Detailed, well-shot, mini-documentary of Former at work

[LatakiaLover]

From block to fully shaped (needs only finish sanding).

Though some sneaky edits make him look even more "magician like" than he really is, it's still amazing.

50 years of daily practice = superhuman muscle control and position awareness.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxVodOHo1Nw

[JMG]

Good grief...watching him work on the sanding disc was something else.

[caskwith]

Why why why does anyone drill the chamber first?!?!

[caskwith]

Oh and what bits did you think were edited?

As far as the shaping wheel goes, he did things near identical to the way I do it, including the order in which he did the shaping. Interesting that it appears there is only one way to shape a billiard on the disc.

[LatakiaLover]

Oh and what bits did you think were edited?

All measuring and marking, all vulcanite rod prep (cutting to overall length, cutting the tenon, drilling the airway, cutting the slot, turning the outside diameter to match the "eyeballed" shank diameter), and "shaping away" by hand sanding the many small facets left by rough shaping the bottom of the bowl + shank junction on the wheel.

There's nothing wrong with leaving those things out in and of itself, but anyone unfamiliar with the details of pipemaking would likely say after watching the film that Former could make a pipe in forty minutes that was ready for final sanding and staining. That they'd seen it with their own eyes.

That's not the case, though.

Is he blindingly fast? Obviously. But not THAT fast.

[RickB]

Pretty incredible. I remember someone (maybe Sas, though probably more than one of you) saying that what was amazing about great pipe makers isn't just that they end up with a better end result than us newer folks, they get there in a quarter (or in Former's case, about a tenth) the time.

[LatakiaLover]

Pretty incredible. I remember someone (maybe Sas, though probably more than one of you) saying that what was amazing about great pipe makers isn't just that they end up with a better end result than us newer folks, they get there in a quarter (or in Former's case, about a tenth) the time.

Yup, they do.

Then comes realizing/discovering they routinely get 10X the price FOR what they produce in that fraction of the time.

[sandahlpipe]

I’m just finally gaining some speed in making pipes. It takes a while till you actually know precisely what you’re doing. Then it takes time for your eyes and hands to catch up. This is some next-level efficiency, though. The chamber drill in the tool post instead of the tailstock looks like a good idea.




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[caskwith]

Oh and what bits did you think were edited?

All measuring and marking, all vulcanite rod prep (cutting to overall length, cutting the tenon, drilling the airway, cutting the slot, turning the outside diameter to match the "eyeballed" shank diameter), and "shaping away" by hand sanding the many small facets left by rough shaping the bottom of the bowl + shank junction on the wheel.

There's nothing wrong with leaving those things out in and of itself, but anyone unfamiliar with the details of pipemaking would likely say after watching the film that Former could make a pipe in forty minutes that was ready for final sanding and staining. That they'd seen it with their own eyes.

That's not the case, though.

Is he blindingly fast? Obviously. But not THAT fast.

Ah ok, I thought there was something I missed where he made a mistake or something that was edited.

[Massis]

Why why why does anyone drill the chamber first?!?!

as in before the airway? or as in before shaping?

I do it the same way honestly. First I shape the bowl, because it's the main component and I find it easier to adjust the shank to match the bowl than the other way around.
Since on classic shapes, the bowl is normally drilled exactly along the centerline of the shape of the stummel, it's easiest to drill it without rechucking after you shape the outside.

Thus you shape the outside, drill the chamber and only then rechuck for the airway, shank & mortise.

[caskwith]

Why why why does anyone drill the chamber first?!?!

as in before the airway? or as in before shaping?

I do it the same way honestly. First I shape the bowl, because it's the main component and I find it easier to adjust the shank to match the bowl than the other way around.
Since on classic shapes, the bowl is normally drilled exactly along the centerline of the shape of the stummel, it's easiest to drill it without rechucking after you shape the outside.

Thus you shape the outside, drill the chamber and only then rechuck for the airway, shank & mortise.

Yes as in before the airway. I always drill the airway before drilling the chamber, it's the easiest way to get perfect drilling depth.

[Charl]

Agree with Chris, it just doesn't make sense for me that way.
Might have something to do with a factory type background?
Most of these old masters started off in factories.

[Sasquatch]

I double drill my chambers - I cut the bowl, get what I want, drill most of the chamber, then do shank and airway, and then re-chuck and finish the chamber to airway connection to make it perfect.