To break in the bits I got from Brad, I decided to try my hand at an asymmetrical pipe. I haven't done a shape like that before, and I've never had proper spoon bits, so why not kill two birds with one stone.
Well, I buggered two pieces of wood. One got the shank drilled out the side while I was drilling the airway because I forgot to follow the line I drew for the airhole. The other one got the tobacco chamber poked through the bottom of the stummel - the airway was left of where it should have been.
I'll tell you what, asymmetrical shapes are no walk in the park. But I finally did it right on the third try - at east I got it shaped and drilled. Now I just have to make it last through finish sanding....
Asymmetrical woes
-
KurtHuhn
- Site Admin
- Posts: 5326
- Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2006 8:00 pm
- Location: United States/Rhode Island
I'm leaving them as-is for now. I like the grind. It's great for the shapes I like to do. The fact that it's pointy actually helps me start the bit on uneven surfaces. I can always reshape the bottom of the chamber if need be with the dremel and a diamond ball. Besides, if it's pointy, that means you have to hit the airway dead center each time - which means you need to learn to develop those skills, and that can never hurt. 
The cut is amazing. The bits don't wobble or wander, and if I need to adjust direction halfway through the bore, it's not a dramatic affair like it can be with a reshaped Silver and Deming bit.
The cut is amazing. The bits don't wobble or wander, and if I need to adjust direction halfway through the bore, it's not a dramatic affair like it can be with a reshaped Silver and Deming bit.
I went to try my hand this weekend at freehand drilling. I got my motor all set up and was ready to go. I had a pedisrool for my laser and everything. But the motor shook the laser. Bummer. Being the brilliant and talented guy i am, i figure that i could just put a few screws throught the lazer's housing. So i took it apart, and well, after that it wouldn't work. *sigh* So I'll return that one and get another. This time I'll set the pedistool so its not attached to the motor's mounting board. I thought about trying without the laser, but it really seemed like trouble. I did try a few practice pieces of scrap 2x4. I think a few more practice seesions are in order for me!
I'm working on a two birds pipe with my new BP bits too. Mine's a Volcano. I've been wanting to try one for some time. I've had a weird shaped block sitting off to the side that I figured would never work for anything, and thought it would be a good candidate for playing around. I'll be darn if it doesn't look like it's on the way to being a pipe. 
Or at least something resembling one 
I'm going to love this shape first deal once I get it down. Hmmm.... I guess I allready do love it, even though I'm a complete hack! Thankfully I had a good first experience. The chamber is a little deep, but workable. The drilling was not exactly where I planned it, but it seems to have work out all right. It's shaped up pretty close at this point. I'll post some pics if it makes it to the end.
I re-shaped the 3/4" bit for this. While beautiful in it's original shape from BP, it was just too pointy for me. Judging from the looks of this bowl, I may round it up a little more still. It cuts great, even after my re-shaping! I used a 5/16" brad point to drill a pilot hole, stoping about 1/4" short of hitting the top of the draught hole. I used a point chucked into the tail stock to guide me for the pilot hole, and then used the chamber bit by just pushing the stummel into it by hand. That seems to have worked great, at least in this case. I'll likely make a diaster out of the next one
Or at least something resembling one I'm going to love this shape first deal once I get it down. Hmmm.... I guess I allready do love it, even though I'm a complete hack! Thankfully I had a good first experience. The chamber is a little deep, but workable. The drilling was not exactly where I planned it, but it seems to have work out all right. It's shaped up pretty close at this point. I'll post some pics if it makes it to the end.
