Chheda Pipes
Chheda Pipes Website
Chheda Pipes are produced in Columbus, Ohio currently by Premal Chheda. Each pipe is completely hand made from the finest materials available. Premal has been making pipes since 2003 on a limited basis and since 2007 to early 2016 worked with two other pipe makers to produce Chheda Pipes. Premal has experience in tooling and woodworking, and he has honed his skills to make the best possible pipe in terms of construction and finish. With his experience as a high grade pipe supplier, Premal has a very strict quality control for each and every Chheda Pipe. The stems are Hand-cut from top grade German Ebonite & other fine materials, and each pipe is marked "CHHEDA USA" and with a three digit stamp in the order it was made. Premal has an affinity for the Classics & Freehand Designs, and each Chheda pipe is Unique in shape & Finish. SmokersHaven.com. As of 2018 Premal opened RawKrafted.com which has pipe making supplies and curates accessibility to pipe making knowledge. Premal has a long history of supplying pipe making materials, mentoring and collaborating with pipe makers. Many pipe makers got their start under Premal's teachings. Premal also created the brand Buckeye Pipes.
Currently Premal solely makes Chheda Pipes. Previously Bill Shalosky (2007 to 2014) and Jesse Jones (2014 to 2016) were also making Chheda Pipes.
You may enjoy listening to Brian Levine's interview with Premal on the Pipes Magazine Radio Show and Mike's interview on Pipe & Tampers
Contact Information:
Premal Chheda Chheda Pipes 7919 Station St. Columbus, Ohio 43235 USA (614)-262-2442 premal@smokershaven.com http://www.chhedapipes.com
Growing up working in his parents tobacco shops in Ohio Smokers' Haven, Premal Chheda first delved into the world of pipes by restoring estate pipes. He acquired a fascination with the old english classics, wood finishing, and the construction of a pipe. Towards the end of his college career, he opened a pipe shop across from the osu campus. Working tirelessly for one year by himself in 1999 to 2000 he established an online presence with smokershaven.com and also started to delve into pipe making. Acquiring a few blocks from Tim West and advice from both Tim West and Steve Anderson, he built a little mini workstation in the shop. In 2002 he met Mike Butera and then really delved into fine pipe making. After visiting Mike, he absorbed everything Mike shared with him. In 2006 after moving the campus store into a bigger location, he built a workshop in the back of the shop along with a full estate pipe restoration setup. This is when he started to make Chheda pipes along with Buckeye pipes. Shortly after setting up shop, he hired Bill Shalosky to work with him to make Chheda pipes. Bill was naturally talented in design and Premal had a knack for precision and fine finishing. The combination of the two working together allowed both to progress quickly. in 2014 Jesse Jones joined the team with first working on estates, then Buckeyes, then Chheda pipes. Bill left in late 2014 and then Jesse left in early 2016 leaving Premal the sole maker of chheda pipes again from March 2016 to present day. From the start of Chheda pipes Premal constantly opened his doors to other pipe makers and instructed many to help them improve their work. Mentoring in both the craft and business. Some of the visitors he spent time with in his shop include Vollmer & Nilsson, Sergey Ailarov, Ryan Alden, David Huber, Brad Pohlmann, Scott Klein, Grant Batson, Micah Yeti Cryder, Clark Layton, Scottie Piersel, Abe Herbaugh, James Gilliam, Walt Hettinger, Michael Parks, Jerry Zenn, Li Zhesong, Nate King, Jerry Crawford, Micah Redmond, Thomas James, and many more by phone, message, & email. He continues to instruct and collaborate with many new makers to this day. In 2018 he launched RawKrafted, a pipe making supply business that provides quality materials and tools to professional pipe makers, along with enriching the community with access to information and advice. He was a winner of the Kansas City pipe carvers contest twice and was a judge for the last two years of the contest. He currently is one of the admins for pipemakers forum and their facebook page. In 2016 he took his first trip to Italy to visit the briar cutter Mimmo and climbed up a mountain side to hunt for briar in the forests along the mediteranean coast. Spending time at the source and in the mills where the briar is processed was one of the highlights of his life.