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Here are my latest. I got a new batch of briar and have been really pleased with it. All of the smooths are made from this new stuff. Would love some feedback and critiques on these. Thanks guys- Trey



The mortise hole on the billiard is a little off-center. I guess it was bumped on my lathe or something while I was drilling. But, I would still like to get it in the hands of one of the forum members and get some real smoking feedback. I was hoping to get at least the cost of materials back so please pm me if your interested and we can work something out.







I think this next one turned out really well. One of my best finishing jobs.







This next one is a shape from Jeff Gracik's site that I played with. Kind of a sitting dublin I guess. The grain was gorgeous throughout the whole block. Overbuffed the edges a bit in some places.









Please be critical and Thanks again- Trey

Trey, those are some gorgeous pipes. I don't feel I can be critical as I am new to all of this but either way I wanted to let you know that I really dig your work.
J

I especially like the 1st one and the last one. Off center mortise?..is there any other kind?
I drill the airway, smoke hole, and mortise first, then put a live center in it before turning the shank to keep it centered.
Just curious about the source of that nice looking briar block in the 1st image?

What's the cost of materials on that first one. I love the embellishments to the stem.

Brandon

Also do you have more pics of that first one?

the grain on the last one is absolutely stunning. especially the birdseye structure on the top of the bowl.

But I like the second to last one the best, a very nice pipe!

Thanks for all of the comments guys. My problem lies with my lathe chuck jaws. They are too small and cant grip the block correctly so I have to be very careful when turning not to move the block. I usually turn first then drill just so I can recover if the block does move during turning- otherwise I would end up with a lot more off center mortises. I just need to suck it up and get some tower jaws.

Bandkbrooks- The billiard is the only pipe that is available- sorry. The others are currently for sale at a local cigar/pipe shop. The stem inlay is olive with a little band of briar that was not blasted. Im glad to see somebody is interested in my pipes


Thanks again for all the comments and any more critiques are welcomed. Trey

They are all nicely finished, and your stem work is looking good. You'll be selling those without much trouble if you keep your prices reasonable.

Critique: First pipe - briar band(?) on stem doesn't match coloring of briar on pipe. The effect of this band on this pipe is that you actually see 2 bands of wood separated by 1 band of black, because of the smooth ring on the stummel. So it doesn't look quite done! Because of the blast, the shank is a little skinnier than if it was a smooth - balance this out by tapering the stem just a little more quickly - it looks a little too fat for a little too long because of the dis-balance against the shank.

But the shape is nice, the stem bent beautifully.

#2. Pretty good billy. Classic billy needs: bowl height from top of shank = shank length, bowl canted forward just a little more so it doesn't look like it's leaning to the stem (or the stem looks like it's peeling up toward the bowl). This is a brandy-ish billiard - move the fattest part of the pipe up to the middle, or closer to (take of more material at the bottom). Top of the bowl is really nicely cut. Sharpen up the lines of the stem - it's rounded over near the metal rather than flat/tapered in a straight line.

3. Good brandy, great grain. It's a little heavy - when you start a brandy with 1/4" of material at the top, it's gonna flare out and be real heavy looking. Flare slightly less or start with a thinner top and it'll lighten up. The heaviness carries through to the shank, because the bowl and shank intersect quite high, and this leaves the thing feeling a little pudgy and shapeless. 2 remedies - thin out the bowl walls a bit and more importantly, move the shank "back". Instead of aiming the shank right at the bottom of the chamber, build the pipe so the shank angle would miss the bowl, stretch the pipe out a bit, and you'll be able to define all this stuff. In keeping with that, you would also be able to make the "lowest" point of the pipe just back of bowl center, and this looks really nice on steep bents.

"What the hell are you talking about Sas?" Have a look at this old Ceppo - it still has a huge, masculine presence, but the curve of the shank is graceful and the stretched out build really let Georgio define the bowl shape. I'm not saying this is the only way to build a bent brandy, but imho this one contains a bunch of design ideas that are clear to see and well executed. The rim on this pipe is about 1/8" thick around a bowl that is pushing toward an inch across.




4. The dublin is beautiful - I'm not sure what I'm seeing but from one side it looks as though the stem is high-centered in the shank, and from the other side not so... what shape is that shank?

Anyway that's a damn fine looking pipe from a really nice cut of wood. Personally I think the chamber hole presents as a little small, but I understand that you are showing off the rim (and why not! who would cut a hole in such a piece!!) I think it works with the overall heaviness of the pipe.

Don't be shy about copying a pipe you like - there's no better way to learn about how pipes go together and why certain things look right or wrong depending on the application than by actually trying to physically reproduce a pipe.

Anyhow nice job on all these.

ricebiscuit wrote:... My problem lies with my lathe chuck jaws. They are too small... ...I just need to suck it up and get some tower jaws.

There is one way I came up with to get a better hold with short jaws, until you get bigger ones. Use a bigger block, and plan this out in advance to leave some extra wood at the bottom-front of the pipe. Make the cut so the edge is perpendicular to the center line of the shank you will be turning. You drill and turn the shank (or visa-versa, I guess), then back to the saw to cut off a little piece, so you can work the bowl in same manner. Then back to the saw again, before you finish shaping the bottom of the bowl with the sander or by hand.
It isn't ideal, and can affect your ability to orient the pipe ideally with the grain, and it wastes some briar, but it's a way to get a better hold with short jaws.

Sas- Thanks for the great review. Thats exactly what I was looking for. I have found that I am fond of the brandy shape which is why my billys have have a bit of brandy in them. I have to really work at it to produce a true billy. I 100% agree that the brandy looks pudgy. The picture explains it all and makes that pipe look much more graceful. The dublin is my favorite I have made so far- I'm, glad you liked it. The shank is a tear- drop shape. Some of the photo angles make it look a little funny. I couldnt agree more about "copying" other pipes. Its a great way to learn proportion and form. Recently I have been trying to pull away from "copying" and move toward "being influenced by". Hopefully I can develop my own style that is unique and recognizable.

Mike- Thanks for the tips. I will have to give that a try. Usually if I am careful, the drilling and shaping goes smoothly. Its just that one every once in a while that gets away from me. A metal lathe would help too, but that will have to wait until I get out of college and start making some money...