pipemakersforum.com

I have used Arbutus wood for years in other woodworking projects. it is realy hard but notoriously brittle and cracks easy when drying.....which makes me nervous about it in pipe making for cracking....but as far as light woods go it is amazingly beautiful. often white-yellow and some nice pieces being great shades of pink-rose.

curious if anyone has tried it.

i havent used arbutus but i have used manzanita its pretty much the same thing what seems to help me with the cracks is working with a freshly cut branch as soon as possible and smoking out of it as soon as possible ive made quite a few manzanita pipes and none of them have cracked using this method

i recently found some wild arbutus and i must say, i like it

when you dry it, what is your method? smoking it soon (green?) sounds interesting. Its sure a lot easier to carve green, but i hate spending time on carving it only to see it split

Kada wrote:when you dry it, what is your method? smoking it soon (green?) sounds interesting. Its sure a lot easier to carve green, but i hate spending time on carving it only to see it split

yes smoke it then carve it. i believe smoking it cures it somehow, maybe the drilling as well.