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When working with vulcanite on a lathe, does it tend to flop around on the tail end if unsupported, i.e. when drilling the draft hole, or is it pretty rigid like wood and/or acrylic?

It's rigid enough to not need support at normal pipe stem lengths and diameters. Churchwarden stems which are both long and thin definitely DO need it, though.

Ok, so if I am making a churchwarden stem, and starting with, say, 24 mm rod ebonite, would I be able to drill out the draft hole with the full rod diameter, then support the tail end with a live center?

I'm not sure I understand your question.

Maybe this will make things more clear: Use a steady rest when drilling something as long as a cw stem.

Or dont make a churchwarden

EpicDragon7 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 11:37 pm Ok, so if I am making a churchwarden stem, and starting with, say, 24 mm rod ebonite, would I be able to drill out the draft hole with the full rod diameter, then support the tail end with a live center?

Chuck the churchwarden stem as close to the tenon as you can, then you can cut the tenon and drill it full length without worry.

Also, 24mm is freakin' yuuuge. You'll be removing something like 80% of the material to make a churchwarden stem. I'd start with 1/2" or 9/16" tops for that. Not only will that be better starting point, and give you a stem more in proportion, but it will pass through the headstock spindle of most lathes (except midi- and smaller wood lathes with 3/8" spindle bores).

Another trick to drill long stems is to chuck the bit in the headstock, brace the rod against the tailstock (typically with a live center), and "freehand" drill the rod - this is how I drill bamboo and other material. With stems you'll still need to figure out how to cut the tenon (steady rest or live center), but at least the airway should be good to go.

PSA: premold churchwarden stems to NOT like to be re-drilled. They have a tendency to crack and split if you get aggressive with re-drilling, so a light hand is needed, and a taper bit is a must.