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As a caveat I've never done this on pipes... So why are you disagreeing with a pipe maker who does one of the best smooth finishes on the planet? Lars Ivarsson stopped at his table at Chicago last year and was impressed. That's saying something. I'm offering up a different perspective based on my s...

I just use a long, thin chisel. It can be used to pare off slices from the sides and twirled. A drill would be easier but that would be one more thing to carry around in my bag and it would have no other use. I've tried to pare my kit down to the essentials so that once I've done the rough sawing I ...

It's certainly a different way of working, that's for sure. I like being able to coordinate the shape of the chamber with the stummel. I rarely use drills, it's been pretty easy just cutting out the chamber with carving tools. The nice thing is that the backbent tools allow for greater design flexib...

I'm not disagreeing with your experience. Finishing pipes is different than finishing other wood products. I do both furniture and pipes. Some things translate well to finishing pipes, some don't, some need modification. This is a case where doing a traditional rubbed out finishing technique won't ...

I'm just wondering why you would want to put more than one layer on? Other people may have a different purpose in mind. The purpose for me is not to get a "lacquered" sheen to the pipe, but only as a medium to set the stain. 2# shellac is often sold as a one-coat pore-sealer to do exactly...

You also don't need to sand between layers of shellac. It is one finish that doesn't require mechanical adhesion except at the base layer where it attaches to the medium. Urethanes and other coalescing finishes do require sanding between layers of application. Think of shellac as a continually thic...

See if you can get a thinner cut of shellac. The hardware store usually sells Zissner in, I believe, 5# cut. You can find 2# cut (much thinner) at a woodworking store or the internet. That will put on a much thinner layer that is more easy to blend. I use 0000 steel wool between coats to smooth out ...

I make all my pipes with hand tools (carving chisels, rasps, and hand drills) only. It takes longer but to me is more satisfying. I enjoy the process very much. Since I have only myself to please it doesn't matter how long it takes.

I cut them with chisels and get all kinds of fun shapes like rectangles and cones.

The end grain looks exactly like Black Palm. Isn't that Beetlenut stuff highly addictive? Do they spit all the time? I've chewed plenty of it. It's an excellent way to clean the palate. I've not known it to be the least bit addictive. You could swallow it but most people spit it just like tobacco c...

It's an ongoing topic on the Old Tools list.

Go here: http://swingleydev.com/archive/search.php

and type in "Sharpen Files"

You can handle the rest.

jjpipes wrote:Like I said ignorant

Thanks Bosaiya
Steve

Not ignorant at all. At least you asked.

jjpipes wrote:please excuse my ignorance but what are sans power tools

"Sans" meaning "without"

Or it could be an incredibly brilliant name for a power tool company.

wdteipen wrote:It's perfectly acceptable; however, with a few exceptions "natural" finished pipes tend to sell for much less.

I can't imagine my wanting to sell a pipe I've made, much less someone else actually wanting to buy one.

You are already doing more than most. Bamboo is not something that folks expect to be flawless, in my experience. ... Tyler I agree. To my untrained eye it looks more like an attempt to make something that looks like bamboo out of clay or porcelain. If you're going for the wild and wooly look of ba...

After hemming and hawwing and finally coming to terms with my current situation I decided to leave my latest pipe unfinished. I've used shellac in the past with good results but am in a bit of a pickle at the moment with my shop far away. I don't think it's necassarily a case of necessity being the ...

I've done a few pipes sans power tools. Just finished one up recently and it's smoking nicely. I am really not interested in turning rods into stems anymore so I've gone green by recycling old stems from other pipes. It's all just a matter of time and priorities. If you want to kick out a large quan...

Sounds a lot like Emperor Norton, though his particular beef was with rice. If you see what I'm talking about, there is no similarity to Norton, at least what I read about him...not a meglomania concept, but I don't really want to get too deep into this. It's is a mind-warping kind-of concept, and ...

Sounds a lot like Emperor Norton, though his particular beef was with rice.

I've had some success lining the bottom of the bowl with clay. It distributes the heat over a larger area and provides some modest insulation of its own. Since it's porous it eventually fills with the juices and gets a nice covering of carbon just like anything else. There's no taste.