Holly tree wood for a pipe?

[Joe T]

Has anyone ever used Holly Wood for pipe Stummel? Part of why I'm wondering is that I have a giant holly tree in my yard (must be 30 feet tall...). It was badly mangled by someone in the past, and needs a fairly large part removed.

Has anyone had any experience with this wood?

[andrew]

The berries and leaves are often poisonous. I wouldn't take chances with the wood.

andrew

[Jthompson1995]

The wood is very white, hard and even grained. It may not work for pipes but it is great for a number of other items. It is one of my favorite woods to turn. Like butta'.

[Joe T]

The berries and leaves are often poisonous....

This is definitely a concern of mine, but so far I haven't found anything saying that the wood is.

[wisemanpipes]

even if it was good to smoke, holly gets dirty and scratches easily. which would be a good indicator that I would burn out.

[baweaverpipes]

Why? Never heard of a holly pipe.
It's rather funny how those new to pipe making want to reinvent the wheel.
Just stick with briar.

[wdteipen]

IAWB

Think of the investment in briar as the cost of admission to pipe-making. Experimenting with untested woods just doesn't make much sense to me.

[Joe T]

Why? Never heard of a holly pipe.
It's rather funny how those new to pipe making want to reinvent the wheel...

Yeah, I read the thread on the 'Pipe Alchemist'. That's not me, I just wondered if anyone had tried it.

[d.huber]

IAWBAW.

[E.L.Cooley]

IAWB

Think of the investment in briar as the cost of admission to pipe-making. Experimenting with untested woods just doesn't make much sense to me.

+1
Every piece I ruin I keep in a box maybe I'll make pipe tools out of them someday.


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[wdteipen]

....and if you're using alternative woods to practice on the cheap, I hear dimensional southern pine is pretty cheap.

[E.L.Cooley]

....and if you're using alternative woods to practice on the cheap, I hear dimensional southern pine is pretty cheap.

Last I looked 2x4x96 was about $3. Which would chuck up nicely. Of course there is usually a dunnage bin in front of Home Depot. Scrap shipping blocks for .25 and sometimes you even find oak?


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[Joe T]

Last I looked 2x4x96 was about $3. Which would chuck up nicely. Of course there is usually a dunnage bin in front of Home Depot. Scrap shipping blocks for .25 and sometimes you even find oak?...

Man, that's way too expensive for me. I'll just keep cutting the tops off the neighbors' fence posts to carve up. Pressure-treating won't effect smokability. right?

[E.L.Cooley]

Man, that's way too expensive for me. I'll just keep cutting the tops off the neighbors' fence posts to carve up. Pressure-treating won't effect smokability. right?

Joe, the nice thing about using pressure treated is, it is inherently resistant to moisture.


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[wdteipen]

Pressure treated lends a nice nutty arsenic-like flavor to the tobacco. Good stuff.

[E.L.Cooley]

Pressure treated lends a nice nutty arsenic-like flavor to the tobacco. Good stuff.

I tried cedar because I know it repels insects. But, it kept burning out after 2-3 bowls couldn't build up a cake at all.



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[sethile]

I've used white holly as stem accents and shank end caps. It can be nice for those limited applications, but it's not real strong, and is easily discolored by buffing compounds, or just about anything else, so it takes careful handling. If done well it can look very similar to ivory. Even for those limited application it needs to be well cured, as well as stabilized. If you end up with clear pieces it would be worth hanging onto them.

[baweaverpipes]

Pressure treated lends a nice nutty arsenic-like flavor to the tobacco. Good stuff.

I tried cedar because I know it repels insects. But, it kept burning out after 2-3 bowls couldn't build up a cake at all.
Sent from my banana phone.

Perfect for the pipe smoking entomologist