pipemakersforum.com

So I have been a pipe smoker for 3 years now. I am 25, and i always had a love for woodworking. I had a knack in high school for pottery. I had a poor experience with a bad woodworking teacher.

I always loved making things with my hands. As a kid it was tree forts and legos. Now i realized i need a creative outlet. I got to thinking about making pipes as a hobby.

I must admit my woodworking knowledge is a bit limited. But i would love to try my hand at making pipes. Not for profit, but for something to do in my spare time to relive stress. I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction for some basic equipment i could buy with my tax return, so that i might see if my woodworking teacher was just a jerk, and i really can make something out of wood.

I was thinking other than a pre drilled pipe making kits and some files what one would need to start, specific equipment guildlines and such.

Many regards,
Pat.

Heya Pat. Welcome!

As far as necessary equipment, all you need to complete a premade kit are some files - coarse and fine - and sandpaper - 100, 150, 220, 320, 400 and 600. If you don't have access to a buffing wheel then a few higher grits - 1000, 1500 and 2000 - may be advisable. But often you can get access to a wheel at a nice pipe shop or shoe shine shop. A coping saw will help too.

That's really all you need to get started. If you make 2 or 3 pipes and enjoy the process, you may consider getting a lathe. Lathes are excellent tools for pipe making because you can shape, sand, buff and drill on them. Metal lathes are great, but a wood lathe can do just as well for most things.

Check out Mark Tinsky's site or PIMO's site for good pre-drilled kits.

Hi Pat.. welcome..

You're going to need the following:

PIMO's Pipe Crafting at Home - you can get this at http://www.pimopipecraft.com . It's a book on basic pipe making and so far as I know, the only one out there. Very good information and worth the $18 or so it costs.

Variable speed hand drill - this is optional but I would suggest you get one. Not cordless, you want one you don't have to change batteries on while you're using it. You'll be able to use this with sanding discs for shaping as well as chucking up buffs for buffing and waxing the pipes you make. If you decide making pipes isn't for you, you'll still have a drill you can use.

Coping and/or hack saw - you can use either of these to cut away stock, it's a matter of which you prefer. I personally have used the coping saw the most. A hack saw never worked well for me. Your mileage may vary.

Files - Various sizes(standard, hobby, needle) and various cuts. Nicholson makes very nice files for decent prices.... you can NEVER have enough files.

Sandpaper - 150, 220, 320, 400, 600, 800... some go even further than that, it's up to the maker.

Buffs - 6 or 8 inch for buffing operations. You'll want muslin, single-sewn for the tripoli and white diamond compounds and spiral-sewn for wax application. You'll also want a flannel buff for final, clean buffing. You don't use any compound on the flannel.

Buffing compounds and wax - brown tripoli, white diamond and carnauba wax.

Stains/dyes - you'll want analine(sp?) dyes. You mix these with denatured alcohol and apply them to the wood. The alcohol evaporates and leaves the stain/dye behind. You don't want to use standard wood stains on pipes.

Dremel/Foredom or other rotary tool - The Dremel is super affordable, the Foredom will last you forever. Either one is optional.. you don't *need* one but they're nice to have on-hand.

Hope that helps.. I'm sure others will chime in with more information for you. Good luck and if you have any questions, ask. Someone will be willing to help!

Matt

I started with:

$99 disc/belt sander
$99 drill press
$7-$10 block of wood (somewhere in that area)
$2 for several pre-fab bits.

Sandpaper I had laying around, though I had to find the higher grit stuff (auto parts store). A file I did not use at the time I do now.

Keep in mind that I started without a pre-drilled kit. Probably a good idea. The way I see it is if you enjoy the shaping/creative side of it, you'll put yourself through the technical/engineering side

It can be done quite inexpensively. As others have said, there are a few requisites--here is what I made my first few pipes with:

Cheapie Drill Press & vise: ~$50 (really cheap!)
Spade Bits for chamber: ~$5 for homemade or ~$30 for preground
Drill bits: ~$5
Sandpaper: ~$10
Briar: $3 and up
Stems: ~$2 each
Sanding discs for use in drill: ~$15
Buffing wheels & compound for hand drill: ~$20

So, you could theoretically begin for around $100.

Here's a list of suppliers for most of what you'll need: http://pipedia.org/index.php?title=Pipe ... d_Supplies

Hello Pat,

Pipe making is great fun, and I can't even start to describe how rewarding it was to light up the first pipe I made. Go for it!

We've started a wiki for pipes, that also has a pipe making section that covers the basics of getting started (mostly information gleaned from here). You'll find a couple of articles and links that should help... You will also find lots of great information here on the forum if you dig for it!

