Does anybody make pre drilled blocks to sell?

What to buy a used tool? Looking to sell some extra stems or inlay material? Post your buy, sell, or trade requests and advertisements here.
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Iantkoelle
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Joined: Sat Apr 30, 2016 7:58 am

Does anybody make pre drilled blocks to sell?

Post by Iantkoelle »

As the title says, I would love to buy a pre drilled block.... or three, from somebody on here. I have made two pipes. One from briar and one from pear as a bit of an experiment. I really want something with a straight stem Because I want to make a poker, along with another bent apple or something. There is a local smoke shop by me where the owner makes pipes, and I can get stems. I'm not familiar enough with terminology to order from Vermont freehand or somewhere like that.... unless you of you knows a website where I can order some quality pre drilled blocks.
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sandahlpipe
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Re: Does anybody make pre drilled blocks to sell?

Post by sandahlpipe »

Just order a pipe kit from Vermont Freehand. He's really good at helping you pick good materials. I think he carries both bent and straight pipe kits. You'll need a straight one to make a poker. Even if you got a stem from a local shop, you need a way to fit the stem to the briar, so a kit just takes out the learning curve.
---
Fail early, fail often. Your success depends on it.

Jeremiah Sandahl
http://sandahlpipe.com
DocAitch
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Re: Does anybody make pre drilled blocks to sell?

Post by DocAitch »

Steve Norse at VermonT Freehand is great to deal with. As Jeremiah said, he will work with you.
Remember to treat the stem and block as a unit. Don't remove the stem during shaping.
You will also need some good files- I would suggest a flat file, a half round, and a couple of round files. Nicholson is pretty good, and chain saw files for the transitions between stem and bowl.
If you want better, Stewart MacDonald has a set which is nice, and Otto Frei carries very good but pricey Swiss files.
Rough shaping is up to you. Cutting with a saw requires patience and care, it's very easy to take off too much, and you can't put wood back once it's gone. A rotary cutter such as a Dremel will work, so will a die grinder ( Harbor freight ~$30), or a wheel with 40 grit or coarser paper.
After that, lots of sanding.
Good luck.
DocAitch
"Hettinger, if you stamp 'hand made' on a dog turd, some one will buy it."
-Charles Hollyday, pipe maker, reluctant mentor, and curmudgeon
" Never show an idiot an unfinished pipe!"- same guy
DocAitch
Posts: 1109
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 12:44 am
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Re: Does anybody make pre drilled blocks to sell?

Post by DocAitch »

double post
"Hettinger, if you stamp 'hand made' on a dog turd, some one will buy it."
-Charles Hollyday, pipe maker, reluctant mentor, and curmudgeon
" Never show an idiot an unfinished pipe!"- same guy
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