My First Pipe is Done --Finally

custom300 · Post by **custom300** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:45 pm

Well finally Pipe #1 is done. There are a couple of technical mistakes, and the stem doesn't fit as flush as I want against the shank. But, I decided to get this one done, take the lessons learned, and move on to the next one. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks.

Tano · Post by **Tano** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:23 pm

Jamie, you said that there were a couple of technical mistakes. I'm curious to know what you would do different next time.
Tano

mahaffy · Post by **mahaffy** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 10:33 pm

Being an impatient sort of craftsman, I am of the opinion that without a lathe I couldn't manage a flush-fitting stem. But, as Tano suggests, I don't see anything at all wrong with the pipe other than that; a pretty, good-looking pipe, and for a first try, a WONDERFUL pipe, actually.

custom300 · Post by **custom300** » Sat Jun 17, 2006 11:33 pm

Well, first thing the draught hole is about 1/16" off center, so I can't run a pipe cleaner through it. It draws okay though. The bit wandered a tad. secondly, the mortise didn't end up the way I wanted. It was a tad shallow and went in at the wrong angle. In order to compensate for the angle, I recut the shank and tried to redrill the mortise. That's what led to the difficulty in getting the stem to line up. All in all, it came out better than I thought it would. I was about to cash it all in last week, but my wife encouraged me to stay with it and finish it.

This was a nice Plateaux block, and I probably should have waited until I had a couple of cheaper blocks under my belt before cutting into this one. The stem is premade, but I put a delron tenon in it.

Thanks for your kind words.