I re-shaped the 3/4" bit for this. While beautiful in it's original shape from BP, it was just too pointy for me. Judging from the looks of this bowl, I may round it up a little more still. It cuts great, even after my re-shaping! I used a 5/16" brad point to drill a pilot hole, stoping about 1/4" short of hitting the top of the draught hole. I used a point chucked into the tail stock to guide me for the pilot hole, and then used the chamber bit by just pushing the stummel into it by hand. That seems to have worked great, at least in this case. I'll likely make a diaster out of the next one
Scott E. Thile
Collector, smoker, and aspiring pipemaker.
http://sethilepipes.com
Sysop: http://pipedia.org
---------------------
Collector, smoker, and aspiring pipemaker.
http://sethilepipes.com
Sysop: http://pipedia.org
---------------------
4 freehand mistakes
Got my BP spoon bits on Friday and had a pre-shaped stummel waiting, so I had at it this weekend. I haven't re-shaped the bit, wanting to test how a sharp tapered bowl smokes first and I'm a bit nervous about messing up the perfect curvature profile.
The first screw up was drilliing the airway first rather than squaring the shank with the forstner. The forstner kind of wandered around in the 5/32 airhole and I couldn't hold the stummel securely while feeding the pipe into the forstner bit with the tailstock. I followed with the 5/16 mortise. I'll probably end up sticking a freehand stem in it.
Next I freehand pre-drilled the chamber with a 5/32 bit until I hit the airhole. Dead on! I directly followed with the 3/4 spoon bit.
The second mistake was poking pin pricks in the stummel with the tailstock dead center even though I had epoxied the points opposite of my drilling entrances. The dead center poked through the epoxy. I guess I was using the tailstock to push the stummel. I discovered that the tailstock should only act as a guide and that my hand needs to do the pushing with the tailstock center catching up right behind.
I guess I got kind of cavalier and backed the tailstock out with the spoon bit still spinning in the headstock and removed the stummel (bit spinning 500rpm). The stummel didn't catch or anything, but it removed some material from the top of the bowl, like a badly reamed pipe. Mistake number 3. I also noticed that once I got to the bottom of my 5/32 pre-drill, the bit generated a lot of heat and wood resin and wood bits stuck to the round of the spoon bit just after the cutting edge. That last 1/8" or so was a lot harder to drill. Since I nicked the bowl, I followed the 3/4 spoon with the 13/16 spoon. That drilled like butter and ribbons of wood streamed out. So mistake number 4 is probably not pre-drilling a large enough hole.
Lessons learned, eager for next weekend.
The first screw up was drilliing the airway first rather than squaring the shank with the forstner. The forstner kind of wandered around in the 5/32 airhole and I couldn't hold the stummel securely while feeding the pipe into the forstner bit with the tailstock. I followed with the 5/16 mortise. I'll probably end up sticking a freehand stem in it.
Next I freehand pre-drilled the chamber with a 5/32 bit until I hit the airhole. Dead on! I directly followed with the 3/4 spoon bit.
The second mistake was poking pin pricks in the stummel with the tailstock dead center even though I had epoxied the points opposite of my drilling entrances. The dead center poked through the epoxy. I guess I was using the tailstock to push the stummel. I discovered that the tailstock should only act as a guide and that my hand needs to do the pushing with the tailstock center catching up right behind.
I guess I got kind of cavalier and backed the tailstock out with the spoon bit still spinning in the headstock and removed the stummel (bit spinning 500rpm). The stummel didn't catch or anything, but it removed some material from the top of the bowl, like a badly reamed pipe. Mistake number 3. I also noticed that once I got to the bottom of my 5/32 pre-drill, the bit generated a lot of heat and wood resin and wood bits stuck to the round of the spoon bit just after the cutting edge. That last 1/8" or so was a lot harder to drill. Since I nicked the bowl, I followed the 3/4 spoon with the 13/16 spoon. That drilled like butter and ribbons of wood streamed out. So mistake number 4 is probably not pre-drilling a large enough hole.
Lessons learned, eager for next weekend.
Last edited by kbadkar on Tue Jun 19, 2007 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Asymmetrical woes
pictures kurt! pictures!!KurtHuhn wrote:To break in the bits I got from Brad, I decided to try my hand at an asymmetrical pipe. I haven't done a shape like that before, and I've never had proper spoon bits, so why not kill two birds with one stone.
Well, I buggered two pieces of wood. One got the shank drilled out the side while I was drilling the airway because I forgot to follow the line I drew for the airhole. The other one got the tobacco chamber poked through the bottom of the stummel - the airway was left of where it should have been.
