pipe 2, the "ear pipe"

[themathclub]

it's not a pretty pipe, and really i was gonna huck the wood in the trash, but i was telling a friend about a series of hard spots that i carved around, out of bordem, that ended up looking like an ear. i was trying to cut it off with my tiny handsaw, when he said he wanted the thing turned into a pipe. he said he wanted it odd, so that it is. i left it rough looking and did not try to pretty it up much. there's miles of critique to be had, but go easy on me, i have much to learn and it was made using only a battery powered dremel and i borrowed a power drill for the bowl. i want to say the wood is juniper, which is not ideal for a pipe, but if you can make one out of corn... its finished in beeswax. i wouldnt use beeswax much, but it smells nice and gives it a neat velvety sheen. given its low melting point, it does not offer the same protection of carnuba. but that being said, it works and it was available to me

as a foot note i made my first pipe out of this same chunk of wood, and its owner loves it and smokes it all the time, and so far, no ill has befallen the juniper.

BUT! on to things that matter : it smokes great, feels good in the hand, and everyone who has actually used/seen it in person, really likes it, though i hated it for a couple weeks, until i got around to breaking it in for him, and i came to cherish it. but like many things in life, it has to go away, lol. a deal is a deal. enjoy my hideous "van gogh" pipe, as i have named it.

[Dixie_piper]

If you're going to be using local wood, you want to make sure it isn't one of the many woods that produce very harmful byproducts.
You should be able to google a plant toxicity list.
You should be able to utilize some of the sculpting tools for pipe making; files, rasps, sandpaper, etc.
Check out Pimo too, they have affordable chamber bits and most any and everything else you'll need. Kurt has a list of "the usual" tools in the Wiki that helped me out a lot so you may wanna give that a once over.

[themathclub]

so far i have seen that aspen, my next pipe wood ( i gather it on hikes through the mountains) is non toxic, and that juniper BERRIES are mildy toxic (digestion issues) when eaten. the wood i have not seen any thing on so far. tastes odd but its not horrible. as far as tooling goes, it's all been financially limited thus far, im going after all the tools i can as i have $ but so far, until yesterday all i had was the battery dremel. i just got a dremel press, a dremel 4000, an extension kit and about 100 bits. looking for a lathe and a band saw next, but time and $ will tell when i aquire next and what it will be...

[SimeonTurner]

You have a natural talent for pipe making.

[themathclub]

hey thanks! that means alot! im just glad they smoke well lol my great grandfather smoked a pipe and when he passed i just wanted a way to remember him. he always smoked a billiard, and cherry vanilla tobacco. most of the stuff, like where to get supplies, and how to shape the stems, and bend the stems and drill out and shape the tenon area i learned from reading the articles that members of this forum and others have put up. for those on pipe one, remember this, tenon shaping with a dremel is HARD!!! remove SMALL amounts of wood lol and test fit alot :p next time a make a pipe, im going to measure things. only so that when ppl ask what dimension blank is, i'll know. i'll be excited when i can afford a good micrometer.


edit: if your reading this and want to try using a battery dremel, it WILL work, obviously, but see if u can pony up for the corded one. or get one used, otherwise you will have the 20/6 curse. 20 minutes on, 6 hours off. it takes FOREVER. grateful i have it, but my brother wants to carve things and he inherited it when i got the 4000

[ToddJohnson]

Dear themathclub,

If this is one of the two pipes that convinced you of your "natural talent" for pipemaking, I must admit that I'm a bit perplexed. It's sort of a monstrous lump with a pre-molded stem shoved up its ass. You may, indeed, have a natural talent for pipemaking, but it is not on display here. I think you're taking the right approach, though--learn the basics, and then try to create pipes resembling various parts of the human anatomy later. Let's just call this one an outlier in an otherwise promising trajectory. Also, the frequent interjections of "lol" strike me as the literary equivalent of nervous laughter--the sort you would see from the movie character who has bodies buried in his crawl-space. You don't have bodies--or ears--buried in your crawl-space do you? With apologies to Augusto Pinochet, I wish you

All the best,

Todd

[geigerpipes]

Dear themathclub,

If this is one of the two pipes that convinced you of your "natural talent" for pipemaking, I must admit that I'm a bit perplexed. It's sort of a monstrous lump with a pre-molded stem shoved up its ass. You may, indeed, have a natural talent for pipemaking, but it is not on display here. I think you're taking the right approach, though--learn the basics, and then try to create pipes resembling various parts of the human anatomy later. Let's just call this one an outlier in an otherwise promising trajectory. Also, the frequent interjections of "lol" strike me as the literary equivalent of nervous laughter--the sort you would see from the movie character who has bodies buried in his crawl-space. You don't have bodies--or ears--buried in your crawl-space do you? With apologies to Augusto Pinochet, I wish you

