Go away from it for a year, and when you start again, it's like starting over again for the first time.
Well, maybe not quite. I looked back in my posting history and the last time I posted in the Gallery was this weekend LAST year. I'm back out again for the first time in a long time and the good news is I don't hate my current project...much...yet...
Actually, I'm having a good time. Wife was away for most of the weekend (until yesterday) so I haven't had too much time at the bench since I was playing Mr. Mom for the weekend. But I did manage to drill the block and fit a stem with a fairly decent faux ivory inlay. Today I finally got the tenon fitting right in the mortise and flush with the shank (for the most part). I also started rough shaping.
It's fun to be back!!
Pipe making is kinda like golfing...
Glad to hear you're back at it! Post some pics when you get it finished.
Scott E. Thile
Collector, smoker, and aspiring pipemaker.
http://sethilepipes.com
Sysop: http://pipedia.org
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Collector, smoker, and aspiring pipemaker.
http://sethilepipes.com
Sysop: http://pipedia.org
---------------------
Scott -
I think I was kinda inspired to get back into it by looking at your pipes in Chicago. I think we started around the same time, but I stalled about a year ago having made a total of 9 or 10 pipes, whereas you kept at it and are now MUCH better than me. I'm trying again, though. And having fun at it (except the part where I wanted to chuck the rod into the street after trying to get my tenon to fit, but that's beside the point).
I think I was kinda inspired to get back into it by looking at your pipes in Chicago. I think we started around the same time, but I stalled about a year ago having made a total of 9 or 10 pipes, whereas you kept at it and are now MUCH better than me. I'm trying again, though. And having fun at it (except the part where I wanted to chuck the rod into the street after trying to get my tenon to fit, but that's beside the point).
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Tyler
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Scojo,
Good to hear it.
Hey, in a few weeks my wife and kids will all be out of town for nine days. You ought to come down!
As for pipe making being like golfing, I always golf my best after a long lay off. I'm not sure yet how that will play out with pipe making. Hopefully it will be the same!
Tyler
Good to hear it.
Hey, in a few weeks my wife and kids will all be out of town for nine days. You ought to come down!
As for pipe making being like golfing, I always golf my best after a long lay off. I'm not sure yet how that will play out with pipe making. Hopefully it will be the same!
Tyler
Tyler Lane Pipes
http://www.tylerlanepipes.com
http://www.tylerlanepipes.com
ScoJo.. I too have been away from it for about a year. I got frustrated because my thinking on and approach to making pipes was kind of off balance. Long story short, I was putting carts before horses, though thankfully not in any universally stupid or self-defeating ways. I didn't quit my full-time job nor take out a loan for shop equipment. 
Funny thing, it was getting into fly fishing that got me re-thinking how I was going about making pipes. Nothing but learning and trying in fly fishing is going to make you a better fly fisherman. Conventional wisdom is exactly that because it works... I believe this applies to both crafts. Since I've been back down in my shop, I've found the silly mistakes I was making a year ago are largely eliminated because I'm thinking before I do as opposed to just doing and be damned convention. It is a bit like starting over again, but with a good base of information you can use to avoid potential pitfalls that may cause you to move backward instead of forward. Not to mention, this forum really helps to ground a guy firm-footed as to what making pipes is all about... simply enjoying it! Good luck and welcome back! From one re-starter to another!
Matt
Funny thing, it was getting into fly fishing that got me re-thinking how I was going about making pipes. Nothing but learning and trying in fly fishing is going to make you a better fly fisherman. Conventional wisdom is exactly that because it works... I believe this applies to both crafts. Since I've been back down in my shop, I've found the silly mistakes I was making a year ago are largely eliminated because I'm thinking before I do as opposed to just doing and be damned convention. It is a bit like starting over again, but with a good base of information you can use to avoid potential pitfalls that may cause you to move backward instead of forward. Not to mention, this forum really helps to ground a guy firm-footed as to what making pipes is all about... simply enjoying it! Good luck and welcome back! From one re-starter to another!
Matt