I'll tell you what, asymmetrical shapes are no walk in the park. But I finally did it right on the third try - at east I got it shaped and drilled. Now I just have to make it last through finish sanding....
I'm working on my first assymetrical as well... I will hopefully be posting pics on this weekend!
-
KurtHuhn
- Site Admin
- Posts: 5326
- Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2006 8:00 pm
- Location: United States/Rhode Island
Re: Asymmetrical woes
I'm hoping to finish it today. The first coat of stain is setting in, and the epoxy is curing on the tenon. I'll take pics when I get home. If the grain holds, and I don't "F" it up somehow, it shold be a wild and crazy pipe with a ton of movement. I literally am having to hold myself back to keep from going to quickly - it's easy to get overexcited and make mistakes when coaxing something like this out of the briar.bscofield wrote:pictures kurt! pictures!!
I'm working on my first assymetrical as well... I will hopefully be posting pics on this weekend!
Re: Asymmetrical woes
Ahem... Kurt... it's 8pm your time. No excuses! PICS. I just love assymetrical pipes and working on my own first, I'd like to see what you've come up with.KurtHuhn wrote:I'm hoping to finish it today. The first coat of stain is setting in, and the epoxy is curing on the tenon. I'll take pics when I get home. If the grain holds, and I don't "F" it up somehow, it shold be a wild and crazy pipe with a ton of movement. I literally am having to hold myself back to keep from going to quickly - it's easy to get overexcited and make mistakes when coaxing something like this out of the briar.bscofield wrote:pictures kurt! pictures!!
I'm working on my first assymetrical as well... I will hopefully be posting pics on this weekend!
-
KurtHuhn
- Site Admin
- Posts: 5326
- Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2006 8:00 pm
- Location: United States/Rhode Island
Sorry, man. By the time I had got home from the day job, I had been sideswiped, rear-ended, pulled out in front of, and generally irritated beyond all reason. I lifted weights for close to an hour, then I was too exhausted to work on the pipe. Hopefully today will go better - especially since I'm leaving work early.
As a side note, it seems the antenna mast on a Dodge Ram is stronger than the drivers side mirror on a Volvo XC90. It it *really* didn't survive the crushing blow of my right rear tire as it fell to the pavement. Woman didn't even stop so I couild read her the riot act....
On another note, if you rear-end a full size pickup truck, your car *will* be totalled....
As a side note, it seems the antenna mast on a Dodge Ram is stronger than the drivers side mirror on a Volvo XC90. It it *really* didn't survive the crushing blow of my right rear tire as it fell to the pavement. Woman didn't even stop so I couild read her the riot act....
On another note, if you rear-end a full size pickup truck, your car *will* be totalled....
Oh man... phew... that's rough. I know what you mean about the phones. People wonder why I won't answer mine when I'm driving, but they get the picture when I start pointing out the jackasses doing jackass things with phones welded to their ears while driving. It's funny they'll ban smoking in restaurants(or in the general public, for that matter) but they won't ban freaking cell phones while driving. Kills me.
Note to self: Mark center points of stummel before shaping. That way the shank isn't off to one side.
*sigh*
Well, my second attempt at free drilling went better that the first. Bowl shaped well. Pretty much the right depth - a hair deep, but its OK. Draft hole came out a bit to the right though. I swear it was strait. But.... Then I eye the stummel a bit closer. D'OOOHH!! The drilling is strait! The whole damn shank is off to the left.
Ohh well. I'm just gonna go for it! It'll be my lefthanded pipe.
*sigh*
Well, my second attempt at free drilling went better that the first. Bowl shaped well. Pretty much the right depth - a hair deep, but its OK. Draft hole came out a bit to the right though. I swear it was strait. But.... Then I eye the stummel a bit closer. D'OOOHH!! The drilling is strait! The whole damn shank is off to the left.
Ohh well. I'm just gonna go for it! It'll be my lefthanded pipe.