laying out a billiard

[ToddJohnson]

Think I'm gonna finish this one as is....it looks nice and I'd hate to wreck it now

I know that this is one of your first few pipes, and I think that is a wise course of action on this particular piece--it's a nice pipe--but this statement is so profound, I just want to comment on it. Down the road, this will be the determining factor as to whether your pipes are going to be great or average. Never settle for a pipe that is too fat here, or too tall there because, at the present moment, it has decent grain, no big pits, and the shape is passable. Have you ever heard someone say "that pipe has very few pits, the grain is okay, and the shape is decent, I absolutely must have it!" I haven't.

TJ

[scotties22]

Sas, Thanks for the pictures. They really help put things into prospective. Is the bowl canted forward a degree too far on mine??? Still feels a little out there from the profile...

TJ, that thought lasted about two seconds after I typed it.....I can't get this pipe and what I can do to make it better out of my head. I've just been out in the garage at the sander. I took some more meat off in a few places to try to get it to come back close to a billiard.

I have had the billiard contest thread pulled up all evening...again...






(at least my hand is in focus in this one....stupid camera!)

The bowl is off, left to right, from the front. I took a little more off the shank and tightened up the shank/bowl junction. I still need to get the stem squared away. But think I am closer to a billiard now. Still could probably lose a little more off the bottom of the bowl in the front (back...whatever).

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to give me some input. At the KC show next year I am buying you all a drink. And I promise to one day stop bothering you with my questions...

[mightysmurf8201]

Having the fattest part of the bowl well below center is probably the biggest nono, and the shaping on the bottom part of the bowl, the real round, smooth curve flowing into the shank is hard to do. Terrifying for a new maker. "Gonna hit the chamber. Gonna hit the chamber."

Thank you Sas, much appreciated. One of the things I am trying to force myself to overcome is the fear of taking too much material off, and that particular curve on a billiard is quite intimidating.

[Sasquatch]

There's a significant trick going on here too Mighty, that I haven't mentioned.

Sometimes.... (every time) a guy drills a billiard with the airway going upwards just a couple degrees. Result is tha the chamber can be put about 1/8" higher than if it was drilled parallel to the mortise. This allows more freedom in shaping and keeps enough wood at the bottom of the bowl.

But for God's sake.... don't tell anyone.

[Alden]

There's a significant trick going on here too Mighty, that I haven't mentioned.

Sometimes.... (every time) a guy drills a billiard with the airway going upwards just a couple degrees. Result is tha the chamber can be put about 1/8" higher than if it was drilled parallel to the mortise. This allows more freedom in shaping and keeps enough wood at the bottom of the bowl.

But for God's sake.... don't tell anyone.

I have a question about that Sas. If I am angling the airway upward in a straight pipe, should I move the block in the chuck to drill the mortise at a different angle ?
I can see on a heavily bent pipe you will need two completely different angles for the airway and mortise/tenon, so you would need to move the block to drill the mortise. But on a straight pipe I cant tell if thats necessary, or if you can leave them on the same plane but at two slightly different angles ?

[RadDavis]

If I am angling the airway upward in a straight pipe, should I move the block in the chuck to drill the mortise at a different angle ?

Yes.

Hope this helps.

Rad

[Alden]

Hope this helps.

Yes it does. Unfortunately it makes me hate my chuck even more. The jaws are so sloppy it is easy to get crooked when resetting it.

[scotties22]

I am still waiting on tools and chucks and stuff for my lathe, so I am going to drill another billiard this afternoon on my drill press. I think that's what I did wrong on this one....I drilled the airway straight in and not up from the bottom a bit.

[RadDavis]

Hope this helps.

Yes it does. Unfortunately it makes me hate my chuck even more. The jaws are so sloppy it is easy to get crooked when resetting it.

Mark your centers on your block, and it's much easier.

Rad

[Alden]

Mark your centers on your block, and it's much easier.

Rad

Could you elaborate on that ? I mark a centerline down the top and bottom. I mark my airway on the sides. I mark a line for drilling the bowl. What am I missing ? I would love to find out theres another step that will make my life easier.

[d.huber]

Mark your centers on your block, and it's much easier.

Rad

Could you elaborate on that ? I mark a centerline down the top and bottom. I mark my airway on the sides. I mark a line for drilling the bowl. What am I missing ? I would love to find out theres another step that will make my life easier.

Use Rad's lathe chuck. I'm missing that step too.

[Sasquatch]

Uh, I would say the answer to the mortise angle question is "no". The mortise is parallel to the shank, but the airway slants up.

Airway in red, centerline (and line of mortise) in purple, mortise parallel with that in blue. The airway is the only deviation from that line.




You don't HAVE to do it this way, but it's a nice cheat sometimes.

[RadDavis]

Mark your centers on your block, and it's much easier.

Rad

Could you elaborate on that ? I mark a centerline down the top and bottom. I mark my airway on the sides. I mark a line for drilling the bowl. What am I missing ? I would love to find out theres another step that will make my life easier.

You've got two centers: side to side and up and down. If you draw a cross hair where the two meet, line your drill bit up on that, then you should drill where you think you are drilling, as long as you have your airway, bowl, and mortise lines set up properly in your chuck.

Keep in mind that your airway center on the end of the shank will be different (up and down) than the mortise center on all but straight pipes. The side to side will be the same no matter what.

Rad

[Alden]

You've got two centers: side to side and up and down. If you draw a cross hair where the two meet, line your drill bit up on that, then you should drill where you think you are drilling, as long as you have your airway, bowl, and mortise lines set up properly in your chuck.

Keep in mind that your airway center on the end of the shank will be different (up and down) than the mortise center on all but straight pipes. The side to side will be the same no matter what.

Rad

For some reason I've had two pipes come out with shank crooked to the airway. Airway was perfectly centered in the bowl, and the shank was so slightly off that I didnt notice until the pipe was done and something just didnt look right. I take a lot of time when I adjust a block in the chuck. Always count the number of turns I have loosened a jaw, tighten back the same number of turns and always on the same jaw.
I am thinking it is the chuck itself. There is a lot of slop and play in the jaws. Of course it could be a user error that will go away with experience