Question about production.

[caskwith]

This is mostly aimed at the full time or large output hobbyist but any input is appreciated.

How do you produce your pipes? For example do you start the day with a block of briar and make a pipe that day, then the following day do the same thing again or do you start a couple of pipes at the beginning of the week and have them finished up by friday? i am trying to prove any method better just curious really.

Personally I started out basically making a pipe a day, or rather 1 pipe at a time. After a while I shifted into weekly production, starting 4 or 5 pipes on a monday and finishing them up over the course of a week or so. Now however I seem to find it works better for me to just do bits and pieces here and there, I have several pipes on hte go in various stages of completion, some are just drill blocks with a stem blank in them, others have the stem shaped and are awaiting sanding and a few are on my desk with polished stems waiting to be taped up for blasting. Tomorrow depending on my mood I might blast and finish them or I might start a few new pipes. Some pipes get started and finished within a few days, especially if commissions, others may sit in the workshop and take a couple of months to be finished.

Id be interested to hear what your own production system is and why it works for you if indeed you have any reasons.

[sam a]

great topic, i look forward to seeing peoples responses. lately, i personally like to start a ton of pipes and never finish any of them... i'm sure there are better methods out there.

[jogilli]

Chris

great post... and funny you ask... when I look at what is down in my workshop right now

3 almost finished pipes (about 3-4 more days before pics will be made)
1 70% finished pipe.. shaped 220 grit and mouthpiece fit, but only 50% complete
2 stummels in shaping.. I use mouthpiece blanks (ruined in other words) during shaping
2 blocks cut to a basic shape that will be worked with all the extra bits laid out. bamboo, ivory, MP material for one.. and nothing for the other as it will have a brass inlay and probably mouthpiece I started for a pipe earlier, but overcut the mortise (too small a diameter) but I'm not sure yet

so I run various stages...I also am looking forward to the other posts

james

[d.huber]

Still working this out for myself. I started a few pipes last month and am slowly finishing them up this month. It's nice to have different pipes at different stages so if I get fed up with one of them, I can divert my attention to another.

So... I'm getting closer to a process, but still figuring things out.

Make that three of us who are looking forward to other people's responses.

[the rev]

well I don't know if I meet your criteria but...

I have two pipes 85 percent done

one 75 perccent done

five 50 percent done

two 30 percent done and one just basic cut out no drilling nothing

I still hate doing the stem. And I don't love the engineering. But I love shaping and finishing

rev

[WCannoy]

For the first seven years I preferred to focus my attention on one pipe at a time, which is a horrible, horrible way to make any money doing this.

When I started making pipes again a couple of months ago, I decided I would try to shift into working on several at a time. Well, I still mostly work on one at a time, although there have been times where I would start drilling on another while the one I'm working on had some glue drying or something.

I feel like I need to make that transition to working on several at a time, but I'm having a hard time doing so...

[caskwith]

Walt I don't really think the chosen system makes much difference to output, working on one pipe at a time I could turn out 5 pipes in a week working monday to friday, batch production yielded a similar amount, maybe 6 in a week if the shapes were a little simpler. Continuous production is a little harder to guage but last year i made roughly 180 pipes so I would say accounting for holidays etc I was still producing at least 4 pipes per week on average.

[WCannoy]

Walt I don't really think the chosen system makes much difference to output

That makes me feel better. I think it would be best, for me at least, to just not worry about how many I'm working on at once and if I feel like starting another while the one I'm working on has yet to be finished, then I should do so. If I don't, then I won't!

[caskwith]

Walt I don't really think the chosen system makes much difference to output

That makes me feel better. I think it would be best, for me at least, to just not worry about how many I'm working on at once and if I feel like starting another while the one I'm working on has yet to be finished, then I should do so. If I don't, then I won't!

I think that is a wise choice, well it should be, it's the same as mine, haha. Some days I feel like being creative and doing some drilling and turning, other days I just can't be bothered and it's really nice to have some pipes that have already had the hard parts done and I can just sit back, listen to the radio and do some sanding. The only conscious decision I make (aside from commission work of course) is to never let things get too low, so if I look at the rack and see I only have a few pipes left to finish then I will try and do a drilling session as soon as I feel like it. Speaking of which I think that is tomorrows plan sorted

[Sasquatch]

I have about 5 on the go right now.

I have taken to "resting" the briar before fitting the tenon - this is giving me way better stability and a lot less shrinkage than cutting the pipe and immediately fitting the stem. So when I get a pipe order, I cut the stummel, shape it as far as I dare, then it goes on the heater for a few days. This gets rid of any extra moisture, lets the mortise shrink. Off the heater, I let the stummel cool off for at least a day. Then I can fit the stem and it doesn't move any.

In between this silly process, I have stems getting cut, shaped, glued... whatever. Other pipes are being resanded and stained, drying.... so there's a lot going on.

The best part, or the part I enjoy the most, is that I run a few pipes in amongst the commissions, and they just slowly get done as I have time, and when they are done, I have a pipe that I feel like I spent basically no time on - a freebie. It isn't, but it feels that way.

[The Smoking Yeti]

Man, I'm still trying to get a system down. I've really fallen out of a groove lately though, what with Christmas and getting sick. I'm hoping to move towards several pipes at once- that way I can work on whatever I feel like at any given time. As I'm doing commission work only right now, I have to be on top of my game to get people's designs sorted out quickly so I can actually work on them.

Give me another five years and I'll have a good system sorted out I'm sure.