All the best,

Todd

Lol Todd...thanks for the morning laugh ..speaking of televison your post reminded me of that english guy in american Idol
I wish you all a good and frutfull pipemaking day

[themathclub]

your quite the heckler there. please understand however, that pipe making is not merely mastering a classical shape, which im working at now, but also a tradition of making objects of both art and utility. this pipe fulfills all the the criteria of a successful pipe, with the possible exception of being visually appealing to you. that being said the pictures do not do it's strange shape justice. its a very fun pipe to have out at parties, and smokes very well. i enjoy it a great deal, as does anyone who has smoked it and for that the pipe is a success. an easy draw, a satisfied friend and a sweet smoke. perhaps you missed the part in the post where i readily admit to its hideousness . it was made, at the last minute, by request, for a friend. i told him about how ugly it was and he loved the idea. using really only a dremel for all the shaping (and drilling for the stem), having no other tools (barring the drill i borrowed to start the smoke chamber), and eye balling everything, and considering that this was no perfect algerian briar block, but merely a large stick in a relatives back yard, i think i did a wonderful job, and of course there is room for improvement, but im certain that very few people (if any) can say with any honesty, that they have made a perfect pipe. i disagree with your analysis of my pipe, and since this pipe is a love it or hate it design, i can safely classify you in the hate it catagory. lol

[ToddJohnson]

Okey doke. I'll try harder to understand you as an artist, though I'd like to press one point. Creating a random lump with no sense of balance or symmetry or flow is not a "design" any more than the arrangement of frosted flakes in one's cereal bowl is a "design." Certainly random patterns and shapes can be beautiful, it's just that this one is not. Had you not first announced to us all that you were that illusive carver who shows up on the scene with natural talent, your "ear pipe" would have seemed a pretty run-of-the-mill-ugly second pipe. I've spoken of this phenomenon before--empty flattery that convinces someone their work is good when it isn't--and here is a practical example of why it's harmful. If you don't know where you really are, you'll never get where you're trying to go. That said, I have no idea where you're trying to go, so I won't be presumptuous about how far you may or may not have to get there. Right now, though, I've got to go down to my shop.

TJ

your quite the heckler there. please understand however, that pipe making is not merely mastering a classical shape, which im working at now, but also a tradition of making objects of both art and utility. this pipe fulfills all the the criteria of a successful pipe, with the possible exception of being visually appealing to you. that being said the pictures do not do it's strange shape justice. its a very fun pipe to have out at parties, and smokes very well. i enjoy it a great deal, as does anyone who has smoked it and for that the pipe is a success. an easy draw, a satisfied friend and a sweet smoke. perhaps you missed the part in the post where i readily admit to its hideousness . it was made, at the last minute, by request, for a friend. i told him about how ugly it was and he loved the idea. using really only a dremel for all the shaping (and drilling for the stem), having no other tools (barring the drill i borrowed to start the smoke chamber), and eye balling everything, and considering that this was no perfect algerian briar block, but merely a large stick in a relatives back yard, i think i did a wonderful job, and of course there is room for improvement, but im certain that very few people (if any) can say with any honesty, that they have made a perfect pipe. i disagree with your analysis of my pipe, and since this pipe is a love it or hate it design, i can safely classify you in the hate it catagory. lol

[themathclub]

im aware of where i am the bottom. being able to carve up a well smoking pipe from trash wood, first try, as well as second, is a talent. im not making heirloom stuff, but, i know that if i keep at it, i'll be making really nice pipes, worth keeping around. just finished roughing out the next pipe last night. though given the warm reception this one has gotten, i can see that perhaps i should wait for pipe 10 (or 100 depending on your tastes) before allowing you to judge my progress, not that i need any kind of confirmation. i enjoy making pipes, even if no one else enjoys me enjoying it.

edit: i would like to add, also, that looking at your pipes ( i googled you) there is no comparing, mine to yours. please try to step down from the lofty heights of pipe carving that you have reached (and you have), and try to imagine life as a regular working guy, with a family, and no time, no tools, not a lot of money (had to wait weeks before i could afford a used dremel) and no training. you know what your talking about, but attempt to explain your vast time on briar, in a way that is consumable to others. demonstrating your fine tastes and skill by harshly critiquing the work of a literal newcomer does little to encourage them, and in my eyes, does not boost your credibility. you are the teacher, no matter if you want to be or not. people will watch you, and people who are like you, because you are a skilled craftsman. try and wield that burden with care.

[Tyler]

themathclub,

I think the issue is that you have dropped in on the forum and announced to us in your first or second post that you are quite talented at pipe making. Around the time of that announcement, you posted this pipe. The lack of humility in your announcement sort of invites a response that injects some reality. Todd very indelicately pointed out the truth to you. You might indeed have talent for pipe making, but the above evidence is not helpful for your case.

