Turning stems and the shank together

[Briarfox]

Hey guys, I have started using Derlin recently and I must say that I'm very impressed with the ease of getting perfect tenon mortise fit. I finally had a chance to start another pipe yesterday and decided to put the stem blank into the mortise and turn the shank and stem together. I was unable to do this before Derlin because I would need to turn down the tenon and test fit it to the pipe after the mortise was drilled.

I do not recall reading about this being done and I had some concerns that the force might break the shank. However, this method worked wonderfully! This gave me a perfect shank/stem junction that I was able to sand to 400 on the lathe.

This seem to have really shaved some time of my pipe making. Have any of you guys tried this? Or is there some unforeseen reason why this is not done often?

Thanks
-Chris

[Nick]

Sounds like a great idea to me!

[KurtHuhn]

It has its merits, but I find that, for most pipes I like to fine tune the shank and stem shape in a fashion far more subtle than a lathe would allow. For instance, on a bent pipe, the shank is only straight and round for the first 3/16" or so - after point that it curves, and that operation is pretty much impossible on a typical lathe.

[Briarfox]

I used this method on a Dublin which gave me a lot of room to work on the shank. Good point Kurt, I can't see how this would really help on the bent.

I also have an issue with a tool rest on my lathe. It's a big metal lathe which leaves me very little room for a tool rest chucked up into the tool carriage. Turning both together gives me a little more freedom with the tool rest placement.

[RadDavis]

It's fine to start out with a round shank & stem. I'll echo what Kurt said, regarding curved shanks, but even with a straight shank, when you work on refining the bowl/shank juncture, you often end up with a shank diameter that's a little smaller at the bowl, and this must be adjusted all the way out to the stem in order for the pipe to look right.

I turn my stems down to fit the shank pretty close, but don't bother with any sanding on the lathe, because that original diameter at the end of the shank never stays original.

Rad