guess, when I first saw it, was that it looked a heck of a lot like red OAK. Complete with open grain, rays that cross growth rings, and very apparent grain/rings. There's just no way that it's maple - Home Depot definitely mislabeled it.

That being said, if you want to to look like all wood, then you can use any tenon material you like - stainless steel tube, delrin, etc. You *could* use a tenon of wood, but it won't be dimensionally stable, and could either become too loose or too tight with little more than the change in ambient humidity.

KurtHuhn wrote:"Red maple"? I've never heard of such a thing. My guess, when I first saw it, was that it looked a heck of a lot like red OAK. Complete with open grain, rays that cross growth rings, and very apparent grain/rings. There's just no way that it's maple - Home Depot definitely mislabeled it.

I agree that it looks like oak. I do have a red maple in my front yard though.

Red maple, as a species with red leaves existshell of a lot (that's not its proper name though), but as a species with open, loose, apparent grain like oak? No. And certainly Home Depot would be the last place you would find it. Maybe Woodcraft, or Rockler, but not a Big Box all-in-one hardware store. And it would look a different than that.

Not picking on you Tim, just trying to lay some knowledge.

KurtHuhn wrote:Not picking on you Tim, just trying to lay some knowledge.

No problem Kurt; I never mind getting laid by you.

BeatusLiebowitz wrote: No problem Kurt; I never mind getting laid by you.

I am rather good, aren't I?

It's the extra-large tenon.

Sasquatch wrote:It's the extra-large tenon.

Why do I always feel inadequate when Sasquatch starts talking about tenons?

Gald to see everyone is enjoying the post lol. I called home depot after having read what you guys were saying and it was mislabeled. As a matter of fact i wasnt the only one who called in about it. The wood is really "Red Oak" as Kurt suggested.

Anyway, not to put a damper on the fun, but could someone help me out. I got a brass sleeve to connect the two parts and it works really well. In regards to staining it and making it nice, I've still made no headway.

Thanks in advance!

I don't know what to tell you about finishing a wood stem. Here's a link to Macqueen pipes so you can take a look around and maybe email them your questions:
http://macqueenpipes.com/
Unlike Vauen's wood stemmed pipes, Macqueen doesn't seem to use an acrylic bit. It looks like they might just sand, stain and wax the stem the same as the bowl. You might even consider just leaving a half inch or so at the end of the stem unstained and wax it really well.

A lot (most?) pipe makers use leather dye to stain their pipes.
http://www.fiebing.com/Dyes.aspx

You don't have to use Leather dye, but it's an excellent product and the results speak for themselves.

For your first pipe, I wouldn't spend too much time agonizing over what kind of stain to use. I'm sure the Minwax stuff you have will be fine. The Feds have really cracked down on the use of hazardous ingredients in stains and paints. Which is not to say I would want to drink it, but once it's cured/dry it's probably okay for "lip contact". You may consider looking into food-safe dyes and stains at your local woodworking specialty store or online - but again, it's your first pipe, don't sweat the small stuff.

Your brass tube should be fine. My preference is hardened 3xx stainless hypodermic tubing that can be bought online at McMaster-Carr and a few other places. You don't want that brass very close to the actual hot stuff, since a lot of brass alloys these days still contain lead to make them easier to machine and form. And you will want to make sure you keep it dry when you're not smoking the pipe, since brass corrodes very easily. That said, you should have no fear of using brass tube for a tenon as long as it isn't in contact with burning stuff and embers.

For final finish, you could use beeswax, carnuba wax, or even a coat of shellac. Or, you could let it go without. Relax, have fun, and make a pipe. Most important, have fun.

BeatusLiebowitz wrote:You might even consider just leaving a half inch or so at the end of the stem unstained and wax it really well.

Thats not a bad idea at all. Is there are preferred way to wax the pipe (no pun intended)? Other than a car I've never had much use for a wax. I've looked online and I've mainly found car wax, is there are particular type of carnauba wax that I should use? Or will the carnauba car wax work?

Thanks in advance

The car wax is loaded with solvents and stuff to make it easy to smear on your car. The stuff we use when we're talking about carnuba wax is the block of solid carnuba. One again PIMO has you covered, or Pipemakers Emporium, or even woodcraft and Rockler.