Shankless pipe?

For discussion of the drilling and shaping of the stummel.
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BOBXXII
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2023 11:11 pm

Shankless pipe?

Post by BOBXXII »

I am working on my first pipe, which is looking like it is going to be something like a poker with a short wooden stem. The entire thing is raw oak from the firewood pile in my back yard. The piece I am working with is a cylinder about 2.25" tall by 1.75" across (sorry, no pics yet). I think that I am going to get a decent bowl out of this, but I don't think that I'll be able to make a substantial shank on it. I haven't seen this anywhere, but I may try to fit my stem directly into the bowl, similar to a basic corncob. It seems fine to me, but again, it's my first pipe, and I haven't seen anyone else do one like this. I'll keep looking. Does anyone have a reason that this plan won't work?
A pipe gives a wise man time to think and a fool something to stick in his mouth.
~ C. S. Lewis

You might find that smoke blown out cleared your mind of shadows within.
~ Mithrandir
BOBXXII
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2023 11:11 pm

Re: Shankless pipe?

Post by BOBXXII »

Hey, now I feel dumb, but after another half hour of looking, I found two examples of the pipe I was looking for.
A pipe gives a wise man time to think and a fool something to stick in his mouth.
~ C. S. Lewis

You might find that smoke blown out cleared your mind of shadows within.
~ Mithrandir
BighornBriar
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Sep 19, 2022 1:41 pm

Re: Shankless pipe?

Post by BighornBriar »

Good morning!

There's plenty of pipes out there that don't have shanks, so fire away. A couple of things to consider:

-the shorter airway makes for a "hotter" smoke
-you may have issues with your stummel. Firewood isn't exactly known for its excellent pipe-making qualities. Only briar really acts like briar, but when I started out, I also tried cheaper wood before briar. If your oak piece wasn't cut from a knot, you may find that it will split very easily. Best case scenario- you' have your first pipe. Worst case scenario- you'll learn something not to do next time.
DocAitch
Posts: 1109
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 12:44 am
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Re: Shankless pipe?

Post by DocAitch »

Dunhill Duke, Eltang Basic.
I agree with BighornBriar- nothing works like briar.
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
caskwith
Posts: 2196
Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:00 am

Re: Shankless pipe?

Post by caskwith »

I don't agree with Bighornbriar, the shorter airway makes no difference to how hot the pipe smokes, old urban myth of pipemaking.
DocAitch
Posts: 1109
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 12:44 am
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Re: Shankless pipe?

Post by DocAitch »

caskwith wrote: Wed Mar 29, 2023 3:56 am I don't agree with Bighornbriar, the shorter airway makes no difference to how hot the pipe smokes, old urban myth of pipemaking.
Yes, I didn’t address that.
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
Papawhisky
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Apr 04, 2023 5:14 pm

Re: Shankless pipe?

Post by Papawhisky »

I am new here, but is oak not carcinogenic, therefore cancer causing ergo not good for making pipes out of?
UnderShade
Posts: 256
Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2018 9:59 am

Re: Shankless pipe?

Post by UnderShade »

Briar, morta and olive are the standard. Hardwoods will burn out with repeated use. Yes, Oak is an A1 carcinogen and bad for smoking pipes.
BOBXXII
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2023 11:11 pm

Re: Shankless pipe?

Post by BOBXXII »

Good to know
A pipe gives a wise man time to think and a fool something to stick in his mouth.
~ C. S. Lewis

You might find that smoke blown out cleared your mind of shadows within.
~ Mithrandir
DocAitch
Posts: 1109
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2015 12:44 am
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Re: Shankless pipe?

Post by DocAitch »

Papawhisky wrote: Wed Apr 05, 2023 9:34 am I am new here, but is oak not carcinogenic, therefore cancer causing ergo not good for making pipes out of?
I just have to throw this in as food for thought when discussing toxic and carcinogenic materials for SMOKING pipes.
TOBACCO smoke contains >250 toxic compounds, at least 10 of which are carcinogenic.
I am not saying to use oak or other compounds, but perhaps we should keep some perspective.
DocAitch
Last edited by DocAitch on Thu Apr 06, 2023 4:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"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
BOBXXII
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2023 11:11 pm

Re: Shankless pipe?

Post by BOBXXII »

Oh good! I'll rest easy knowing that I my pipe only slightly increases my already high chances of getting cancer. ; )

In all seriousness, I am not super concerned, as I am not planning on becoming a regular smoker.
A pipe gives a wise man time to think and a fool something to stick in his mouth.
~ C. S. Lewis

You might find that smoke blown out cleared your mind of shadows within.
~ Mithrandir
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