Oak Billiard

[Wallaby]

Well after the billiard failure yesterday, due to crappy briar, I decided to raid the firewood pile once again. At least I know the oak will not be full of cracks and pits.

Wallaby

[SimeonTurner]

Who is that hideously ugly dude on the cover of that magazine?

[TRS]

Who is that hideously ugly dude on the cover of that magazine?

I'm pretty sure it's Sean Bean. I heard he was cast in the new movie they're filming about pipemaking.

[Sasquatch]

Well, Wallaby, you're doing a bunch of stuff right (especially in oak) - stem/shank transition looks good. You're shank tapers a little more than a proper English shape should do, and the bowl could use more material off the bottom to present as a little lighter/finer in the shaping department. The analogy I like for refining billiard shape is that you need to think of the difference between the shape your arm and hand make when you make a fist vs when you hold up an apple to inspect it. You are at fist with this pipe, and drifting it into a more delicate gesture would pro it up some.

[Sorringowl]

Great, Wallaby. Now I want to make a pipe out of oak. Thanks a lot. (As if I don't have enough trouble with briar).

Looks pretty cool to me. How does it smoke?

[Wallaby]

Well, Wallaby, you're doing a bunch of stuff right (especially in oak) - stem/shank transition looks good. You're shank tapers a little more than a proper English shape should do, and the bowl could use more material off the bottom to present as a little lighter/finer in the shaping department. The analogy I like for refining billiard shape is that you need to think of the difference between the shape your arm and hand make when you make a fist vs when you hold up an apple to inspect it. You are at fist with this pipe, and drifting it into a more delicate gesture would pro it up some.

I agree!! Both things you memtioned.

[frazeeg]

The rays in the oak spice the pipe up nicely. Please let us know how it smokes - I've noticed a sour smell in oak when working on it for furniture projects and was wondering how that would transfer to smoking.

Oh, and hopefully breathing in the tannins won't hurt...

[Mike Messer]

...proper English shape...

Hello-o. Proper English Billiards is a game, played on a large, felt-covered, rectangular table, with small ivory balls, and long, tapered sticks called q-sticks.