Replies

1. 
   KiddervilleAcres | Oct 24, 2009 05:56am | #1

   Try Googling carving a pipe from briar; got lots of hits like this one: http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/forum/f61/briar-pipe-7416/

   Regards,

   Bob @ Kidderville Acres

   A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!

2. 
   Napie | Oct 24, 2009 03:01pm | #2

   FWW issue #20 pages 82-83 (March 1980) from the days before the publications “furniture obsession”.

3. 
   old saw | Oct 30, 2009 08:07am | #3

   Along with cigarettes I smoked a pipe for many years; when I was in high school I carved several from oak tree branches.  Occasionally I would modify some of the briar pipes that I owned as well.  Briar is very hard and fine-grained; I found it similar to cutting end-grain on seasoned oak or hickory.   You will require an extremely sharp knife and even then, you will be able to take only light cuts or chips.  I found it easiest to work with rasps and files - a shoemakers 4 in 1 worked well for me.  I would shape it with the rasp and then come back and smooth it with a knife - or sometimes vice versa.  You might try the trick that carvers use when cutting end-grain:  moisten the surface a little bit to slightly soften the wood.  I didn't have any trouble with chipping, but if your piece is burled, you might have that problem.  

   I have a pdf of an old Mechanix Illustrated article about turning a pipe on a lathe.  I'm not sure exactly where I found it online, but I think it was at the Internet Archive under woodworking or some such.  I'll see if I can find it again and post a link for you.

4. 
   old saw | Nov 01, 2009 04:28pm | #4

   I found the link to the old pipe-making magazine article.  Here it is:

   http://www.vintageprojects.com/woodshop/pipe-making.pdf

   It has to do with turning a pipe on a lathe, but it is interesting nevertheless.

   Regards,

5. 
   old saw | Nov 01, 2009 04:31pm | #5

   Hello again.  I forgot to mention that the link is to a pdf.  You will need Adobe Reader or something to open it.

6. 
   kmausmus | Nov 03, 2009 06:50am | #6

   Thanks for the input everyone. I thought I'd post the finished product.

   
1. 
   old saw | Nov 03, 2009 11:15am | #7

   Hey, that's pretty nice.  Has anyone tried it out yet?

7. 
   Ern | Nov 20, 2009 04:08am | #8

   Good work.

   As a sometime pipe smoker I can say that the bowl shape is critical. Something like a tulip but not so enclosed

8. 
   rmantell | Dec 03, 2009 02:28am | #9

   nicely done.....good looking pipe.