Bulldog proportions....updated with progress pics

[scotties22]

Any set proportions for a straight bulldog? Am I still shooting for stem lenght = stummel length...or there abouts? And how about shank length? I have one I am working on that I think looks okay and another I am going to turn tonight and want to make sure I have it right on the block before I go and screw something up.

[WCannoy]

I wish I could help you, but I tend to just "eyeball" everything, especially a proper billiard, whose proportions I think look ugly...

[LatakiaLover]

For classical proportions, check out mid-20th century examples from any of the better English makers. Comoy's Barling, Dunhill, etc.

A bulldog these days really only has to have the characteristic sharp delineation between the upper and lower parts of the bowl, with the upper portion being conical. Engraved rings aren't required, but are common. Shank shape depends on who you talk to. (Don't ask, or you'll find yourself instantly mired in the endless & unresolvable mess known as, "The differences between bulldogs and Rhodesians" )

That squat straight bulldog you brought to last week's meeting had everyone talking after you left, btw. I can't wait until you finish it.

[scotties22]

That picture is exactly the look I'm going for I like the way that one looks and I think the proportions are okay...gonna start the stem again tomorrow. I totally guessed and think I came out lucky. this is the one I am going to start and I can't decide if I should add the extra 1/2"(ish) to the shank or not.

[wisemanpipes]

FWIW Scottie,
i think the 1/2 inch chopped off looks better. doesnt show that much taper. (i dont like stem tapers for some reason? )
looks like the grains gonna be killer!
best of luck on that one!
-evan

[LatakiaLover]

Which of the two vertical lines at the end of the shank are you planning on using?

[scotties22]

Which of the two vertical lines at the end of the shank are you planning on using?

that's the question of the day. I am leaning towards the shorter of the two. That would make the stummel right at 2.75" long. The longer line would put it at 3.125 long. I just can't decide which would look better.

[LatakiaLover]

10-4.

My eyeballs say neither. That the right length is between them, about 1/3rd of the way toward the longer one from the shorter one.

Wherever you chop it, remember that the face of the shank (and the mortise) should be a right angle to the outside of the shank---meaning the centerline of visual mass---not the airway that runs through it (though they sometimes coincide). It's a bit more work (when they don't coincide, anyway), but something that immediately says "amateur" when overlooked.

[Tyler]

I would suggest you drill at a different angle and face the shank at a different angle. I'll draw up my suggestion later this evening to show you what I mean.

The shank length is mostly immaterial. You can make either choice look good.

[scotties22]

I will drill my mortise square with the shank, no worries there. I do plan on drilling the airway up (for lack of a better description) so I can safely take enough off the bottom of the bowl. That line is just a rough guide while I was laying it out. I will draw my real lines before I chuck it up. Normally I do that before I cut the block, but I couldn't decide on the shank length.

Thanks for the guidance....i'm gonna shoot for somewhere in the middle of the two lines.

[Sasquatch]

I would suggest you drill at a different angle and face the shank at a different angle. I'll draw up my suggestion later this evening to show you what I mean.

The shank length is mostly immaterial. You can make either choice look good.

This.

[Tyler]

I will drill my mortise square with the shank, no worries there. I do plan on drilling the airway up (for lack of a better description) so I can safely take enough off the bottom of the bowl. That line is just a rough guide while I was laying it out. I will draw my real lines before I chuck it up. Normally I do that before I cut the block, but I couldn't decide on the shank length.

Thanks for the guidance....i'm gonna shoot for somewhere in the middle of the two lines.

When I said drill at a different angle, I meant the chamber.

[scotties22]

Gotcha.....would you cant it forward?

[Tyler]

Gotcha.....would you cant it forward?

Yes. But you already drew the bowl canted forward, so you can leave that the same.

A general rule of thumb is never drill at 90 degrees. Always cant a straight pipe.

[LatakiaLover]

A general rule of thumb is never drill at 90 degrees. Always cant a straight pipe.

Abolutely. Few things look worse than a dead-square right angle bowl on a straight pipe. It's something that the human eyeball/brain assembly requires to be happy. (A similar one is that a photo matted to a white board requires the bottom border be wider than the others, or it looks narrower than the others. Go figure.)

[Sasquatch]

Also, if you have more than about 8 cups of coffee in the morning you'll have to pee real bad by about 10.

Hope this helps.

Todd.

[Sasquatch]

And I'm just going to add an addendum, or corollary as it were, to Tyler's post.

What he's really saying is that because you've drilled the pipe completely straight at 90 degrees, it's a slightly bent pipe.

[wisemanpipes]

Gotcha.....would you cant it forward?

Yes. But you already drew the bowl canted forward, so you can leave that the same.

A general rule of thumb is never drill at 90 degrees. Always cant a straight pipe.

REALLY? who knew. is there any other reason to cant other than cosmetics?

[The Smoking Yeti]

Gotcha.....would you cant it forward?

Yes. But you already drew the bowl canted forward, so you can leave that the same.

A general rule of thumb is never drill at 90 degrees. Always cant a straight pipe.

REALLY? who knew. is there any other reason to cant other than cosmetics?

You aren't allowed to know that till you've made 51 pipes.

[wisemanpipes]

dang... looks like its out to the garage