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I'll up the ante and double dog dare you to make a CW stem out of acrylic/lucite.

I use a right angle to draw the 90 line then adjust it how ever many degrees I want to make the cant similar to what you have done. My jaws have center pins that I lock into the point where my airway and chamber intersect so it's easy to drill the airway and chamber by slightly loosening the jaws an...

The blue line is pretty close. I used a more rounded chamber bit profile which allowed me to drop the airway a bit further from the top of the shank. I chose not to ramp or notch the airway at the mortise because it was so far away.

Here's some fun bent pipe acrobats: https://d2j6dbq0eux0bg.cloudfront.net/images/839037/313174031.jpg https://d2j6dbq0eux0bg.cloudfront.net/images/839037/2095199540.jpg One of my favorite things in pipemaking is pushing the boundaries of how bent a pipe can be and still not only be functional but al...

tldr

Just kidding. Bookmarking Jack's blog post for later.

Wow! That's super-impressive as usual, George.

Nice pipe! I agree it's more brandy than billiard. The only thing I would add as a suggestion is to turn a full tenon on the briar shank and attach the shank adornment (I'm assuming faux ivory.) That way your adornment is less likely to come unglued and your mortise will be briar. Because briar is s...

There's plenty to improve on but it's not bad for a #5. Undershade hits the bulk of things to work on first. Other than practicing refining your button, I probably wouldn't spend anymore time on this pipe. You're time would be better spent making more pipes and improving on specific things with each...

Nice pot!

I agree with what's been said so far. As for the "billiard" pipes you referenced, I agree with Sas that none of them are true billiards. The Savinelli is the closest being a true billiard variant. It is a variant because the shank is too long for a traditional billiard. The Former, Jacono,...

Thanks Ocelot, never offended, even maybe when I should be. Im going to focus on the classics.......and maybe still mess around with an abstract shape every once in a while just to keep my creativity fed. I think this is a great approach for a newer, creative-minded artist. I can relate to the need...

The biggest thing to work on is making your lines throughout the entire composition more crisp and defined.

Like Jessie stated, it would help to know more about your process. Are you using a lathe or a drill press to face your shank and stem and drill? Is there in play or slop in your set up?

Leave the stem length. It matches the height of the middle of the bowl. You're going to want to put a slight bend in this stem to remedy the backwards cant illusion of the bowl in relation to the shank.

Pretty good looking pipe. I agree with Doc that the irregularity in the stain is a flaw in the briar. The best solution is a darker stain, sandblast, or rustication. I also agree that the stem doesn't need a bend but I like it with a slight bend. Your bend is a bit angular and could be a bit more su...

Not sure there's a right answer for this one. If you choose to sell now, just make sure that your future self can look back and be okay with the price you charged for the level of skill. I can only speak for myself and I can say, looking back at my past work, I sold pipes at least four years before ...

Fully enjoyed your spot on critique, Tyler. I sure did enjoy the days when this forum was more active. It saddens me to see it such a ghost town these days. It sure was fun pushing each other's skills and talents. I keep checking back here for glimmers of hope. Maybe I just need to make pipes and po...

Don't waste your time, if there are inclusions in the rod on one piece they almost always run through the entire rod. Claim from SEM for a new replacement rod. Agreed, I've had rods with tiny air bubbles throughout. I've also had inclusions like bits of dust and whatnot. What sucks is that you may ...

No. Only advantage I can see is less catches and maybe can catch flaws in shaping before it's too late to alter the shape plan. Kind of a hybrid of freehand and lathe shaping. Otherwise, it seems a waste of time. It would be interesting to hear his point of view.

Turn your bowl round first then cut your chamfer for the bulldog bowl. I use Trent's chuck and have no issues turning bulldogs and don't get catches. I also don't typically square my blocks unless they are way off. Everything is easier to turn when it's rounded and doesn't have an irregular surface.