new pipe

brooklynpipes · Post by **brooklynpipes** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 12:53 am

this is my 10th pipe. the briar is from larry roush. it tastes great. let me know what you think...thanks.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 3:29 pm

Very cool bud. My initial take was that the bottom was too heavy. But the rough top does look kind of nice. Nice mortise too.

josh_ford · Post by **josh_ford** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:51 pm

Great job! I love the cumberland stem, I haven't tried it yet but I'm saving my pennies to get some rod, I love the stuff.
I agree with Nick, I think the bottom is a little heavy. I think that if you were to have drilled the mortise just a touch lower and then sanded down the top it would be a little more even but I know I would have drilled even higher than you did! When you got that big piece of briar and that big piece of stem material everything looks like it's too close, then when the shaping's done it seems to far away! Great job though.

Josh

sethile · Post by **sethile** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 7:56 pm

Very nice pipe! I really like the bowl shape, and I like the plateaux on the bottom of the stem and bowl, and would not want to loose that, but would like to see the shank thinner. I think Josh may be right on that, but man is it ever hard to tell that at drill time. Good argument for the shape first method.

Still, this a very nice pipe overall, and amazing for #10. As Nick said, great looking mortise! I'm still having some issues with mine

. Very nice grain orientation too. Great work, keep them coming!

brooklynpipes · Post by **brooklynpipes** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 8:50 pm

thanks alot for all the feedback. i agree that the stem should have sat lower in the shank, but it is difficult to have the foresite when you drill before shaping of course. i knew that i wanted the rough bottom look, so i just did the best i could with what i had. don't quite know how to keep the pipe steady enough to drill accurately after shaping. right know i'm using the aluminum ken lamb chuck. it works very well.
would be nice if someone posted the steps involved in the shaping first method........

bscofield · Post by **bscofield** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 9:18 pm

brooklynpipes wrote:would be nice if someone posted the steps involved in the shaping first method........

While I've never done this particular procedure, I'm confident that I can tell you both steps in order:

1- Shape

2- Drill

brooklynpipes · Post by **brooklynpipes** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 9:33 pm

very funny....

ckr · Post by **ckr** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 8:16 am

Absolutely awesome job on the mortise and tenon and indeed a beautiful stem and enough has been said about the shank.

Ben, I appreciate that sick, dry wit.

LexKY_Pipe · Post by **LexKY_Pipe** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 9:06 am

I too thought that the bottom was a bit heavy, but I do like the rustic look there. Great stem!

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 9:12 am

While I've never done this particular procedure, I'm confident that I can tell you both steps in order:

1- Shape

2- Drill

LOL!!! You're a nut Ben.

sethile · Post by **sethile** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:52 am

Hey guys, I know of a great outline describing how to shape before drilling, but I'm sworn to secrecy. It's a safety concern of the author, and the fact that the outline is no longer completely current (not a trade secret, or anything like that). I'll let the author know about this thread and see if he wants to chime in on it.

For one, you really need special chamber bits to do it at all successfully. See the following threads:

viewtopic.php?t=2174&start=0
viewtopic.php?t=2191&highlight=

The basic idea is after you refine your shape on the disk or what have you, you sketch the drilling lines and intersections for the drilling all around the outside of the stummel. Then while locating the end points of those lines with a dead center in your tail stock, you hold the stummel in your hands to hold and guide it while pushing it into the spinning drills or bits (which are chucked in the headstock) with your tail stock.

The idea is you're pushing with the tailstock using a dead center, which is locating the end point of where that hole would be should it continued to the outside of the stummel (hopefully you'll stop in time

. The holes will intersect in accordance with your lines because your tailstock and headstock are perfectly aligned (or should be at least).

Hard to describe without pics.

I'm extremely excited about getting a set of bits from Brad, and starting to experiment with this. My understanding is most of the Danish makers are using this approach, as well as many of the top makers in the US and elsewhere, and it's far easier to optimize grain and other characteristics of the block this way.

brooklynpipes · Post by **brooklynpipes** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 12:33 pm

hello all. thanks again for the feedback. it would be great if that guy would let you post the information about drilling after shaping.
i understand the axis technique with using the center on the tailstock. before i got the lamb chuck i drilled the tobacco chamber and mortise in a vise that i set up in the lathe, then i drilled the smoke hole using the tailstock center while feeding the pipe into the spinning bit. sometimes i got it perfect, but most of the time it was slightly off center.
it seems like it would be difficult to sketch the axis line accurately on an irregular shape, and you would have to leave a little extra meat on the bowl to compensate for the center digging into the bowl.
maybe if this spoon bit venture comes through brad pohllman would be able to explain how to lay out and how to physically handle the four drilling steps: tobacco chamber, mortise, facing the shank, and drilling the shank hole.
we'll see what happens..........

sethile · Post by **sethile** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 8:54 pm

brooklynpipes wrote: ...you would have to leave a little extra meat on the bowl to compensate for the center digging into the bowl.

In situations where you don't have any extra room for the dead center point to dig into the wood you can use a dab of 5 minute epoxy there. That can then be easily snaded off. Sometimes they do almost all the shaping before drilling. Other times I think they're leaving a good deal to play with and still refining the shape afterward. Just depends on the block and design, and no doubt, the pipe maker.

ToddJohnson · Post by **ToddJohnson** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 12:16 pm

Hey Scott,

I know this may not make a lot of sense to people, but I'd prefer if you didn't post it. I'll try to put something together soon that details the process with some photos and commentary. I want to make sure that everyone understands the risks and benefits of the process and takes all the necessary precautions to avoid injury. When done correctly, it's really not all that dangerous, but there are a few "dont's" that could put you in the emergency room. That's not something I want to be responsible for--even indirectly.

Todd

sethile · Post by **sethile** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:05 pm

That updated version sounds great, Todd, thanks! I know it will be greatly apprcieated by many of us, and timely too, as I exptect there will be a bunch of interest in the process from those that are getting in on Brad's chamber bits.

brooklynpipes · Post by **brooklynpipes** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 9:24 pm

i think that is very prudent of todd not to want to post the info on the method in the concern of safety.
getting so close to a lathe powered spinning drill bit could cause major hand injury of course.
hopefully todd can expain how to do this in a safe way, or maybe it's too dangerous for the masses of pipemakers?...........

madgarry · Post by **madgarry** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:56 am

Thats a nice looking pipe, I like the rustication/carving youve put on it

brooklynpipes · Post by **brooklynpipes** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:45 pm

thanks for the kind words. the rough section on the bottom is actually the top of the briar burl. thankfully i didn't have to do any carving or rustication.....