Hey guys! I'm Will! I was inspired to try and make pipes after seeing the pipe store at the local Rennisance Festival here in Ohio last year. I started with a kit from Vermont Freehand and made my first pipe with a handsaw, files and sandpaper.
Since then I've been acquiring a few power tools to help me make pipes easier and quicker. My next few pipes were made from preformed stems and briar blocks, so mastering getting straight draught holes had been my focus.
Drilling airway holes by hand is a nightmare and I had been scouring local Facebook posts trying to find some solution when I stumbled upon a 10x36 Atlas metal lathe for $500!
So now I'm doing the next logical step, which is to access this massive trove of knowledge on how to use this powerful new tool for pipe making.
The only things I need to buy to get the lathe up and running are new belts, cutting tools, and a 4 jaw chuck!
I'm excited to be here and I can't wait to get quality feedback from the experts and professionals who frequent this site!
Will
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UnderShade
- Posts: 256
- Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2018 9:59 am
Re: Will
Welcome. There is indeed a great deal of knowledge and expertise here. I would recommend that you try the search function out, a lot of questions and problems that a new pipe maker faces have been exhaustively examined here.
Sounds like a great deal on your lathe. I re started with a HF 7x10” which served me well for 2 years , then moved up to a HF 8x12” , but I don’t turn stummels. Be prepared for the tooling to set you back a pretty penny.
I actually have more invested in files than I have in my lathe.
DocAitch
Sounds like a great deal on your lathe. I re started with a HF 7x10” which served me well for 2 years , then moved up to a HF 8x12” , but I don’t turn stummels. Be prepared for the tooling to set you back a pretty penny.
I actually have more invested in files than I have in my lathe.
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
-Charles Hollyday, pipe maker, reluctant mentor, and curmudgeon
" Never show an idiot an unfinished pipe!"- same guy
Re: Will
Thanks Doc! I'm fully prepared to spend some cash on this project. I'm probably going to keep working with eubachon blocks and preformed stems for a while until I'm happy with my performance. I already have twelve or so tabs open on different forum posts talking about tools alone. Once I start churning pipes out, I'll be posting vanity pictures.
On the topic of files, I know I'm going to need more already. Doing just a single kit pretty much knocked out one of my files since it was all I used for the whole thing. You don't realize how hard briar really is until you see what it can do to hardened steel.
On the topic of files, I know I'm going to need more already. Doing just a single kit pretty much knocked out one of my files since it was all I used for the whole thing. You don't realize how hard briar really is until you see what it can do to hardened steel.
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LatakiaLover
- Posts: 3120
- Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2007 4:29 am
- Location: Kansas City, USA
- Contact:
Re: Will
UFOs must be real. There's no other explanation for cats.