Here's the link to the pipe making subsection of Pipedia:
http://www.pipedia.org/index.php?title=Pipe_Making

It's just a start. I hope it will eventually include much more information as it develops. I think you will find it helpful even now....

Hey Pat,
It's a great hobby. I've never had a hobby that I actually stuck with and got into so much. Very rewarding hobby it is. I have not yet started selling pipes, but I plan to eventually. I was fortunate to have had a pretty decent garage shop built up over the years, but as others have shown, it need not be an expensive startup.
FWIW, I think my most valued investment was for a dust collector though.

http://www.pipemakers.org/tools02.html

has anyone used a motor from this site?

I wanted to make a french wheel that doubled as a buffer. I figure even if i dont end up pipe making at least i can use it to clean up my collection.

I don't know anything about that particular motor, but this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0156441443
is a very high quality unit, is wired for 110V operation with built-in power switch, and is unstoppable. It is the basis for two belt grinders I'm building, my disc shaper, and a number of other tools.

KurtHuhn wrote:I don't know anything about that particular motor, but this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0156441443
is a very high quality unit, is wired for 110V operation with built-in power switch, and is unstoppable. It is the basis for two belt grinders I'm building, my disc shaper, and a number of other tools.

Baldor has a good reputation for reliable, quality motors. This eBay price is a very good deal for the money. I'm not sure what a French wheel is, but 1/3 hp should be sufficient for pipe buffing.

A french wheel is like a disk sander. Its shaped so that is rounded towards the shaft.

Kurt
i ordered the motor and a 5/8 to 1/2 arbor for my buffing wheels.
A nice set of rasps and files.

I'll go to my local woodcafters for the buffs and polish.

Many thanks.

Any one had any good luck with the keyless motor chucks?

I ordered a cheap keyed arbor for the time being.

I am really stoked not to have to take my collection to my local tinder box.

Nice folks but i have has a few pipes damaged with nicks and scratches after they have been buffed.

Pat

smokingpat wrote: Any one had any good luck with the keyless motor chucks?

They are... okay.

I have a few and not a single one is aligned with the threaded shaft they go on. It's almost like a drunken sailor drilled it by and with a brace. The arbor adapter to 1/2"-20 is dead on, but for some reason the chuck body is a good 3mm off center on each and every one.

Now, I should qualify that and tell you that I paid about $10 each for these things, so I don't expect world-class accuracy. But 3mm off center is rather disconcerting. If you go that route, stay away from the ones at Woodcraft, which is where I got these, and look at McMaster-Carr. They'll cost a few dollars more, but you get what you pay for.

The only really precise way to get a chuck with a threaded body concentric on a motor shaft will be, first, to spend some money on the chuck --Rohm, for instance, or Albrecht if you're rich. Then you'll have to remove the shaft from the motor, shrink on a sleeve with an extension for the chuck, and thread the extension in the lathe. Otherwise, you've got a little slop from the arbor (which has to be sold a little oversize since not all motor shafts are exactly the same), the arbor threads (which were probably rolled), and the threads in the chuck body, none of the threads precision cut. Every once in a while, the errors cancel out in a setup like that and you get something usable.

For buffing and sanding, my suggestion is to buy a motor with the shaft already threaded. I use a Delta slow speed grinder, shaft already has 5/8-11 thread on the end, a shoulder, and you've got an on-off switch prewired and handy. You won't be holding a chuck for drilling, but you won't need a chuck for holding your sandpaper and buffing wheels, you just buy items that come with 5/8" holes in them, or that screw onto a 5/8-11 acme thread.

Jack

smokingpat wrote:http://www.pipemakers.org/tools02.html

has anyone used a motor from this site?

I wanted to make a french wheel that doubled as a buffer. I figure even if i dont end up pipe making at least i can use it to clean up my collection.

I have that motor. Works fine.

I also got a "keyed" drill chuck/arbor that fits that motor (also available from the same place, although I don't see them on their site- but I KNOW they have about a dozen of them available) The arbor was machined on a lathe - bored/reamed to fit very close on the 5/8 shaft and threaded 1/2-20 end to adapt to the chuck. Works great and I don't notice any runout from the tolerances. I use it to hold my 3" wave disc sanding pad, wire wheel for cleaning plateaux, etc.

Good point, if you machine your own arbor as you describe you're going to have much better results.

Jack

What I find interesting is that my arbors are dead-nuts on. It's just the chuck bodies that are all messed up. Bad batch of bodies? Maybe. One of these days I'll get a decent one, but for now I use the arbor more than the chuck anyway.

great advice on the motor. It seems to run a little hot but that has not stopped it.

Works well for buffing my pipes.