You don't need to wait until you've made 10 or 100 pipes to post again. Just don't tell us all how good you are. Let your pipes speak for you. It's more becoming.

One of the things that frequently happens, that you have no way of knowing about since you are new, is that every pipe a new maker makes gets praise from somebody. This (often wrongly) convinces the new maker they are God's gift to pipe making. It can be bad for all involved. Instead, the truth, early and often, can allow for a more accurate learning trajectory that is beneficial in the long run.

As for using a piece of junk wood, have you seen "the good stuff?" It doesn't look like a pipe when you start with it anymore than the piece of junk wood you started with does. The issue is not how it starts, it's how it ends.

Welcome!

Tyler

[themathclub]

let me clarify. i have never worked with wood before, yet i have created 2 good smoking pipes from scraps using crude tools at best. that is the talent i am referring to. i have no illusion, self imposed or otherwise, that i am anything other than a new guy trying to cave nice pipes. i forget that the people on this forum are on another level, and that when speaking of my own accomplishments, no matter how large they are to me, to seasoned pipe making experts, my pipes are quite honestly garbage. believe me, it's not needed to knock me down a notch, im not blind, i can see what others here have made, and there is no point in comparing because it's apples and organes. if you have ever had children, they come to you with the best they have, be it a crayon drawing, or a macaroni sculpture, what do you tell them? sorry son, your no davinci. your macaroni family looks more like left overs. again it's my fault. i have to remember that, when phrashing things, im not among equals and that my verbage should reflect that. im VERY proud of myself for my 2.5 pipes, that i have made, and i believe that i can do better and better still. but a cursory look at the photos in the gallery will pretty much confirm that im just a child with macaroni art in the smithsonian.

[SimeonTurner]

let me clarify. i have never worked with wood before, yet i have created 2 good smoking pipes from scraps using crude tools at best. that is the talent i am referring to.

If you drill 2 holes that intersect, stuff some tobacco in the bigger hole, and light it on fire, you will produce a "pipe" that smokes "good." In fact, I know people who have done similar with an aluminum pop can.

Perhaps it would have been more judicious to say "I have a natural talent for drilling two intersecting holes in wood," rather than a natural talent for pipe making. Please don't get me wrong....everyone starts at the bottom (I have made some hideously ugly-ass pipes in my day). However, even if a person were as talented a pipe maker as Todd Johnson, Rad Davis, Bo Nordh, Tom Eltang, etc etc etc, and their first post on this forum was "I have a natural talent for pipe making," people would be rubbed the wrong way, even though the pipes backing up that claim were beautiful.

Todd's just trying to give you a little realistic perspective. If everyone around you told you your pipes were amazing, you would not ever have the impetus to improve. You may not wish to improve, but generally speaking, that's what folks on this forum are here for, so if we assume you want to improve, it's important to have a realistic point of view.

[staffwalker]

I usually try to stay out of these things but since Tyler has replied, I'll say a few words not necessarily directed to you, themathclub but more to Tyler. I have been working very hard at making pipes since Labor Day weekend of 2006, the only pipemaker I have ever visited from then to now has been Tyler. He was gracious enough to allow me to spend a day with him. At that time I had completed, if I remember correctly 17 pipes, all of which I was very very proud of. I brought those 17 pipes and laid them out on a table in his shop. Like you, I was looking for high praise, thinking surely he would say I was the new natural talent. He looked at each and I observed closely. From observing, I understood that I wasn't the hotshot pipemaker I thought myself to be. Tyler was way too nice a guy to say so out loud but I could tell he wasn't overly impressed. By observing how he looked at the details of each of the pipes I had made I was able to gleam things I wasn't doing correctly. I remember in particular he pulled each stem and looked at the tenon and mortise and how each seated and I thought, 'it is important to craft the tenon so it goes all the way to the bottom of the mortise'. This was something I had never thought about before and some of mine probably had a half inch gap. I do remember sometime during that examination, I jokingly asked if he thought I should quit my day job. He never answered which I understood to be an unspoken negative reply. This non-answer was perhaps the greatest thing anyone has done to further my pipe making development. From this point on, I forgot about being a 'Natural Talent' and tried with each pipe I completed to make it better than the last.

