Like it alot mate!
If you make another ,give me a shout! I am in the market for
an 'expedition only' pipe!!
My best.
Chris.
Chris, I would be delighted to make a bespoke pipe for you. I have a larger cherry bowl ready for a stem, or could make you a new one to your spec. PM me if your interested.
Nice one mate,
I was thinking of giving that a go myself any advise?
I.E. which wood to use (Can I use oak??)
the bowl? (carve or burn?)
There are a few woods that are commonly used for pipe bowls and easy to find in the UK. Cherry is a favourite - relatively easy to carve, fairly common and can often have a very attractive grain. Other fruit woods are good, like apple or plum. Walnut is another. I imagine oak would work although it may taste a bit woody for a while. I have made a pipe bowl from oak, but it has never been used. I made it a few years ago, mainly to test my abilities. It is more decorative than practical...
Other tips: I'm still not completely decided on a bowl drilling method. I have tried drilling with my largest wood drill (only 10mm) and then enlarging with a dremel sanding drum. It is fairly hard to get a smooth and even finish on the inside with this, at least with the heads i've got. I think the best method for getting an even and carbonised finish is to use a bow drill or a wooden spindle in an electric drill. And it is more in keeping with a bushcrafty ethic. However it is very slow. Sand in with the spindle would definately help a good deal.... but I don't have any sand at the moment. Seems a silly thing to be lacking, but I am on the look out
. I think maybe a combination of drill bit and bowdrill would produce the most satisfying bowl.
For the stem you can use a piece of elder. It is (comparatively) easy to push out the pith with a piece of wire. Thats what I used for the long spiral pipe above. If you wish to use other types of wood, unless they also have a soft pith, it is more difficult. The apple stem was made with an electric drill and then cleaned up with a red hot piece of wire. If you wish to drill a piece of wood it is best to avoid pieces with pith and just go for a solid straight piece as the chances are your drill will not follow the pith. Drill the hole before shaping the stem in case you do not manage to drill completely straight.
Making the socket is probably the hardest part, and could probably be avoided by... just using epoxy on the butted together pieces, but this just doesn't seem right. IMO glue shouldn't replace a good joint, only strengthen it. Perhaps you could use a thin metal tube inside the wooden stem and running into the bowl... just thinking aloud really.
To get the socket down to the perfect size I find it helps to put some pencil lead on the inside of the hole and push the socket it. The areas that need reducing will be marked. Don't rush it and always keep the two pieces lined up when you are doing this check. It is not the symetry of the socket that matters, but the fit. If the hole is not completely round, the socket should not be either, this is what matters. Hope you understand what i'm trying to say.
Hope this is of some help
Thank y'all for the nice comments
