My first pipe

[SuperBob]

I made this one back in March. It's a shorty. It likes latakia.

It doesn't actually stand on its own yet but it *might* once there's enough cake in it. Let's not discuss the pennies I threw into the bowl in order to make the photo look good. I've been thinking of redoing the stem to improve the transition from the shank.

Done with drill press, files, and sandpaper.

Length: 4 1/8"
Height: 1 3/8"
Bowl inside diameter: 3/4"
Bowl outside diameter: 1 1/4"
Bowl depth: 1"
Weight: 24 grams

[Massis]

very nice and round, especially considering you don't have a lathe.

The main improvement I can see here is the awkward taper in the shank. I'd try to remove some more briar on the bowl/shank junction as well as on the shank/stem connection (along with removing some more stem material).

This would make the stem look alot smoother, and will probably enable it to stand on itself too.

[Archer]

Far be it from me in my limited skills to offer any real critique, except to say, that I personally like everything about the bowl. I like the thicker sides. The sides also appear to be nice and straight, parallel to one another. The cant on the bottom is nice as well. The coloring is nice. The buff is ok. Getting a "high shine" is possible, but it takes practice and lots of elbow grease.

The thing may not sit because of the stem size as well. It appears a little chunky in relation to the pipe. I would opt for a more delicate stem.

The only thing that some may be picky about is there appears to be a "step" in the transition from the stem to shank, and Im not talking about the obvious "pinch" that you have made in the shank. I am talking about how if you were to run your fingernail down the shank, it would catch once it hits the stem. There may be some future discussion in this thread about overall shank thickness, how it should be thinner, how there shouldnt be a "pinch" and what have you.

One word of advice. If you are trying to do a traditional shape, make it completely traditional, otherwise expect some critique about noobs and experimental shaping. This is a traditional shape until it hits the shank. I dont know if you planned to make it that way. I you did, cool. If not, then hopefully you learned from what caused it to be that way.

Make sure everyone knows your intention is to do a traditional shape and exepect critique based on that. Otherwise if it is a "freestyle" expect either a big response on how you should be traditional or even expect no response at all.

Nice work! Id smoke it! Keep posting your work...the vaseline is cheap and it quits hurting after a bit...

Bottom line is what works for some doesnt work for all. What works for all doesnt work for some. Your best critique is to display your work. Im not saying "sell" your work, because if you display it, and it is good, someone will ask to buy it...invariably...this has been my experience with professional photography, woodworking in general, and now pipemaking. I have had pipes that have been critiqued to death recieve offers of purchase...but hey, I cater to the everyday man, not the Todd Johnson crowd!

And read the letter to new pipe carvers...

Well, this is long, I had not intended it to be.
Eric

[Ocelot55]

What is it with all these new carvers putting out better first pipes than I did! That tells me something about my patience level I suppose.

Very nice pipe. Not quite traditional, but it looks to have fine grain. Newcarver hit the nail on the head. When I started I wanted to do all sorts of weird shapes. They all turned out ok, but what I really needed to be doing was cranking out billiards and pokers and other traditional variations. They will teach you A LOT about how to craft a pipe. Hell, I'm still working on those shapes!

I'm in the same boat as you as far as tools. I don't have a lathe. What helped me a lot was to spend more time shaping with files and sandpaper than with a sanding pad on a drill. I have a lot more control that way.

I can't wait to see what another carver can do sans lathe. Maybe you and I can form the "pipe carvers without lathes club." Excellent first pipe.

[e Markle]

Nice pipe. I really like how small it is; 24 grams is awesome!

In some ways it's not really fair to critique a first pipe. If you're like I was with my first, you see 25 things that you would change, but, meh, it's your first attempt. For a first pipe there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. That being said, I would encourage you to make your lines very intentional. If you were trying to make the shank pinched like that you want it to look like that's exactly what you were shooting for. You can't really include a letter with each pipe you make stating "I meant for it to look like this..."

Anyway, good work, and I hope you make a couple more and post one for critique.

[e Markle]

One word of advice. If you are trying to do a traditional shape, make it completely traditional, otherwise expect some critique about noobs and experimental shaping.

Interesting observations. I'm not sure if I'm imagining it, or if there's a bit of frustration showing. In case there is, I thought I'd just offer an explanation to at least some of what you're seeing.

There's nothing wrong with making non-traditional shapes. That's especially true if you're just making a pipe for fun. However the implicit assumptions in the forum (and perhaps this should be revisited), are that we are making pipes to sell, and that they should be the best we can produce (with limited resources). If that is true, then a tried and true method for learning to make pipes is to begin with classic shapes. Most of us have to learn to make a graceful line and balanced proportions, and this process is greatly enhanced by working on classics. "Experimental shaping" by someone who has made less than... say, 50(?) pipes *rarely* yields nice results. Jumping straight into freehand shapes usually results in awkward looking hunks of briar. (Again, if you're just making pipes for fun - good for you, keep at it, and enjoy it.) While those can probably be sold, they can absolutely be improved upon.

I may have missed it, but I'm fairly certain that none of the established makers has ever referred to someone as a "noob" unless of course they know the person well. Most of them tend to steer clear of terminology that could be considered even mildly demeaning.

Make sure everyone knows your intention is to do a traditional shape and exepect critique based on that. Otherwise if it is a "freestyle" expect either a big response on how you should be traditional or even expect no response at all.

Just to clarify, no one wants you to be a "traditional" pipe maker. Frankly they don't care what you produce. Again, they are assuming that you want help, and they're offering it to you by challenging you to make classics at the beginning. They are just trying to help you learn to make pipes well. In fact, I would argue that the general expectation is that once you learn to make a nice classic, you will go on to make "freestyle" pipes that are widely accepted. I think the issue might be one of time horizon more than anything else. The makers here encourage people who are learning to make classics until they can consistently produce a nice one, but that is certainly not the end goal.

For example, I don't know of anyone who criticizes Todd Johnson for producing (virtually) no classics. However, he is at a point where he knows how to execute a freehand very well. I'm just reiterating my previous point that there is no expectation that you "should be traditional"; it's simply that you need to learn to crawl before you walk.

I hope we're on the same page there.

EM

[Archer]

I should have said:

Welcome newb, from a fellow newb, who has heard a little more critique. Keep up the good work! Heed the advice. It is hard earned by those who went before. Also take it with a grain of salt!

Eric

[Tyler]

Nice first, superBob. If sitting is important to you--and I'd agree with you if you said it was, otherwise why make this shape?--you can take some wood off the bottom of the bowl such that the bowl tilts the stem more up in the air. I bet you have enough meat to do it if you'd like.

[SuperBob]

I appreciate all the great advice and constructive criticism. Thanks, everyone!

Bob

[wdteipen]

I like this pipe a lot. I especially like the short fat bowl. It's an interesting take on the cherrywood poker shape. It's a great shape to try for a first pipe but still presents plenty of challenges. Getting the bowl round and symmetrical on top and bottom can be difficult. You did really well. Getting a cherrywood to sit with a straight stem is particularly difficult; especially with the shorter, lighter bowl. In order to get a cherrywood to sit you have to change the center of gravity by either putting a bend in the shank and/or tilt the bowl. Of course, the heavier the bowl is the less severe you have to be in the bend or tilt. If you've done all that, your last resort is to lighten up the stem. I did this recently by going with a saddle stem and it worked. Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing what you do next.