Like you, themathclub, I thought I was a natural talent, like you, I expected to hear great praise, after all, my friends told me what great pipes I was making as yours are telling you. The problem with praise from friends, however, is that most or all of them don't have the experience to recognize a good pipe. That's why the experienced people on here are so important if you will only listen to them. Few of your or my friends have ever looked at another pipe other than the one you or I have just thrust into their hands. Of course, the person who couldn't carve a pencil to a fine point with a pocket knife, (many of my friends can't and I suspect yours are the same), is going to say, "Oh my God, it's such a great pipe". Don't allow yourself to be lulled into thinking you are a great 'Natural Talent' pipemaker because your friends say so. You have a very long road ahead before you may someday become a pipemaker. I've completed over 200 pipes and only recently have I begun to think, 'That's a fairly nice pipe I just did.' This is not to imply that it will take you 200 pipes to do so, it may take you 100 or a thousand but if you continue at some point you may be able to make a decent pipe and again you may not. Not everyone can.

One other comment. Most of us here know what it is to start with no money and no tools. I had exactly what you have when I started except I had a donated carving knife to use along with the Dremel.

Tyler, I have never forgotten, I learned a lot from you. I'm still not where I would like to be but I turn out some decent pipes these days and am certainly much further ahead because I spent a day with you. I no longer think I'm the next great thing to appear but think of myself as a pipemaker who's still learning. I'll always think of you as a good and kind man. bob gilbert

[Sasquatch]

All I know is, I'm not taking any more photos of my Neo-Cubist Frosted Flakes sculpture if guys are not gonna be appreciative.

[themathclub]

lol good call. i'll try harder to make better pipes

edit: thank you all for taking the time to apply your thoughts on my ear pipe. despite the burning hole in my ego, there is good stuff here that i will take to heart. honest.

also, today i had a tragedy. the pipe that i was working on was involved in a shop accident. i went to use the grinder at work, to take out some areas in the rough that i was not happy with and my hand slipped and i lost my grip on the pipe. the grinder did the rest. it pretty much destroyed it, and it was my best looking pipe to date out of all 3 and this got me thinking. weather or not i have talent, all things can be made better through practice. and things can be lost from carelessness. i will be working on a more traditional shape soon, and i'll post up something when i have it. its friday gang, go have a beer and hug a spouse or loved one.

[baweaverpipes]

Gentlemen,
May I please interject something salient, before the criticism becomes too harsh.
Please listen and hear what I say............the presentation of the "ear" is quite nice, but is lacking in a dramatic fashion and my good friend, Bubba the Beast, offers up something that might help:

[KurtHuhn]

Jeez, I clean out all the traps of mice this morning, I sit down at my desk to read and drink coffee, and then I see this! Gave me quite a start, I tell you. It's almost like he knows what I did to his relatives....

[KurtHuhn]

With regards to the ear...

While Todd's feedback may have bruised your ego somewhat, I actually agree with all of it.

While it certainly appears to be a serviceable pipe, it simply has all the trappings of a first or second pipe. It's a good start, and if it smokes well, all the better, but keep in mind that 5 years from now you're going to look at this pipe and recoil - and possibly deny you ever made it. Everybody does this, and everybody learns and grows as artists when we decide to take up pipe making as a hobby or profession.

That said, I would take everything you learned in crafting this pipe and go make the next one. Doubtless you gained experience in using your tools, working the wood, and getting things lined up. It's all about the baby steps for your first few (or several, or score of) pipes. There's typically no earth shattering revelations, and more often than not it's simply headslappers (I still have bruises a decade later) when you figure out seemingly simple operations, or a better way to do things, or the basis of compositional construction.

Keep it up, keep learning, and try not to take it the wrong way when folks offer advice. We're all here trying to help each other grow and progress, even if it seems like we're sometimes at odds with each other. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but be careful about the assertions you make.

[Sasquatch]

Speaking as a pipe maker with a lot of natural talent, I could do a bit of explaining as to what it's worth. As far as I can tell, natural talent and 3.75 will get me a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. It may do more for other people.

Pipes are a funny blend of engineering and aesthetics, and funnily enough, you have to learn enough about both in order to make a decent pipe. Nobody does more than manage to stick the stem in the stummel and grind out some ugly shape the first time, unless they have "professional help". We have all been there, were all super proud of what we accomplished, and have all hidden our first pipe in the deepest pit we could find.

The truth of the matter is that each time I've gotten help here, each time I've taken and implemented the suggestions of more experienced makers here, my pipes have gotten better. There are plateux areas on the learning curve, and steep spots. The steepest might be right at the start.

When anyone comes here and says "Oh here's the way I do this" and produces some idiotic counterproductive method, he gets told a better method, but the choice is his whether to try it, to even believe that the method could be better. And that's fine too - everyone can do whatever they please. But at some point, the "professional" needs start to creep in, and a guy starts to want to make pipes faster, and make them better, and charge a higher price for them, and for that to happen, a lot of "learner" pipes have to get built.

I suppose some guys might have "the knack" of certain elements more easily than other guys, but I'm not even so sure. Either way the only road to pipe making fame seems to be to make a lotta pipes. But don't worry, if you fall off the road, there's a lot of us out in the bush, and we're a friendly bunch too.